With support from the Consulate General of Sweden, New York

Perhaps the most pivotal event in the life of Ingmar Bergman (born 1918) occurred at age 10, when he traded half his toy soldiers for a movie projector. From his earliest youth, Bergman was among the most hardened of film buffs, and from his university days an enfant terrible of the theater. He achieved his ambitions early, getting a screenplay produced by Sweden’s top director and becoming the head of a major theater in Europe before he was 26 — and making his first film before age 28. To try to encapsulate his brilliant cinema career is impossible, but an overview would encompass his progression from tormented, sensitive male protagonists; to strong female leads; to a series of God-haunted works; to island-location “chamber” works; to powerful, scathing examinations of intimate relationships, with romantic comedies interspersed throughout; to the warmth and charm of his later The Magic Flute and Fanny and Alexander. Bergman’s work with his stock company has made him arguably the greatest director of actors in the history of the medium, and his overall technical mastery and his brutal honesty and relentless search for truth have made him, as well, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.

Special thanks to Stephanie Friedman, Peter Becker, and Sarah Finklea, Janus Films; Elisabeth Halvarsson-Stapen, Consulate General of Sweden, New York; Lars Hedenstedt and Jörgen Burberg, Swedish Institute, Stockholm; John Kirk, Irene Ramos, MGM.

CLICK HERE FOR SCHEDULE OF ALL FILMS BY DATE & TITLE

“Bergman, a classical giant, [is] essential for all ages...
FANNY AND ALEXANDER, Bergman’s 1982 career summation
[is] the kind of rich, timeless, cautionless magnum opus
we can only receive, like benedictions, from artists
who’ve paid their generation's dues of sweat, risk ,tears, and honesty...
This is the spring’s main event.”
--Michael Atkinson, Village Voice. Click here to read the entire review

“FANNY AND ALEXANDER is a big, dark, beautiful, generous family chronicle…
Superb, both quintessential Bergman and unlike anything else he has ever done before. ”
–Vincent Canby, New York Times

“Bursts with the sort of invention we associate with young first-time directors. It’s a film for all seasons.”
– Roger Ebert

Fanny och Alexander (1982) Christmas at the mansion of the pleasure-loving Ekdahl family, 1907 — and Pernilla Allwin and Bertil Guve as the title children watch as their massive clan gathers for one of the cinema’s greatest holiday celebrations, among its highlights their lovably rapscallion uncle Jarl Kulle’s delight at his servant girl mistress’s pregnancy, smiled at by all concerned. But after their theater manager father dies and their actress mother Ewa Fröling marries bishop Jan Malmsjö, their world constricts to stern family terrors. Ah, but there’s a secret friend to the rescue, Erland Josephson’s Jewish antique dealer, bringing with him a taste of the supernatural. Bergman’s penultimate work for the cinema, designed as a kind of valedictory, touches on a kaleidoscope of his favorite themes: the theater, male/female tensions, childhood, repressive religion, etc., as well as being one of his warmest and most autobiographical works. A dazzling period recreation — sumptuously photographed by Sven Nykvist — and a gigantic worldwide success, garnering awards from Sweden (Best Film, Director, and Actor Jarl Kulle), Italy (Best Foreign Film, Director, Screenplay), France (Best Foreign Film), the U.K. (Best Cinematography); and in the U.S., where it won Best Foreign Film awards from the New York and L.A. critics and the Golden Globes, as well as six Oscar nominations, winning for Art Direction, Costumes, Photography, and Best Foreign Film. “A tale of two families: one theatrical, warm, loving, hedonistic, far-reaching; and the other clerical, mean-spirited, cold, self-righteous, vain... If, as announced, this is the master’s last film, he leaves us in a blaze of glory.” – David Shipman. Approx. 188 minutes.

A JANUS FILMS RELEASE
1:00, 4:40, 8:20

RETURN TO TOP.

SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT
Sommarnattens leende (1958) In the course of a “white night” in mid-summer 1901, stuffy lawyer Gunnar Björnstrand, despite virginal new wife Ulla Jacobsson, tries to renew his romance with stage star Eva Dahlbeck; while a young man’s aborted suicide turns into a fantasy come true. Bergman’s first great international success (basis for Sondheim’s A Little Night Music) is “a mixture of operetta and comedy” (Bergman), its decor inspired by his triumphant stage production of The Merry Widow. “One of the few classics of carnal comedy.” – Pauline Kael. Grand Prize, Cannes. Approx. 108 minutes. 1:00, 3:10, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45

RETURN TO TOP.

THE PASSION OF ANNA
En passion (1969) On the island of Fårö, solitude-seeking Max von Sydow finds himself involved with cynical couple Bibi Andersson and Erland Josephson and high-strung widow Liv Ullmann, with major events seemingly transpiring between scenes, a memorable dinner sequence, and intercut analyses of their roles by the actors. Relatively unsung, this is one of Bergman’s greatest works. “Sublimely beautiful.” – Joe Morgenstern, Newsweek. National Society of Film Critics’ Award for Best Director. Approx. 101 minutes.
Mon 1:10, 3:15, 5:20, 7:30, 9:30
Tues 1:10, 3:15, 5:20

RETURN TO TOP.

FRENZY
Hets (1945, Alf Sjöberg) Painfully adolescent Alf Kjellin finds solace only in the arms of hooker Mai Zetterling, but her main man turns out to be... With a screenplay by 25-year-old Bergman, who also served as director Sjöberg’s assistant, it was Sweden’s first international hit in two decades. “A masterful film, beautifully acted.” – Elliott Stein, Village Voice. Approx. 101 minutes. 7:30

CRISIS
Kris (1946) Provincial girl Inga Landgré opts for city life when birth mother Marianne Löfgren suddenly arrives on a visit with younger lover Stig Olin in tow. Bergman’s first directing job features a double-exposure dream sequence and the first of many mirror shots — precursors of his mature style. Approx. 93 minutes. 9:30

RETURN TO TOP.

THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY
Såsom i en spegel (1961) Amid a family’s island summer holiday, schizophrenic daughter Harriet Andersson (in arguably the greatest performance of Bergman’s entire oeuvre) inexorably descends into outright madness — but father Gunnar Björnstrand tells his son that “God is love, love is God.” With a four-person cast that also includes Max von Sydow and Lars Passgård, this is the first of Bergman’s “chamber” films and the first of his “God and Man” trilogy. (Parts 2 and 3, Winter Light and The Silence play on June 9 & 16.) Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Approx. 91 minutes. 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10

RETURN TO TOP.

SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE
Scener ur ett äktenskap (1973) Bergman chronicles the 10-year relationship of Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson, beginning with their seemingly perfect two-career, two children marriage, contrasted with Jan Malmsjö and Bibi Andersson’s bickering; and progressing through an extramarital affair, blunted reconciliations and re-marriages, to a final peace. Made in six parts for Swedish TV, it was cut by nearly 2 hours for U.S. theatrical release. We will be showing the complete 282-minute version (with intermissions). Digital projection. Approx. 282 minutes. 1:30, 7:00

RETURN TO TOP.

THE SEVENTH SEAL
Det sjunde Inseglet (1957) Back from the Crusades, knight Max von Sydow plays chess with Death in the one of the most famous images in film, as in a plague-ridden 14th-century Sweden he travels in quest of his wife, past wailing flagellants and a witch ready for burning. Establishing Bergman in the top ranks of contemporary directors, the first of his God-haunted works “contains some of the most extraordinary images ever committed to celluloid” (Nigel Floyd). Shot in a single take, the famous “Dance of Death” was a split-second improvisation when the light suddenly changed and the skies grew dramatic. Approx. 96 minutes. 1:10, 3:15, 5:30, 7:40, 9:45

RETURN TO TOP.

WILD STRAWBERRIES
Smultronstället (1957) A distinguished professor is driven by prickly daughter-in-law Ingrid Thulin (in her first Bergman role) to receive an honorary degree in Lund; along the way he returns in reverie to his youth, visits his aged mother, picks up hitchhiker Bibi Andersson — the image of his young love — along with a bickering couple, and undergoes a fantasy inquisition. The great director Victor Sjöström (age 78 and ailing) gives one of the screen’s legendary performances, including a luminous final close-up. Grand Prize, Berlin Film Festival. Approx. 90 minutes.
Sun/Mon 1:00, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8:00, 9:45
Tue 1:00, 2:45, 4:30

RETURN TO TOP.

FRENZY
Hets (1945, Alf Sjöberg) Painfully adolescent Alf Kjellin finds solace only in the arms of hooker Mai Zetterling, but her main man turns out to be... With a screenplay by 25-year-old Bergman, who also served as director Sjöberg’s assistant, it was Sweden’s first international hit in two decades. “A masterful film, beautifully acted.” – Elliott Stein, Village Voice. Approx. 101 minutes. 6:15, 10:05

IT RAINS ON OUR LOVE
Det regnar på vår kärlek (1946) Ex-con Birger Malmsten and pregnant Barbro Kollberg team up in the face of a hypocritical society for an idyll in a vacant summer villa, watched over by an enigmatic Man with an Umbrella. Much in the vein of the French poetic realism of Marcel Carné and Jacques Prévert, its frivolous moments alternating with bursts of near-tragedy. Approx. 100 minutes. 8:10

RETURN TO TOP.

WINTER LIGHT
Nattvardsgästerna (1963) A day in the life of rural pastor Gunnar Björnstrand, contending with his own loss of faith, from morning service, through his failure to comfort a suicidal Max von Sydow, to his anguished encounter with mistress Ingrid Thulin — highlighted by her minutes-long speech in tight close-up — to an evening High Mass. “Masterly even by Bergman’s own standards.” – David Shipman. Approx. 80 minutes. Approx. 80 minutes. 1:10, 2:50, 4:30, 6:15, 8:00, 9:40

RETURN TO TOP.

MONIKA
Sommaren med Monika (1953) Two workers at Stockholm waterfront stalls, kids with lousy home lives, take off for the summer on a stolen boat to a free, primitive life among the islands of the Skärgård, but then pregnancy and marriage ensue. Succès de scandale for Bergman and, in her first appearance in Bergman’s films and life, Harriet Andersson, “eroticism incarnate” (Peter Cowie). Aka Summer With Monica. Approx. 97 minutes. 1:35, 5:20, 9:05

SUMMER INTERLUDE
Sommarlek (1951) Backstage at Swan Lake, Uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist) gives ballerina Maj-Britt Nilsson her diary of a long ago summer, and of the love affair marred by tragedy that has deadened her feelings ever since. Once again an intricate flashback structure, charting a “transition from youthful innocence to adult experience” (Nigel Floyd) — as well as the interaction of life and art. “The first film with a style of my own.” – Bergman. Aka Illicit Interlude. Approx. 94 minutes. 3:30, 7:15

RETURN TO TOP.

PERSONA
(1966) Nurse Bibi Andersson’s increasing frustration with mute actress Liv Ullmann (in her Bergman debut), under her care after an on-stage breakdown, leads to deeply personal confessions — including “one of the rare truly erotic sequences in movie history” (Pauline Kael) — and an identification with the patient, particularly in the famous shot where their faces fuse into one. This print, from the Swedish negative, includes the explicit opening title sequence, which was censored in the original U.S. release. “Persona is to film what Ulysses is to the novel.” – John Simon. Approx. 81 minutes. 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10

More Information about PERSONA

RETURN TO TOP.

THE MAGIC FLUTE
Trollflöjten (1975) Prince Tamino must enter Sarastro’s Temple of Wisdom despite that darn Queen of the Night — but who cares about the plot? Shot on a replica of the 18th-century Drottningholm Court Theater, Bergman opens out Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte to show a youthful extra killing time backstage with a comic book, and the audience filing in (among them his wife, an ex-wife, and cinematographer Sven Nykvist). A dream of Bergman’s since his childhood marionette theater, making it “was the best time of my life.” Approx. 134 minutes. 1:15, 4:00, 7:00, 9:40

RETURN TO TOP.

SHAME
Skammen (1968) Scathing look at the disintegration of humanity in war: in the backwash of a seemingly endless conflict, musicans Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann endure an already rocky marriage — and then the enemy army invades. The only way out is dealing with quisling Gunnar Björnstrand. “It ends with one of the cinema’s most awesomely apocalyptic visions. A masterpiece.” – Tom Milne. “One of Bergman’s greatest films.” – Pauline Kael. Approx. 102 minutes. 1:20, 3:25, 5:30, 7:35, 9:40

RETURN TO TOP.

THE SILENCE
Tystnaden (1963) In a stiflingly hot foreign city seemingly on the brink of war, sisters Ingrid Thulin and Gunnel Lindblom are trapped in a deserted hotel, unable to speak the language or bear each other’s presence. The most overtly allegorical of Bergman’s works and the final statement of the “God and Man” trilogy. Despite — or perhaps because of — censorship battles for its overt eroticism, a giant box office success. Approx. 95 minutes. 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10

RETURN TO TOP.

THREE STRANGE LOVES
Törst (1949) As a train rumbles back from a location-shot Basel through a war-ravaged Germany to Sweden, Birger Malmsten and Eva Henning battle in alternately savage and high-comic, needling fashion; while Malmsten’s ex-wife gets no help from shrink Hasse Ekman. “A genuinely intricate affair, worked out with musical fluency and skillful overlaps in the narrative.” – Vernon Young. Aka Thirst. Approx. 83 minutes. 3:45, 7:20

PORT OF CALL
Hamnstad (1948) Nine-Christine Jönsson tries suicide in Göteborg’s harbor but is befriended by sailor Bengt Eklund, and then the flashbacks begin. Bergman’s attempt at Italian neo-realism, along with rare social criticism, here of the welfare and probation system, complete with botched abortion. Approx. 100 minutes. 1:50, 5:25, 9:00

RETURN TO TOP.

THE VIRGIN SPRING
Jungfrukällan (1960) In 13th century Sweden, pregnant Gunnel Lindblom, in thrall to the old religion and envious of virginal Birgitta Pettersson, slips a toad into the bread she carries to church, beginning a cycle of brutal rape, murder, revenge, and atonement. “I would choose it as his masterwork, the most lyrical, the most compassionate, the most lucidly constructed, the most selfless of his films.” – Vernon Young. Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Approx. 89 minutes. 1:00, 2:45, 4:30, 6:20, 8:10, 10:00

RETURN TO TOP.

THE MAGICIAN
Ansiktet (1958) 1846, and mute mesmerist Albert Vogler’s “health theater,” with dressed-as-a-boy Ingrid Thulin in tow, arrives in Stockholm to face house arrest at Consul Erland Josephson’s home, complete with grueling examination by rationalist doctor Gunnar Björnstrand — and an O. Henryish surprise twist. Both an extended metaphor of the artist’s plight and suspenseful horror tale, with Max von Sydow mesmerizing as the Christ-like Vogler. “A film made by a master.” – Pauline Kael. Aka The Face. Approx. 100 minutes. 1:10, 3:15, 5:30, 7:40, 9:40

RETURN TO TOP.

THE RITUAL

AFTER THE REHEARSAL
Efter repetitionen (1984) On the set of his fifth production of Strindberg’s A Dream Play, director Erland Josephson (a Bergman stand-in) must contend with the potential advances of young lead Lena Olin, complicated by the dreamlike appearance of embittered ex-mistress Ingrid Thulin. A reverie on theatrical life, with Josephson and Olin’s imagining of a possible affair “one of the most magical, beautifully sustained love scenes in any Bergman film” (Vincent Canby, NY Times). Approx. 72 minutes. Plus Karin’s Face (1985, Approx. 14 minutes), Bergman’s last work for the cinema, a filmic collage of photos of his beloved mother.3:45, 7:00

THE RITUAL
Riten (1969) Powerfully intense — even by Bergman standards — chamber play on the interaction of critics, the audience, and the artist, as the troupe of Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, and Anders Ek are brought in for questioning on obscenity charges, then, after a series of interrogations, perform their “act” for him. Approx. 74 minutes. 2:15, 5:30, 8:45

RETURN TO TOP.

HOUR OF THE WOLF
Vargtimmen (1968) Sandwiched between to-the-screen explanations by wife Liv Ullmann, vanished artist Max von Sydow’s diary reveals that he has been haunted by phantoms — including a spectral dinner party — but then Liv notes that she’s seen them, too. “A dazzling flow of surrealism, expessionism, and full-blooded Gothic horror.” – Tom Milne. National Society of Film Critics’ Award for Best Director. Approx. 89 minutes. 1:00, 2:45, 4:30, 6:15, 8:00, 9:45

RETURN TO TOP.

SAWDUST AND TINSEL
Gycklarnas afton (1953) As a travelling troupe rolls through the countryside of turn-of-the-century Sweden, the coach driver tells circus owner Åke Grönberg a tale of humiliation — one of Bergman’s most electryifying sequences, as clown Anders Ek must retrieve his naked wife before a crowd of leering, jeering soldiers, the only sound a relentless drumbeat. But then Grönberg finds himself metaphorically re-enacting it in his own circus ring. Savaged by critics, now the consensus pick as Bergman’s first masterpiece. Aka The Naked Night. Approx. 92 minutes. 1:40, 5:20, 9:00

A LESSON IN LOVE
En lektion i kärlek (1954) “A Comedy for Grownups:” gynecologist Gunnar Björnstrand dallies with a patient and fails to connect with daughter Harriet Andersson, while Eva Dahlbeck runs off for a sauce-for-the-goose Copenhagen fling with old flame Åke Grönberg. Whimsical passages include confusion as to who is married to whom, a comic drunken brawl, and a Cupid who delivers a “Do Not Disturb” sign to a hotel room door. Approx. 95 minutes. 3:30, 7:10

RETURN TO TOP.

CRIES AND WHISPERS
Viskningar och rop (1972) Amid the blood-red backgrounds of a turn-of-the-century mansion and the atmosphere of a dream, Liv Ullman and Ingrid Thulin keep a death watch over spinster sister Harriet Andersson; while flashbacks depict disappointed lives, meaningless marriages, and sisterly conflicts, with a final moving image suggesting what has been lost. “Reduces almost everything else you’re likely to see this season to the size of a small cinder.” – Vincent Canby, NY Times. Oscar for Sven Nykvist’s color cinematography, nominated for Best Film, Director and Screenplay. Approx. 106 minutes. 1:00, 3:05, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45

RETURN TO TOP.

THE DEVIL’S EYE

SECRETS OF WOMEN
Kvinnors väntan (1952) In a summer house in the Stockholm archipelago, three wives recount an adventure from their marriages while awaiting their husbands’ return: Anita Björk’s dalliance with old flame Jarl Kulle; Maj-Britt Nilsson’s impressionistically rendered remembrances of a Paris affair; while battling couple Eva Dahlbeck and Gunnar Björnstrand find romance anew when they’re stuck in an elevator overnight. Ranked Best Swedish film of 1952/53 in a critics’ poll. Approx. 107 minutes. 3:15, 7:05

THE DEVIL’S EYE
Djävulens öga (1960) ”A young woman’s chastity is a stye in the Devil’s eye.” — “Irish” proverb (invented by Bergman). Jarl Kulle’s Don Juan gets a reprieve after 300 years; his assignment from a business-suited Devil: return to earth and seduce virginal parson’s daughter Bibi Andersson. Approx. 86 minutes. 1:30, 5:20, 9:10

RETURN TO TOP.

BRINK OF LIFE
Nära livet (1957) Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin, and Bibi Andersson in a maternity ward where no births take place: one miscarries, one loses her baby during labor, and one... Best Director and a unique Best Actress award at Cannes for the ensemble cast. Aka Close to Life. Approx. 84 minutes. 1:50, 5:15, 8:45

DREAMS
Kvinnodröm (1955) Fashion manager Eva Dahlbeck prepares model Harriet Andersson for a photo shoot, the only sound the drumming fingers of an obese businessman. A fugue for two, as, on a trip to Göteborg — with another wordless tour de force en route, Dahlbeck fighting off suicide to the sound of the wheels — both meet men who puncture their dreams. Aka Journey into Autumn. Approx. 86 minutes. 3:30, 7:00

RETURN TO TOP.

AUTUMN SONATA
Höstsonaten (1978) In a long-planned collaboration between director and star, Ingrid Bergman (in an Oscar-nominated performance — her last feature role) returned to Swedish cinema after forty years to play a concert pianist coming home to an anguished reunion with neglected daughter Liv Ullmann. “The best Bergman film in years, filled with his liberating mixture of violence and tenderness that is the sign of emotional truth.” – Jack Kroll, Newsweek. Approx. 92 minutes. 1:00, 2:50, 4:40, 6:30, 8:20, 10:10

RETURN TO TOP.

(NOT SHOWN) Ingmar Bergman's Persona (Cambridge Film Handbooks (Paper)) by Lloyd Michaels (Editor) The Passion of Ingmar Bergman by Frank Gado

Ingmar Bergman: Magician and Prophet by Marc Gervais, Liv Ullman

The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography by Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman: A Life in the Theater by Lisa-Lone Marker, Frederick J. Marker