Ingmar Bergman film tribute opens at AUC
I shall remember this moment: the silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries, the bowl of milk. Your faces in the evening light, Mikael asleep, Jof with his lyre, the forlorn, baffled knight Antonius Block says to the ingenuous Mia in Ingmar Bergman s “The Seventh Seal. I shall carry this memory carefully in my hands as if it were a bowl brimful of fresh milk. It will be a sign to me, and a great sufficiency. This quote, with all the hopefulness, tenderness and serenity it contains, amid all the gloom, desperation and bewilderment of Bergman s bleak world, carries one of the director s most central – but mostly overlooked – ideas: Love and faith in our humanism is the only true savior for us in this world.
It s true that the name Ingmar Bergman isn t necessarily associated with themes of optimism, faith or love and that, sadly, reflects a widespread growing misconception about the Swedish maverick. Fortunately, this fallacy might finally be laid to rest (at least for us, proud residents of Cairo) with the American University in Cairo s five-film Bergman tribute, which began yesterday and runs till Sept. 25.
Most critics have viewed Bergman’s films as one long journey of self-discovery and the search for lucid meaning in a rather elusive world. His films are rich with some of the most complex characters to appear on screen, a reservoir of haunting and captivating images and a world where happiness is the rarest and most coveted of commodities. Unrequited love, emotional instability, self-doubt, failure in communication and the never-ending quest to find God; all these ideas are staple themes in Bergman films. However, and in spite of all the emotional appeals that always erupt from his characters and the constant agony that never seems to die, it s a place where one can experience comfort and solace, where one feels more real and honest than in the real world and where those brief moments of happiness can be enough reason to carry on living.
The film series opens with “Summer with Monika (1953). Bergman tells the story of 19-year-old Harry, who falls in love with, the cheerful, carefree and voluptuous 17-year-old Monika. The pair decides to escape to a small, remote island where they spend the summer. Boredom starts to creep in and Monika s pregnancy forces them to return to town to face a reality filled with burdening responsibilities and little joy.
Many critics have pointed out that Monika is an altogether unappealing leading character and the audience will undeniably feel the same because she is a selfish, self-centered young woman, who possesses no motherly feelings towards her baby. Nevertheless, Monika is, after all, a teenager, a kid consumed by the fake idealism of Hollywood films and incapable of bearing responsibility. The island, to both Harry and Monika and the audience, is semi-utopia, an image bound to be shattered; reality never fails to seize us in its firm clutches and the illusionary happiness is rendered simply a temporary sedative.
“The Naked Light (aka Sawdust and Tinsel) (1953) was Bergman s biggest flop when it was released, receiving some of the worst reviews of his career. The film, considered by many now as one of Bergman s finest early works, revolves around a circus ringleader who meets his estranged wife after several years on one of his tours. The leader s jealous young mistress begs an actor to seduce her in exchange for a valuable necklace. The mistress is rejected and debased by the actor while the leader s indifferent wife refuses to let him live with the family.
The film, in its essence, is a series of humiliations for the protagonist, yet the film feels painfully genuine in its examination of the nature of love (a recurring theme for Bergman) and the human condition. The concept of love is based on selflessness, yet the story s characters are too involved in their lusts and their vanity to experience anything noble or true.
After the failure of “Sawdust and Tinsel, Bergman released “Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), the film that would propel him into international stardom and secure his independence for the rest of his career. “Smiles is one of Bergman s few comedies and one of his most delightful and accessible films. The film blends various influences, from Shakespeare, Mozart and the French bedroom comedies, with Bergman s wry humor and bittersweet view of love and marriage. It s not a laugh-out-loud movie; the humor is generated chiefly by the sophisticated dialogue and the absurd situations the eccentric, flawed characters find themselves in. “Smiles is a perfectly crafted comedy with several serious central themes that linger longer in our minds, possibly more than Bergman s earlier dramas.
Bergman followed “Smiles with the film that would cement his name in film history. “The Seventh Seal (1957) was a phenomenal success, putting Bergman at the forefront of the world s greatest filmmakers. The film tells the story of a knight called Antonius Block returning from the Crusades to plague-ridden 12th century Sweden. Block meets the figure of death and challenges him to a game of chess. If the knight wins, Death will spare his life. If he loses, he ll take his life along with the rest of his family’s. On his journey home, Block comes across multiple characters, including the kind hearted, faithful Jof and his wife Mia, while questioning his life, God and human existence.
“The Seventh Seal, one of the first definite existential films, isn t considered one of the greatest films of all time solely for its unforgettable images (the knight playing chess with Death is one of the most iconic images of film history) or Gunnar Fischer s expressionistic cinematography or the exceptional acting of Bibi Anderson and Max von Sydow; the greatness of “The Seventh Seal lies in its audacity in asking some of the most crucial questions in life: Who are we? Why are we here? And, most of all, what if there s no afterlife? What if there s nothingness, emptiness?
Antonius wanders around a dying world looking for meaning and hope. Only in Jof and Mia s faith and the immense love they possess and radiate, does he find the only comfort and beauty in this world. There might be no afterlife and many of us don t enjoy the gift of faith; all that matters to Bergman is the here and now, the love we must learn to accept and grant because, without it, there s no meaning.
Bergman s next film and the last to be shown this month, is “Wild Strawberries. Professor Isak Borg is set to travel to Lund to receive an honorary degree. The aging man decides to drive to the city, accompanied by his daughter-in-law Marianne. During his trip, Isak visits his old country house, comes across new and old faces and starts to reevaluate his entire life.
“Wild Strawberries is arguably one of Bergman s most poignant films, with an added touch of sweet sentimentality. Isak is ostensibly based on Bergman s father and the film is an attempt to understand him. However, later on Bergman realized that Isak was based on himself and that he was about to lead the same cold, winding path of the character he created.
Bergman said that “Wild Strawberries was a cry for help. It was a cry for his parents to see him, to recognize him and to love him. It could be argued that the ending of “Wild Strawberries is the end Bergman wanted for himself. He was never able to let go of the dream-like world of his childhood and the innocence, joyfulness and tranquility it carried and he believed that he might ultimately find peace and love. But, judging by Bergman s interviews and his last film “Saraband, it seems he never did.
“Sawdust and Tinsel plays on the 13th at 8 pm, “Smiles of a Summer Night plays on the 17th at 7 pm, “The Seventh Seal plays on the 18th at 7 pm and “Wild Strawberries plays on the 25th at 9 pm. All films are showing at the JC auditorium. For non-AUCians, an invitation and a photo ID are required. To acquire an invitation, please call 797-6196 or 797-6
