Ingmar Bergman,"the poet with a camera", dies at 89

During my short stint as a film major in college, I studied the films of Ingmar Bergman- The Seventh Seal, Smiles of a Summer Night, and so many more- and pondered over his childhood as the son of a minister. Themes of religion were scattered throughout his films in a world where God was either seen as malevolent - and faith an elusive thing for men and women. Toward the end, his films took on a theme that showed love toward humanity.

"Once, when asked by the critic Andrew Sarris why he did what he did, Mr. Bergman told the story of the rebuilding of Chartres Cathedral in the Middle Ages by thousands of anonymous artisans.

“I want to be one of the artists of the cathedral that rises on the plain,” he said. “I want to occupy myself by carving out of stone the head of a dragon, an angel or a demon, or perhaps a saint; it doesn’t matter; I will find the same joy in any case. Whether I am a believer or an unbeliever, Christian or pagan, I work with all the world to build a cathedral because I am artist and artisan, and because I have learned to draw faces, limbs, and bodies out of stone. I will never worry about the judgment of posterity or of my contemporaries; my name is carved nowhere and will disappear with me. But a little part of myself will survive in the anonymous and triumphant totality. A dragon or a demon, or perhaps a saint, it doesn’t matter!”

Via NY Times

By the way, his film "Music In Darkness" depicts a soldier blinded (while trying to rescue a puppy on a shooting range ) who turns down a female suitor because of her lack of social standing. (I've linked to a review above.) Bergman doesn't give the film an inspirational twist. The soldier is turned down when applying to a music academy despite his talent while the female suitor, Ingrid, goes on to succeed. One of the things I like about this film is how it juxtaposes different issues of class - along with how disability, as a lesser social status, interplays with other class issues. The film is weakened, however, by its sentimental treatment of disability.

The Swedish film is from 1948 and alternate titles include Musik i mörker, Night Is My Future.

[visual description: Photo, via NY Times, shows Bergman in a director's chair in the 60's. He is holding a camera and is dressed in dark attire.]