Ingmar Bergman
A Reference Guide
Distributed for Amsterdam University Press
1,150 pages
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15 halftones
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6-3/4 x 9-1/4
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© 2005
The films of Swedish director Ingmar Bergman are renowned for their largely spare and stark aesthetic, an existential framework, and plots driven by a fascination with death and the moral torments of the human soul. Birgitta Steene offers here in Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide an essential and unparalleled resource on the life and work of Bergman. Plumbing the depths of these trademark Bergman themes, Steene traces as well the indelible mark he left on world cinema through his other cinematographic work and writings.
Over the decades, Bergman's stature and image have evolved in fascinating ways—an iconoclast of the 1950s, a bourgeois traditionalist of the 1960s, and an icon in the 1980s. This exhaustive compendium considers each phase of his career, exploring his deep and vast oeuvre in all its controversy and complexity, and analyzes his intriguing and unique motifs such as his efforts to expose dead conventions and his portrayals of Woman as the archetype of humanity. As well as providing a detailed account of Bergman's life and chronicling his career as a filmmaker and theater director, including his work for television, Steene offers transcripts of some of the numerous interviews and conversations she conducted with Bergman. Writings by and about Bergman and a detailed chronological survey of his film and theatrical work completes this eminently readable and thoroughly researched volume. A wide-ranging and groundbreaking work of film history, Ingmar Bergman is the definitive reference for scholars of the Scandinavian master.
Over the decades, Bergman's stature and image have evolved in fascinating ways—an iconoclast of the 1950s, a bourgeois traditionalist of the 1960s, and an icon in the 1980s. This exhaustive compendium considers each phase of his career, exploring his deep and vast oeuvre in all its controversy and complexity, and analyzes his intriguing and unique motifs such as his efforts to expose dead conventions and his portrayals of Woman as the archetype of humanity. As well as providing a detailed account of Bergman's life and chronicling his career as a filmmaker and theater director, including his work for television, Steene offers transcripts of some of the numerous interviews and conversations she conducted with Bergman. Writings by and about Bergman and a detailed chronological survey of his film and theatrical work completes this eminently readable and thoroughly researched volume. A wide-ranging and groundbreaking work of film history, Ingmar Bergman is the definitive reference for scholars of the Scandinavian master.
Lloyd Michaels, Allegheny College
"With her dual cultural background and access to Bergman material in his native language, Birgitta Steene is uniquely qualified to provide both an international and Swedish perspective on the critical reception to his extraordinary output. Her new book offers a comprehensive overview and annotated record of his prolific accomplishments. As Bergman's mighty career draws to a close, this reference guide will serve as the first source as well as the gold standard for a generation of future scholars."
Thomas Bredsdorff | Politiken
"Invaluable. . . . It could not have been done better."
Laura Kern | Film Comment
"This tremendous compendium . . . covers every facet of Bergman's life and 50-plus-year career so far, while providing both an ideal launch pad for newcomers and an enjoyable browse for even the most well-versed Bergmaniac. . . . Many topics are methodically cross-referenced, making the ease of use and clarity of the book all the more impressive. . . . A valuable critical guide. . . . With the publication of this indispensable guide, exploring the Bergman oeuvre has never been so easy."
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