"Ingmar Bergman - Vermächtnis eines Jahrhundertgenies" or "Searching for Ingmar Bergman" is a new German/French collaboration released in 2018. The director and writer is renowned filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta and she collaborated with her son Felix Moeller in both fields. The subject, i.e. the center of the film, is in the title. These 95 minutes are about late Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, who is considered by many one of the best directors of all time, maybe the best that ever came from Europe. So even if I am not too familiar with his works, i must say thatg the man deserves a high-quality documentary about him. This is not what we have here. Some of the interviews are good and that is also the main reason why I give this film 3 stars out of 5 and a positive recommendation. It was a truly close call due to von trotta's self-centered approach and that is really a problem that exists in many of her works I must say. She has a tendency to put herself way too much in the middle of the movie instead of beinf restrained and allowing all the focus and fixation to be projected to the contents, here the subject of Ingmar Bergman. I will mention a few examples. The first one would be how they included von Trotta's Goldel Lion win early on. The second would be how they rushed in her fame doubts if she is the right person to make this film only to let us know that Bergman considered one of von Trotta's works among his top10 favorite movies. And how long she goes on about that. It never feels authentic as if she is humbled and proud, but as if she wants to tell everybody in the audience that her work was appreciate by an all-time great. And closely related to that, we have scenes from "Die bleierne Zeit" that just donät fit in at all in an Ingmar Bergman themed film. It's not like they showed scenes from other films from Bergman''s top10. Also I was never convinced von Trotta's connection with Bergman here was significant enough for her to make this movie, but maybe that's just me. She adds nothing despite being seen on screen all the time and the actually interesting and significant information, even by new rising Swedish filmmakers like Östlund, who have virtually no connection to Bergman, are because they have something of quality to say, not by any means that MvT somehow gets these information out of them. She does nothing really, except being there and taking herself seriously. it was painful to watch. This was also among the main reasons I believe why the interview with Liv Ullmann that really could have been the center of the entire thing fell incredibly flat unfortunately. The only thing memorable there was maybe how MvT got the number of Ullmann's appearances in Bergman films wrong and that says it all. Disappointing. Luckily, to my surprise, virtually every other interview guest had something to say that stayed more in the mind. But yeah, I wish so much that somebody else could have made this film or at least that we would not have to sit through MvT's completely forgettable visual presence here. The last shot being about her and not about Ullmann says it all. Shameful. Also a bit of a pity that Max von Sydow wasn't part of it. Maybe he smelled the direction this was heading. I cannot imagine they did not ask him, also with the most memorable scene they included focusing on him. Good for him I guess. This is really far away from the level it could have been and I only give it a very cautious thumbs-up. Hopefully we get a better Bergman documentary in the next years. There's really a lot worth finding out about the man and his art.
4 Reviews
a peek at a master
ferguson-62 November 2018
Greetings again from the darkness. Despite his being one of the most productive and influential filmmakers of all-time, it's understandable if you are concerned that a biopic of Ingmar Bergman might be a bit dry or difficult to connect with ... you know, kind of like his movies. The happy truth is that Margarethe von Trotta, Felix Moeller, and Bettina Bohler have collaborated on this very interesting dig inside the mind and process of this remarkable Swedish artist.
Mr. Bergman's best known films include: THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957), WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957), PERSONA (1966), CRIES AND WHISPERS (1972), SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (1973), FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982). It's likely you have either seen all of these or none, but either way, as long as you have some interest in the history of cinema, you'll be hooked on the multiple interviews and clips provided here.
Among those interviewed are actress Liv Ullman (she turns 80 this year), who appeared in 10 (she says 11) Bergman films. She cheerfully recalls the first time she met the director and how it led to their first collaboration, PERSONA. We also hear insight and personal stories from director and fellow Swede Ruben Ostlund (director of the terrific FORCE MAJEURE), Swedish documentarian Stig Bjorkman, and two of Bergman's sons, Daniel and Ingmar Jr. On the personal side, we learn the legendary filmmaker was son to the Parson of a local church, married 5 different women and fathered 9 children via 6 women (his 5 wives plus Liv Ullmann), and that he wasn't close to any of his children. He was described as viewing childhood through his own, rather than that of his kids. On his 60th birthday, there was an unusual gathering of all 9 children, many who had never previously met.
Maybe some of this is explained by Bergman's own definition of art as "therapy for the artist". This makes sense as so many discuss his insecurities and his own concerns with never being good enough. This despite a career of 50 plus films (many of which are studied in film classes) and nearly three times that many stage productions. Being wrongfully accused of tax evasion in 1976 affected his health and career, as well as his love of homeland Sweden. He moved to Germany before living out most of his life on the island of Faro - where he also filmed many movies.
The interviews presented here by Ms. Von Trotta (herself an accomplished filmmaker and actress) are each informative, though additional interviews from Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson (each appeared in 13 Bergman movies), and Woody Allen (the American filmmaker most closely associated with Bergman) would not just have added flavor, but were also kind of expected. The end result is that we view Bergman as the ultimate brooder, and one who had much respect and admiration for actors. Though he passed away in 2007 (the same day as director Antonioni), we are now even more convinced that Ingmar Bergman was a master of both the written word and on screen imagery.
Mr. Bergman's best known films include: THE SEVENTH SEAL (1957), WILD STRAWBERRIES (1957), PERSONA (1966), CRIES AND WHISPERS (1972), SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (1973), FANNY AND ALEXANDER (1982). It's likely you have either seen all of these or none, but either way, as long as you have some interest in the history of cinema, you'll be hooked on the multiple interviews and clips provided here.
Among those interviewed are actress Liv Ullman (she turns 80 this year), who appeared in 10 (she says 11) Bergman films. She cheerfully recalls the first time she met the director and how it led to their first collaboration, PERSONA. We also hear insight and personal stories from director and fellow Swede Ruben Ostlund (director of the terrific FORCE MAJEURE), Swedish documentarian Stig Bjorkman, and two of Bergman's sons, Daniel and Ingmar Jr. On the personal side, we learn the legendary filmmaker was son to the Parson of a local church, married 5 different women and fathered 9 children via 6 women (his 5 wives plus Liv Ullmann), and that he wasn't close to any of his children. He was described as viewing childhood through his own, rather than that of his kids. On his 60th birthday, there was an unusual gathering of all 9 children, many who had never previously met.
Maybe some of this is explained by Bergman's own definition of art as "therapy for the artist". This makes sense as so many discuss his insecurities and his own concerns with never being good enough. This despite a career of 50 plus films (many of which are studied in film classes) and nearly three times that many stage productions. Being wrongfully accused of tax evasion in 1976 affected his health and career, as well as his love of homeland Sweden. He moved to Germany before living out most of his life on the island of Faro - where he also filmed many movies.
The interviews presented here by Ms. Von Trotta (herself an accomplished filmmaker and actress) are each informative, though additional interviews from Max von Sydow, Bibi Andersson (each appeared in 13 Bergman movies), and Woody Allen (the American filmmaker most closely associated with Bergman) would not just have added flavor, but were also kind of expected. The end result is that we view Bergman as the ultimate brooder, and one who had much respect and admiration for actors. Though he passed away in 2007 (the same day as director Antonioni), we are now even more convinced that Ingmar Bergman was a master of both the written word and on screen imagery.
A Somewhat Satisfying Bio-Documentary
StrictlyConfidential2 November 2020
Born in Uppsala, Sweden - Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) is considered to be among the most accomplished and influential filmmakers of all time.
Throughout his long lifetime Bergman directed over 60 films, plus over 170 plays, as well.
Through stills, archival footage,and interviews - This 100-minute bio-documentary takes a close-up look at the life and times of Ingmar Bergman.
Throughout his long lifetime Bergman directed over 60 films, plus over 170 plays, as well.
Through stills, archival footage,and interviews - This 100-minute bio-documentary takes a close-up look at the life and times of Ingmar Bergman.
A very inept docu made by a bragging show-off searching for her own lost fame
Markus_Beer11 August 2018
This documentary is a hard pass. There are a few interview tidbits that are interesting (if nothing really new), but every scene, every move is counteracted by von Trotta's deep need for attention and recognition. I don't have a problem with filmmakers inserting themselves into their own documentary, but this is just ridiculous: She is front and center. And about half of the runtime is about her, not Bergman. How she was inspired to become a filmmaker because of Bergman, how she felt honored, because he liked a movie of hers forty years ago. It becomes unbearable very quickly.
If you want to watch a informative documentary about Bergman, avoid this production like the plague. There's some interesting information burried there, somewhere beneath the layers of self-promotion and self-congratulatory chest pounding, but it's simply not worth the effort. A better title would be "The wonderful filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta looks back on her greatest achievements (and there's Bergman)". I hated it.
If you want to watch a informative documentary about Bergman, avoid this production like the plague. There's some interesting information burried there, somewhere beneath the layers of self-promotion and self-congratulatory chest pounding, but it's simply not worth the effort. A better title would be "The wonderful filmmaker Margarethe von Trotta looks back on her greatest achievements (and there's Bergman)". I hated it.
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