Best of Bergman

What does it mean to be human? What is man's role in society? In other words: What is the meaning of life? These questions are central to the impressive oeuvre of Ingmar Bergman, the Swedish filmmaker and dramatist. In a beautiful visual language abound with metaphors and symbolism, Bergman embarks on a search for answers from a philosophical, theological and psychological perspective, but without actually finding any unambiguous ones; searching is more important than finding after all. Though clearly life is complex and unpredictable, a fact to which Bergman does more than justice in his films. He is with reason considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of cinema, inspiring filmmakers all over the world to this day.

Bergman was born on 14 July 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden. His father was a Lutheran minister, introducing him to theological issues and religious images already at an early age. He moved to Stockholm to study at the university. Here his interest for theatre and film was sparked, eventually leading to more than sixty Bergman films. In 1946, he made his directorial debut with Crisis, in 1953, his breakthrough film Summer with Monika premiered, which was also commercially successful. Many masterpieces have followed since, which also garnered numerous international film awards, including three Academy Awards, a Golden Bear (Berlin) and an honorary Palme d'Or in Cannes for his entire oeuvre.

In 1965, Bergman moved to Fårö, a small island in the Baltic Sea. It had come to his attention through his long-time director of photography Sven Nykvist, who had recommended the island as the ideal filming location for Through a Glass Darkly, released in 1961. He died in his sleep in his island home on 30 July 2007, sixteen days after his 89th birthday.

Starting 17 March 2023, Rialto will present Best of Bergman, a small retrospective of nine films from his early career, including Summer with Monika and Through a Glass Darkly. Bergman's films will be screened in both Rialto De Pijp and Rialto VU.