The
hard truth is there simply are no filmmakers still around of the same generation
and stature as Ingmar Bergman. Magarethe von Trotta might be as close as we can
get. He helmed his first film nearly thirty years before von Trotta’s directorial
debut, but he offered her considerable personal and professional encouragement
over the years. Von Trotta takes stock of Bergman’s Bergmanesque life and his
remarkable body of work, giving special attention to his Munich years in Searching for Ingmar Bergman (trailer here), “co-directed” by
Felix Moeller (her son) & Bettina Böhler, which opens this Friday in New
York.
Any
mention of Bergman is likely to mind his muse and lover, Liv Ulmann, who soon
appears for a sit-down with von Trotta (they rather appear to be old friends).
Although none of Bergman’s contemporaries are left, von Trotta talks with
several of the accomplished actresses, who graced his films, including Julia
Dufvenius, who starred in his final film, Saraband,
from 2003.
Bergman’s
sensitive handing of his ensembles, particularly actresses becomes one of von
Trotta’s primary themes, along with his neurotic insecurity and anxiety that
bordered on depression. However, that was all part of his artistic temperament,
which Bergman chose to embrace. Von Trotta also gleans some insights from
younger filmmakers, such as Ruben Östland, Mia Hansen-Løve, and Olivier Assayas
(who probably has the most thoughtful perspective to offer).
Of
course, there are generous clips from Bergman’s films as well. We see quite a
bit of The Seventh Seal and The Hour of the Wolf, which makes sense,
since they boast some of the starkest, most iconic imagery of his entire oeuvre.
Not surprisingly, This Can’t Happen Here,
his disowned spy thriller, is sadly overlooked again, but so is Smiles of a Summer Night. Alas, that is
the problem with having so many masterworks to your credit.
