Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Auteur Series: Ingmar Bergman

I have a love for all things auteur. My favorite auteurs to date are Wong Kar-Wai and Wes Anderson. Sadly, they're a bit vanilla and have become household names. (Okay, maybe not.) So I am hoping to expand my list of favorites.

For the next few weeks or even months, I will be watching films by Ingmar Bergman, an influential Swedish director who is very much approved by the Criterion Selection. As some of you might know, I have a love for all things Criterion Selection too. Furthermore, I also have a love for all things Scandinavian. So, needless to say, I think Bergman is a pretty good choice for me to embark on this Auteur Series.

Just to add a little more understanding of Bergman, Bergman is the idol of some of the most relevant directors today whom we always see at movie award shows. Todd Field, director of In the Bedroom and Little Children, Ang Lee, Woody Allen, and even Park Chan-wook, director of Oldboy have cited Bergman as their influence.

Woody Allen praised Bergman as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera." So I am looking forward to what Bergman has to offer. The first film I will be watching is The Virgin Spring. My one and only concern...Bergman's films are black and white films--something I have difficulty viewing if they are not for a class.

No comments: