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'Through a Glass, Darkly: The Films of Ingmar Bergman' is a free program exploring the cinema of the great Swedish director – his work, his influences, and his continuing legacy.

Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) is one of the true luminaries of European cinema. In a career lasting more than half a century, he crafted films with passion and potency. His films are known for their explication of deep religious concerns, their heartfelt understanding of the intricacies of human relationships, and their starkly arresting imagery. Bergman inspired countless filmmakers yet the heart and power of his artistry remains inimitable.

This program presents a curated selection of Bergman's key directorial works, illustrating the development and breadth of his oeuvre. It also includes a screening of Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage 1921, perhaps the single greatest cinematic influence on Bergman's ouevre, along with Bille August's Palme d'Or-winning The Best Intentions 1992 — written by Bergman during his temporary retirement — and the documentary Trespassing Bergman 2013, in which major filmmakers visit his home on the Swedish island of Fårö.

After an initially inauspicious start in the Swedish film industry, Bergman found critical acclaim and burgeoning commercial attention with the erotically charged Summer with Monika 1953. The subsequent triumph of Smiles of a Summer Night 1955 further cemented his international reputation, while the release of The Seventh Seal 1957 and Wild Strawberries 1957 in the same year established the thematic path he would follow for much of the rest of his career.

Bergman focused intently on writing and directing films that dealt honestly with a recurring set of ideas: God and faith, aging and mortality, the complexities of romantic relationships, filial love, and the joyful escapes of childhood. He mixed the harshness of realism with the logic of dreams and enriched surrealism with brutal sincerity. Along with his cinematographers (in particular his long-term collaborator Sven Nykvist), he produced some of the iconic images of cinema: from the startling merging of faces in Persona 1966 to a knight and Death playing chess on the beach in The Seventh Seal.

His long-standing repertory of actors – including Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Thulin, among others – gave life to his words through sensitive and detailed performances. They inhabit Bergman's characters, providing the subtleties that render his portraits of life so complex.

LIVE MUSIC & FILM: THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE
8.00pm Fri 3 March 2017 | SOLD OUT
Join us for a screening of Victor Sjöström's The Phantom Carriage 1921, featuring live musical accompaniment from Brisban band Blank Realm. The film will screen from an archival 35mm film print, courtesy of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.