Desire Avenue

So, this is actually my first post - I only just registered and do you think it's too terrible that my first post is in this forum and not about Stina at all?! I promise that I love Stina as much as I love living and breathing ("Something Nice" is playing as I write this - hurray for iTunes party shuffle being so discerning tonight!), but Bergman movies make a similar claim on my heart, so I just had to find out if there are any other Ingmar obsessives operating in these parts?

I could ramble on about the master for pages, so I will exercise restraint and just namecheck my 5 must-see faves and then, if you love them you can say "me too" and if you don't know them, well, you'll have five new (old) films that you have to go and seek out:

1. Persona
2. Cries And Whispers
3. The Passion (Of Anna)
4. Winter Light
5. Summer Interlude

I'm not Swedish and I still haven't put my finger on exactly what it is that draws me towards or defines this particular Nordic melancholy and intense introspection, present in both Stina's music and Bergman's films - the scalpel-sharp scrutiny of love, pain and death; the preoccupation with loss; the harrowing exposure of inverted passions; the proliferation of ghostly spectres haunting the proceedings. Watch them by yourself at 2am and don't go to bed until the morning mist blows all your candles out.

Good to meet you all
- Sally

Welcome Sally!
YES!! I'm a Bergman obsessive!
My favourites are:-

Smiles of a summer night (maybe my all-time favourite film)
Seventh Seal
Wild Strawberries (so,all the obvious ones then)
Summer with Monika
Sawdust and Tinsel (which is SO redolent of my days in theatre)

and I love all the others too,but the pain in some of them....well I like it when he offsets it with humanity and love.


And i know what you mean about Swedishness....do you know the poetry of Tomas Transtromer??? If you like Stina/Bergman,this is the next stop.Fantastic.
My favourite table tennis player is Swedish too,while we're on the Big subjects [:o] (Jan-Ove Waldner)
Oddly I've never yet found any Swedish classical music that I like...

Ooh, no, I don't know Tomas Transtromer - I shall scurry off to find out more and report back when I know what I'm talking about. I'm always on the scavenge for more substance to fuel my Scandinavia obsession, so thanks for the tip!

I agree that all Bergman is GREAT - even the 1940s films and the TV films of the 1980s. His new/last one, 'Sarabande' is out here soon and I'm so excited I can barely string a sentence together - I just gasp for air! I think I'm going to have to take somebody to see it with me so they can help me cross the street afterwards when I'm blinded by it's brilliance.

I saw them all in the cinema when the NFT did a complete retrospective in 2003 - I was dosed-up on two Bergmans per day for two months and it was pretty intense, but one of the most rewarding and stimulating cultural experiences of my life. I do lean towards the bleaker stuff, but I would definitely argue that all his films are redemptive to some degree and that as entrenched as many of his characters are in their emotional trauma and existential angst, there is always the opportunity to wrench themselves out of it and embrace something new, however painful the process may be and I find that to be more life-affirming and hopeful than anything any number of light-hearted romantic comedies could achieve. Plus, they look beautiful - all those misty close-ups and dark descents - and how could we fail to mention the impeccable performances - Liv, Bibi, Ingrid, Harriet, Max, Gunnar, Eva, Maj... <swoon>

Glad to know I'm not the only one

- Sally

sallytbyml wrote: I agree that all Bergman is GREAT - even the 1940s films and the TV films of the 1980s. His new/last one, 'Sarabande' is out here soon

New one? que? Explain!!

I saw them all in the cinema when the NFT did a complete retrospective in 2003 - I was dosed-up on two Bergmans per day for two months and it was pretty intense, but one of the most rewarding and stimulating cultural experiences of my life. I do lean towards the bleaker stuff, but I would definitely argue that all his films are redemptive to some degree and that as entrenched as many of his characters are in their emotional trauma and existential angst, there is always the opportunity to wrench themselves out of it and embrace something new, however painful the process may be and I find that to be more life-affirming and hopeful than anything any number of light-hearted romantic comedies could achieve. Plus, they look beautiful - all those misty close-ups and dark descents - and how could we fail to mention the impeccable performances - Liv, Bibi, Ingrid, Harriet, Max, Gunnar, Eva, Maj... <swoon>

Yup,agreed!Now i've got a DVD player,I really ought to go and buy them all (and Tarkovsky,and Kurosawa,and Paradjanov,and..)
Another Nordic thing to get into-Tove Jansson.The Moomintrolls.Some of them are kids books and no bad thing for that.And then some of them (Tales from Moominvalley,Moominland Midwinter) are like Bergman! And the Summer Book (adult) is sublime and wise...

Heres a short interview with Liv Ullman in which Saraband is mentioned as a "television film". Maybe why its not been generally seen.

http://enjoyment.independent.co.uk/film ... 315198.ece

Yes, it was done for Swedish TV and was screened over there ages ago, but in most other countries it's recieving a theatrical release, including finally the UK - here's a link to the US distributor's site with info, pics, reviews and trailer:

http://www.sonyclassics.com/saraband/

It's basically a sequel to Scenes From A Marriage with Liv and Erland reprising their roles alongside two generations of offspring.

I'm just too, too excited and it's perfect timing as the film opens for an exclusive run at the National Film Theatre from 7th October, at which point I will be working back there again and will be able to see it as many times as I like for free - I LOVE my life (sometimes) [crazy]

- Sally

Well, I had the chance to see a Premiere of Saraband in January 2004 in Angers, France.-shown in a movie festival.
It is indeed a good movie, inviting you to think back of what you have achieved or not in your life, and why is that so.
I am also a big Bergman fan and for the ones who can understand french subtitles, there is a great offer for his dvds here:
http://www.cinestore.com/films/films_pr ... p=194.html

To your lists I would definitely add:
-Vargtimmen (the hour of the wolf) I am sure Lynch fans would love it.
-Ansiktet (The face)
-Jungfru Kallan (the source?)

I also bought a great Fanny and Alexander DVD set (i haven't watched it yet though) at:
http://www.olivefilms.com
(a fantastic online shop for rare and amazing movies-ant not excessively expensive compared to others)

Besides, I am sure there is a great relation between Stina and Bergman movies, I had once found a huge link that i think i posted somewhere but i have now forgotten all about it.