Ingmar Bergman
If one filmmaker had to be chosen by virtue of the impact their films have had upon fellow filmmakers, the name of Ingmar Bergman would surely rise to the top of the list. Born in Uppsala, Sweden in 1918 to the profoundly religious family of a Lutheran minister, Bergman had to confront from an early age the existential issues raised by the clash between his family's worldview and his own lack of religious faith. At the age of nine, he traded a set of tin soldiers to his brother for a magic lantern, a toy that provided his imagination with the backdrop it needed for explorations in theatre and cinema. He studied art and literature at Stockholm University College, and became even more involved in the worlds of theatre and film. In the early 1940s, Bergman got a job rewriting scripts at Svensk Filmindustri; in 1944, he had a chance to work as assistant director for Alf Sjöberg's Torment. The success of this film opened the doors for Bergman's own directorial debut - by 1955, he had achieved international success with Smiles of a Summer Night, which was nominated for the Golden Palm at Cannes. His output evolved over the years, from the faux-medieval existentialism of The Seventh Seal 1957 and The Virgin Spring 1960, to his trilogy on faith and alienation Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Light, and The Silence, 1961-63, to the two complex psychological films that Bergman considered his masterpieces, Persona 1966, and Cries and Whispers 1973. A trumped-up tax evasion charge and arrest in 1976 effectively disrupted Bergman's film career - while he was acquitted of all charges, The Serpent's Egg 1977, Autumn Sonata 1978, and From the Life of the Marionettes 1980 were all directed outside of Sweden. It was not until 1982 that Bergman returned to his native land to film the richly theatrical Fanny and Alexander. After completing this film, his overall creative focus shifted to theatre, an equally important part of his output - throughout his life, Bergman directed 130 productions for the stage. His final theatre production and film were directed in 2002 and 2003 respectively, but he remained active in radio theatre through 2004. On July 30, 2007, the same day that film director Michelangelo Antonioni died, Ingmar Bergman passed away in his home on the remote island of Fårö, Sweden.
