Ingmar Bergman, Cinematic Philosopher: Reflections on His Creativity

253 Pages·2007·3.28 MB·English

by  Irving Singer

Ingmar Bergman,
Cinematic Philosopher
Books by Irving Singer
IngmarBergman,CinematicPhilosopher:ReflectionsonHis
Creativity
CinematicMythmaking:PhilosophyinFilm(forthcoming)
PhilosophyofLove:APartialSumming-Up(forthcoming)
ThreePhilosophicalFilmmakers:Hitchcock,Welles,Renoir
Sex:APhilosophicalPrimer,expandededition
FeelingandImagination:TheVibrantFluxofOurExistence
Sex:APhilosophicalPrimer
ExplorationsinLoveandSex
GeorgeSantayana,LiteraryPhilosopher
RealityTransformed:FilmasMeaningandTechnique
MeaninginLife:
TheCreationofValue
ThePursuitofLove
TheHarmonyofNatureandSpirit
TheNatureofLove:
PlatotoLuther
CourtlyandRomantic
TheModernWorld
MozartandBeethoven:TheConceptofLoveinTheirOperas
TheGoalsofHumanSexuality
Santayana’sAesthetics
EssaysinLiteraryCriticismbyGeorgeSantayana(editor)
TheNatureandPursuitofLove:ThePhilosophyofIrvingSinger
(editedbyDavidGoicoechea)
Ingmar Bergman,
Cinematic Philosopher
Reflections on His Creativity
Irving Singer
TheMITPress
Cambridge,Massachusetts
London,England
(2007IrvingSinger
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Singer,Irving.
IngmarBergman,cinematicphilosopher:reflectionsonhiscreativity
/IrvingSinger.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-262-19563-8(hardcover:alk.paper)
1.Bergman,Ingmar,1918–2007—Criticismandinterpretation.
I.Title.
PN1998.3.B47S56 2007
791.4302033092—dc22 2007000645
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To the memory of Charles Brenton Fisk

Contents
Preface ix
GeneralObservations 1
1 Magic,Myth,andtheReturntoChildhood 29
2 ReligiousQuandariesandtheNatureofLove 101
3 AmbiguitiesoftheHumanCondition 163
Epilogue 207
Notes 225
Index 233

Preface
Since this is a book of reflections on Ingmar Bergman’s
creativity, it seems fitting to begin with a statement that
he himself made about its frequent emergence out of a
‘‘seed’’inhisexperience:
Most of my films have grown—from some small incident, a
feeling I’ve had about something, an anecdote someone’s
told me, perhaps from a gesture or an expression on an
actor’sface.Itsetsoffaveryspecialsortoftensioninme,im-
mediately recognizable as such to me. On the deepest level,
ofcourse,theideasformyfilmscomeoutofthepressuresof
thespirit;andthese pressuresvary.But mostofmyfilmsbe-
gin with a specific image or feeling around which my imagi-
nation begins slowly to build an elaborate detail. I file each
oneawayinmymind.OftenIevenwritethemdowninnote
form. This way I have a whole series of handy files in my
head.Ofcourse,severalyearsmaygobybefore Igetaround
to transforming these sensations into anything as concrete as