World's greatest living director passes away

Legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died today at age 89.

Bergman classics like The Seventh Seal came, for a time, to embemize the European art film for American audiences.

His movies were often difficult and demanding of the viewer, and his critics sometimes accused him of sterile intellectualism. But there is, I think, great warmth in works like Wild Strawberries and The Magic Flute, and his Cries and Whispers (which I consider a personal favorite) contains one of the most moving depictions of the 'moment of grace' as any ever captured on film:


Anna: My sisters, Karin and Maria have come to see me. It's wonderful to be together again like in the old days, and I am feeling much better. We were even able to go for a little walk together. Such an event for me, especially since i haven't been out of doors for so long. Suddenly we began to laugh and run toward the old swing that we hadn't seen since we were children. We sat in it like three good little sisters and Anna pushed us, slowly and gently. All my aches and pains were gone. The people I am most fond of in all the world were with me. I could hear their chatting around me. I could feel the presence of their bodies, the warmth of their hands. I wanted to hold the moment fast and thought, "Come what may, this is happiness. I cannot wish for anything better. Now, for a few minutes, I can experience perfection. And I feel profoundly grateful to my life, which gives me so much.

I have The Seventh Seal on my laptop right now, will have to watch it in his honor.

Wait, I'm confused. Where's the part about Michael Bay passing away?

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

Genius is eternal. Thank you, Ingmar Bergman.

For me as a filmmaker, Bergman was & still is an enormous influence

he was a part of that great age of cinema, along w/Kurosawa, Fellini, Godard, Truffaut, et al. That may very well be a bygone era now.

Bergman I salute you.

Three of my favorites within a month of each other (Edward Yang, Bergman and Antonioni).

So how is he the world's greatest living director if he's already dead?

I knew someone would call me on the awkward grammar. I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it, so I just trusted that people would understand that he was formerly the world's greatest living director, and not that he's some kind of Swedish undead zombie filmmaker.

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

This just in: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

Yeah, I was messing with you (unfortunately, the tone of text rarely comes across as it's intended).

I will tell you this though, your post has made me search for Cries and Whispers as I admit that I've neither seen it nor even heard of it.

Damn this cave I live in!