bergman

ingmar bergman is one of those filmmakers that takes a while to understand, a lot like his fellow kroner spending neighbor dryer (a dane to bergman's swedish worldview). funny in certain ways, but I really only started to understand the pace of their filmmaking after reading the amazing (really) piece of scandinavian literature Pan, by knut hamsun (norway, completing the troika).

the humanity unfolds in the space of great silence juxtaposed with the social awkward; self develops through constant kneading, and contact with others is driven by the unknown and the incredible force of brevity of interaction. levity less a dramatic tool than that strange complex and bitter flavor gained from some essential and needed contact with others - yeast that becomes thoughts developed under a moist towel in some dark corner of the hearth.

bergman manages to capture all of this and share it with us in perfectly sating slices, still warm from his oven. film, theater and literature are of course passive, which forces us into the position of silent participant, reacting and internalizing but ultimately as incapable of changing the outcome of the story as we are of changing the antagonists that surround us; we are led to the table to eat what has been made for us.

ingmar bergman has died at 89, it is truly amazing what he accomplished in his life.