Remebering Ingmar Bergman - An Interview with Gunnar Bergdahl

Palador Pictures and The Embassy of Sweden are paying a tribute to one of the greatest stalwarts of world cinema, Ingmar Bergman on the occasion of his first death anniversary through a film festival titled ‘Remembering Bergman – A Retrospective’. The festival, which is to be screened in Pune from September 5 to 11, will feature some of Bergman’s most iconic and poignant work such as Through a Glass Darkly, Wild Strawberries, Music in Darkness, Summer Interlude and Devil’s Eye amongst others.
An artist of cinema, Bergman is often considered to have pioneered the recognition of film as a medium that exposed the complexities of the human condition as eloquently and sensitively as perhaps literature and theatre succeeded in doing. In an attempt to understand more about Bergman’s creative genius, we interviewed his close friend and colleague Gunnar Bergdahl who was invited by Palador to conduct a workshop for film students and filmmakers in Mumbai this week.

“We had a nice friendship based on our common interests in film. We first conversed over the phone around fifteen years ago. When I was at a crossroad in my career I asked him for advice. He told me to become a director but I became a magazine editor instead. Maybe I should have become a director,” laughs Bergdahl, adding, “He was always very generous with his time and advice. I do believe he liked me,” while reminiscing his time spent with the cinema great.

Bergman inspired countless directors from the likes of Krzysztof Kieślowski and Andrei Tarkovsky to even the more commercial Steven Spielberg and Wes Craven. Undoubtedly his complex screenplays, coupled with his intense frames laden with symbolism made him a favourite amongst serious filmmakers but what was that particular trait that made him the powerhouse of creativity he was? Bergdahl replied almost imediately, “His curiosity and his childlike innocence are what made him great. He looked at the world through the eyes of a younger, child Bergman. Once when I asked him why he was watching so many films and wasn’t he was getting tired, he told me, film is an expanding universe, the more you look the more you find. This is the kind of curiosity that set him apart. His genius is evident in his films. Although they are a bit old fashioned in their appearance, the themes they convey are universal like those of faith, death and human suffering.”

When asked what his favourite work of Bergman was, Bergdahl says “If I had to choose from all his films I would say that Persona was his best work. It was a personal story that was outspoken and memorable with a clear point.” Finally we asked Bergdahl what he thought of the Indian film industry. “I don’t think I am in the position to comment on this subject as I have seen only a few Indian films. I have watched the Apu Trilogy and films by Adur Gopalakrishnan amongst others. However I will say this, Sweden is a small country of nine million and India is a country of nine hundred million. If we produced one Ingmar Bergman, you should be able to produce a hundred,” was his surprising reply. A sentiment we undoubtedly share.
by Shivani Bail
Pic Courtesy Palador Pictures - A still from Through a Glass Darkly. The first movie of what is considered to be Bergman's 'faith' trilogy.