TOP BERGMAN

My strongest response to any Bergman film was when I saw “Through a Glass Darkly”. It was too intense and emotional to forget about.

1. Cries and Whispers
2. Persona
3. Scenes From A Marriage
4. Saraband
5. The Silence

Wild Strawberries as it is so revolutionary in terms of the handling of the dream sequence and the detailed and painful analysis of the character of the professor. Fanny and Alexander is his big summation picture, with everything thrown into it. Persona also deserves recognition for its experimentation and auster character. For the rest, YOU pick!

1- Summer Interlude – One of the best love stories ever filmed and Bergman’s most lyrical film. Absolute masterpiece.
2- Scenes from a Marriage – It is the exact opposite of summer interlude but its rawness and frankness somehow move me.
3- Wild Strawberries – It was the first Bergman movie I saw. Since then have seen it many times before and never failed to amaze me.
4-Monika – By far, the most sensual film of Bergman. It captures perfectly doomed love.
5-Winter Light – It is my favorite from the “God takes the rap”-period. The images are unforgettable and it has some really powerful moments.

1) Scenes fom a MArriage (TV Version)
2) Fanny and Alexander (TV Version)
3) Wild Strawberries
4) Persona

1. Cries and Whispers
2. Wild Strawberries
3. Fanny and Alexander
4. The Seventh Seal
5. Persona
6. Scenes from a Marriage
7. Through a Glass Darkly
8. Autumn Sonata
9. The Silence
10. The Virgin Spring

Persona
The Touch

need to see Through a Glass Darkly. Thumbs up Geronimo. Great list.

1. The Virgin Spring
2. The Seventh Seal
3. Fanny and Alexander
4. Persona
5. The Silence
6. Hour Of The Wolf
7. Passion of Anna
8. Autumn Sonata
9. Winter Light
10. Shame

Winter Light is tops

1.Fanny and Alexander
2.Hour of the Wolf
3.Persona
4.Winter Light
5.Shame
6.Through a Glass Darkly
7.The Seventh Seal
8.The Silence
9.Scenes From a Marriage
10.Sawdust and Tinsel

Wild Strawberries is definitely my favorite.

Stupid double posts.

1. Persona
2. Cries & Whispers
3. Scenes From A Marriage (TV version)
4. Summer Interlude
5. The Passion of Anna
6. The Silence
7. Winter Light
8. The Hour of The Wolf
9. Sawdust & Tinsel
10. Smiles of A Summer Night

I also would recommend Faithless very highly, despite not being directed by Bergman. It is surely one of his most personal screenplays and Ullmann knows to strip all excess away and let the lacerating intensity of the dialogue and performances speak for themselves.

Bergman continues to blow me away. I just watched “Fanny and Alexander” the other night and it’s a masterpiece. The fact that most of his films are original screenplays is astounding. The writing, ideas and characters feel straight out of a novel. Fanny and Alexander is certainly one of my top!

I still have so much Bergman to see, but from what little I have seen thus far (in no particular order):

1. Scenes from a Marriage
2. Fanny and Alexander
3. Cries and Whispers

I admit to being green on Bergman, but I still love his films.
1. Persona- the best by far

2.Seventh Seal
3. Winter Light
4. Shame
5. Smiles of Summer Night
6. Through a Glass Darkly
7. The Passion of Anna
8. The Silence

There’s no way I could rank Bergman’s films. Perhaps Persona should be on top, though.

Cries and Whispers
Winter Light
Through a Glass Darkly
Persona
Scenes from a Marriage

“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.”

Cries and Whispers

Punch in the heart.

By year:

1957 The Seventh Seil (Det Sjunde inseglet)
1957 Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället)
1960 The Virgin’s Spring (Jungfrukällan)
1961 Through a Glass Darkly (Sasom i en spegel)
1962 Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna)
1963 The Silence (Tystnaden)
1966 Persona
1972 Cries and Whispers (Viskningar och rop)
1973 Scenes from a Marriage (Scener ur ett äktenskap)
1978 Autumn Sonata (Höstsonaten)
1982 Fanny & Alexander (Fanny och Alexander)

1. The Seventh Seal
2. Fanny and Alexander (TV Version)

…

The rest can sort itself out from there. Bergman’s body of work is most greatly, and always a downer. Personally, I can’t get enough of those two films and in that order.

Is it because there’s no available copy of Bergman’s “Face to Face” that no one has mentioned this harrowing masterpiece yet? Did nobody see it during its theatrical release? Is it so painful to witness Liv Ullmann’s performance that everyone has to repress and forget it altogether?

Yeah, it’s an absolute shame ‘Face to Face’ isn’t readily available. Even ‘The Touch’ deserves a release, although it’s not nearly as good. I don’t know if I can do this list.. I’d end up putting half his filmography on there. I’m actually doing a bit of a revisit marathon right now..

1) Fanny and Alexander

2) Cries and Whispers

3) Autumn Sonata

1. Scenes From a Marriage
2. Cries and Whipsers
3. Fanny and Alexander
4. Seventh Seal

It’s almost impossible to rank his films, but i’ll give it a try.

1. Fanny and Alexander
2. The Seventh Seal
3. Wild Strawberries
4. The Virgin Spring
5. Cries and Whispers
6. Winter Light
7. Through a Glass Darkly
8. The Silence
9. Scenes From a Marriage
10. Hour of the Wolf

It’s hard to disagree with Fanny and Alexander and Persona being amongst the best films (and not just in Bergman’s output in my humble opinion). I’d like to put in a word for Summer with Monika, probably my favourite of the earlier films I’ve seen; Harriet Andersson puts in a remarkable performance. I think she’s so underrated.

I also love Hour of the Wolf. Great to see Bergman taking on something that could loosely be described as a horror. But there are just so many that I love: The Silence, Wild Strawberries, Winter Light, From the Life of Marionettes, Shame, The Virgin Spring…

It’s amazing the number of films which have been nominated in this thread (and whenever there’s a discussion about favourite/best Bergman films), he was just so prolific and consistent. And there’s a whole group of works made for Swedish television following his “retirement” from film which, apart from Saraband, I’ve never seen. I think it’s time some enterprising DVD label made them available.

I love nearly every Bergman film. but these are my favorites.

1. Persona
2. Seventh Seal
3. Wild Strawberries
4. Cries and Whispers
6. Fanny and Alexander
7. Through a Glass Darkly
8. Autumn Sonata
9. Winter Light
10. Virgin Spring

I love nearly every Bergman film. but these are my favorites.

1. Persona
2. Seventh Seal
3. Wild Strawberries
4. Cries and Whispers
6. Fanny and Alexander
7. Through a Glass Darkly
8. Autumn Sonata
9. Winter Light
10. Virgin Spring

Wild Strawberries
Through a Glass Darkly
The Virgin Spring
Scenes from a Marriage
The Seventh Seal

Fanny and Alexander and Summer with Monica.
Although, I do believe that Winter Light is the quintessential Bergman film, and that Persona is his masterpiece.