Bergman, Ingmar (1918-2007), was a Swedish stage and motion-picture director. Bergman became famous for his complex studies of guilt, morality, and religious faith. Most of his films are highly symbolic, and some filmgoers have found them hard to understand. But critics have praised his imaginative use of black-and-white photography and his ability to gain outstanding performances from actors. Bergman wrote his own original screenplays. Bergman’s most acclaimed films include Smiles of a Summer Night (1955), The Seventh Seal (1957), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Magician (1958), Winter Light (1962), and Cries and Whispers (1972).
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born on July 14, 1918, in Uppsala, Sweden. He gained recognition in 1944 as a scriptwriter for the film Torment. Bergman’s The Virgin Spring (1960), Through a Glass Darkly (1961), and Fanny and Alexander (1982) won Academy Awards as best foreign film of the year. After the autobiographical Fanny and Alexander, Bergman retired from directing feature films until he made Saraband (2003) for Swedish television.
Several of his films deal with the lack of communication among his tormented characters. The series Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), and Shame (1968) concerns characters questioning the significance of their lives. As a stage director, Bergman headed the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm from 1963 to 1966. He wrote two volumes of autobiography, The Magic Lantern (1988) and Images (1993). Bergman died on July 30, 2007. His son Daniel Bergman also became a director.
