Ingmar Bergman's Cinema


Ingmar Bergman's Cinema is a Blu-ray disc box set featuring 39 films directed by Ingmar Bergman, released by the Criterion Collection on November 20, 2018 in the United States. The set spans Bergman's early career, beginning in the 1940s, up to his final film in 2003. The films are organized non-chronologically, and are instead presented in four groupings that mimic the procession of a film festival. Accompanying the discs is a book featuring critical essays on each of the films, intended to guide the viewer through the experience. Of the 39 films featured, 17 had not been previously released by the Criterion Collection prior to their inclusion in the set.
The Criterion Collection announced the release of the set on July 13, 2018, in commemoration of Bergman's centenary birthday on July 14, 2018.

Overview

The box set includes 39 films directed by Ingmar Bergman across 30 Blu-ray discs, spanning six decades. The films are arranged as a curated festival with 'opening' and 'closing' nights bookending double features and 'centerpiece' programs.
In addition to the films, the set comes with supplementary materials included on the individual discs, as well as on an exclusive supplementary disc presented as the final disc of the set. Introductions from Bergman himself are included for eleven of the films, while six also feature audio commentaries; additionally, there are over five hours of interviews with Bergman's key collaborators. Accompanying the discs is a 248-page book containing various essays on the films as they presented, intended to guide the viewer through the experience of watching each.

Contents

Films

GroupingDisc
FilmYear
"Opening Night"1Smiles of a Summer Night1955
"Opening Night"2Crisis1946
"Opening Night"2A Ship to India 1947
"Opening Night"3Wild Strawberries1957
"Opening Night"4To Joy1950
"Opening Night"4Summer Interlude1951
"Opening Night"5Summer with Monika1953
"Opening Night"6Dreams 1955
"Opening Night"6A Lesson in Love 1954
"Centerpiece 1"7Scenes from a Marriage — Television version1973
"Centerpiece 1"8Scenes from a Marriage — U.S. theatrical version1973
"Centerpiece 1"8Saraband 2003
"Centerpiece 1"9From the Life of the Marionettes 1980
"Centerpiece 1"9Hour of the Wolf 1968
"Centerpiece 1"10Shame 1968
"Centerpiece 1"10The Passion of Anna 1969
"Centerpiece 1"11Fårö Document 1970
"Centerpiece 1"11Fårö Document 1979 1979
"Centerpiece 1"12Through a Glass Darkly1961
"Centerpiece 1"13Winter Light1963
"Centerpiece 1"14The Silence1963
"Centerpiece 1"15The Virgin Spring1960
"Centerpiece 2"16The Seventh Seal1957
"Centerpiece 2"17The Devil's Eye 1960
"Centerpiece 2"17All These Women 1964
"Centerpiece 2"18Sawdust and Tinsel1953
"Centerpiece 2"18The Rite 1969
"Centerpiece 2"19The Magician1958
"Centerpiece 2"20The Magic Flute1975
"Centerpiece 2"20After the Rehearsal 1984
"Centerpiece 2"21The Touch 1971
"Centerpiece 2"21The Serpent's Egg 1977
"Centerpiece 3"22Persona1966
"Centerpiece 3"23Thirst1949
"Centerpiece 3"23Port of Call1948
"Centerpiece 3"24Cries and Whispers1972
"Centerpiece 3"25Waiting Women 1952
"Centerpiece 3"25Brink of Life 1958
"Centerpiece 3"26Autumn Sonata1978
"Closing Night"27Fanny and Alexander – Television version1982
"Closing Night"28Fanny and Alexander – Theatrical version1982

Additional discs

Packaging and artwork

Ingmar Bergman's Cinema is packaged in a hardbox which contains a cardboard binder holding the individual discs. The cover artwork for the box features a still image from Persona, while the back displays a portrait of Bergman.

Reception

The New York Times critic Glenn Kenny assessed the set as "impressive and almost exhaustive", and interpreted it as "a fresh case for continuing importance", in response to criticisms such as Jonathan Rosenbaum's 2007 opinion piece "Scenes From an Overrated Career". David Mermelstein of The Wall Street Journal noted that, "despite some oddities in presentation," the set "shows the director’s work continues to merit close attention."