Nordic Film Philosopher (Ingmar Bergman)

Author: Shen Yubing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: A book in the "Fenglinwan Film Series." Regrettably, this distinguished series of introductions to film masters, published and operated by the local bookstore Fenglinwan, is hard to find. Unlike the fleeting and superficial film reviews in many current film magazines, Mr. Shen Yubing of Hangzhou—also the author of this book—provides reviews that are solid, approachable, and insightful. He neither confines himself to personal opinions nor adopts an arrogant or theoretical stance. The appendices of the book are also very engaging, including: an interview with Bergman, a film story about Bergman's film "The Mask," Susan Sontag's essay on "The Mask," a filmography of Bergman's works, and a DVD catalog. When Fellini said that comparing him to Bergman was an honor, he regarded Bergman as an unsurpassable figure. When Tarkovsky remarked that people today would rather watch a trashy commercial film than appreciate a film like "Wild Strawberries," he considered Bergman the fundamental benchmark of film art. Swedish director Ingmar Bergman is now widely recognized as one of the world's greatest film directors. His films, with their grand themes, profound philosophical depth, intense stage play style, brilliant literary quality, and unparalleled exploration of cinematic language, have become one of the few masters who have achieved an artist's personal landscape. This is the first book in Chinese dedicated entirely to this great artist, and it is hoped to provide a supplementary perspective to his autobiography and memoirs, "Bergman: The Autobiography" and "Bergman on Film."