Ingmar Bergman

Re-conceptualizing Ingmar Bergman’s status as auteur du cinema

“…The different explanations found were largely ‘the sexual’, ‘Bergman as womanizer’, ‘Bergman as expert concerning women’, ‘the influence of Bergman of his youth/father/mother/God’, ‘Bergman as demon director’ or other negative aspects of his personality. Similar topics are implicitly present in existing literature on Bergman’s image in Sweden (Asp, 2010; Koskinen, 2010; Steene, 2005), which points to a strong internal validity of the findings. The first three themes are grouped under ‘women and love’, which leaves us with a total of three frames that are key in the construction of Bergman’s persona: ‘youth’, ‘women and love’ and ‘personality’.…”

“…The ‘youth’-frame will not be discussed as others have done so more eloquently in relation to Bergman’s persona (cf. Bergom-Larsson, 1978; Björkman et al, 1970; Höök, 1962; Steene, 2005). Additionally, the reasons for the ‘youth’ frame being such a strong explaining factor in Bergman’s persona are easily explained by our culture’s Freudian focus on early life experiences, often child–parent relationships, as the source of our failures and successes (Illouz, 2012: 3).…”

“…The same discourse can be found in the press during this time. 25 Bergman-criticism changed again for the better when from the 1980s onward he is seen as master and icon (Steene, 2005: 20), yet within Sweden, a negative undertone on most of his work seems to persist till this day (Van Belle, in press). In contrast, on an international level, Bergman’s work is praised by academics and critics alike, highlighting his artistry (Asp, 2010: 59; Koskinen, 2009: 82).…”

“…Applying this to authorship, Foucault’s author-function further contributes in that authorship not only works to establish and maintain power but also explicitly functions to re-enforce itself through the author’s discourse, for example, as Bergman actively did with his autobiographies to fabricate and mold his public image (cf. Koskinen, 2002; Sjöberg, 2013; Staiger, 2008; Steene, 2005). The author asserts himself or herself as originator, and in doing so, the author-function is reproduced (Staiger, 2003).…”

“…Academic and critical interest in auteurism has traditionally led to the canonization of a few ‘chosen’ authors. Ingmar Bergman is a prime example: a one-sided view of him prevails as he has traditionally been kept in the realm of art film studies (Koskinen, 2010; Orr, 2014; Steene, 2005: 37–38). In Sweden, however, Bergman has always been both a popular celebrity and a high-art auteur (Koskinen, 2010: 13), in part due to his own myth-making.…”