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.

Ingmar Bergman's Cinema
Cover artwork
DirectorIngmar Bergman
DistributorThe Criterion Collection
Release date
  • November 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)[1]
Runtime4537 minutes[2]
FormatBlu-ray
Discs30

The Criterion Collection announced the release of the set on July 13, 2018, in commemoration of Bergman's centenary birthday on July 14, 2018.[3]

Overview

The box set includes 39 films directed by Ingmar Bergman across 30 Blu-ray discs, spanning six decades.[4] The films are arranged as a curated festival with 'opening' and 'closing' nights bookending double features and 'centerpiece' programs.[5]

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.[6] 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.[6] 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.[4][7]

Contents

Films
Key
Denotes films previously unreleased by either the Criterion Collection or their Eclipse line
Grouping Disc
no.		 Film Year Ref.
"Opening Night" 1 Smiles of a Summer Night 1955 [3]
2 Crisis 1946
A Ship to India 1947
3 Wild Strawberries 1957
4 To Joy 1950
Summer Interlude 1951
5 Summer with Monika 1953
6 Dreams 1955
A Lesson in Love 1954
"Centerpiece 1" 7 Scenes from a Marriage — Television version 1973 [3]
8 Scenes from a Marriage — U.S. theatrical version
Saraband 2003
9 From the Life of the Marionettes 1980
Hour of the Wolf 1968
10 Shame [lower-alpha 1] 1968
The Passion of Anna 1969
11 Fårö Document 1970
Fårö Document 1979 1979
12 Through a Glass Darkly 1961
13 Winter Light 1963
14 The Silence 1963
15 The Virgin Spring 1960
"Centerpiece 2" 16 The Seventh Seal 1957 [3]
17 The Devil's Eye 1960
All These Women 1964
18 Sawdust and Tinsel 1953
The Rite 1969
19 The Magician 1958
20 The Magic Flute 1975
After the Rehearsal 1984
21 The Touch 1971
The Serpent's Egg 1977
"Centerpiece 3" 22 Persona 1966 [3]
23 Thirst 1949
Port of Call 1948
24 Cries and Whispers 1972
25 Waiting Women 1952
Brink of Life 1958
26 Autumn Sonata 1978
"Closing Night" 27 Fanny and Alexander – Television version 1982 [3]
28 Fanny and Alexander – Theatrical version 1982

Additional discs
Grouping Disc
no.		 Content(s) Year Ref.
N/A 29 The Making of Fanny and Alexander 1984
30 Additional supplements N/A

Packaging and artwork

Ingmar Bergman's Cinema is packaged in a hardbox which contains a cardboard binder holding the individual discs.[9] The cover artwork for the box features a still image from Persona (1966), 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 [Bergman's] continuing importance", in response to criticisms such as Jonathan Rosenbaum's 2007 opinion piece "Scenes From an Overrated Career".[10][11] David Mermelstein of The Wall Street Journal noted that, "despite some oddities in presentation," the set "shows [that] the director’s work continues to merit close attention."[12]

Notes
  1. At the time of the box set's release, Shame had not been released by the Criterion Collection; it was, however, given a standalone release three months later on February 4, 2019.[8]

References
  1. Chitwood, Adam (July 12, 2018). "Criterion Announces Massive 39-Film Ingmar Bergman Blu-ray Collection". Collider. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018.
  2. "Ingmar Bergman's Cinema". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019.
  3. Raup, Jordan (July 13, 2018). "The Criterion Collection Announces 39-Film Ingmar Bergman Box Set". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  4. Lustgarten, Abbey (November 11, 2018). "Introducing Ingmar Bergman's Cinema". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019.
  5. "DVD Beaver: Ingmar Bergman's Cinema Blu-ray Collection". dvdbeaver.com.
  6. "Ingmar Bergman's Cinema 30-Disc Collection Releasing on Blu-ray". HD Report. November 12, 2018. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019.
  7. "Ingmar Bergman's Cinema". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on July 4, 2019.
  8. Bowen, Chuck (February 14, 2019). "Blu-ray Review: Ingmar Bergman's Shame on the Criterion Collection". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on February 15, 2019.
  9. Partridge, Jon (November 22, 2018). "Criterion Review: Unboxing INGMAR BERGMAN'S CINEMA". Cinapse. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  10. Kenny, Glenn (November 20, 2018). "Viewing Ingmar Bergman Through a Glass Less Darkly". The New York Times.
  11. Rosenbaum, Jonathan (August 2007). "Scenes From an Overrated Career". The New York Times.
  12. Mermelstein, David (December 4, 2018). "'Ingmar Bergman's Cinema' Review: On Blu-ray, Scenes From a Master". The Wall Street Journal.
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