Here is one obituary, here is Wikipedia. His six-hour Scenes from a Marriage is probably my favorite movie, ever (in the more common abridged version only the first installment makes sense, but it is still a knockout). The Seventh Seal is his most overrated movie; Wild Strawberries and Fanny and Alexander are also famous but not his best stuff. The dreamy Persona is the next one to try, or at 83 minutes probably the best introduction to his work. Winter Light is splendid on a big screen. Smiles of a Summer Night was my favorite movie in my thirties. The hilarious Devil’s Eye — a take-off on Faust and Don Giovanni — is the most underrated. At least twenty of his movies are worth seeing, just dig in and keep going. I am still sorry I never saw his theatrical production of A Winter’s Tale when it came to NYC.
I also prefer The Seventh Seal the least. I’ve never seen the 6-hr version of Scenes from a Marriage, either, but now will. My personal favorite is The Virgin Spring.
I am also really sad.
His movies changed my way of looking through life. Scenes of a marriage
is the most violent movie I ever saw (he does that without any need of violence).
No one could go so deep into the feelings and contradictions of his caracters
as Bergman did.
He’ll never die because he is immortal now.
Why should a director’s death be an occasion to watch his movies? Rain fell in Asia today. I think I’ll watch a Bergman film for THAT reason.
Ah, Seventh Seal! As Death is leading his band up the hill, I tried to pass a kidney stone. Bergman symbolism on a very personal level.
Allen on Bergman:
from allen’s 1988 review of Bergman’s autobiography, Through a Life Darkly
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