Bildmakarna (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Per Olov Enquist (play)

Plot Keywords:

Based On Play

Cast

Anita Björk	...	Selma Lagerlöf
Carl Magnus Dellow	...	Julius Jaenzon (as Carl-Magnus Dellow)
Lennart Hjulström	...	Victor Sjöström
Elin Klinga	...	Tora Teje
Henry 'Nypan' Nyberg	...	Projectionist

Also Known As:

The Image Makers (International: English title)

Country:

Sweden

Color:

Color

Movie Connections:

References Karin Ingmarsdotter (1920)

It's Bergman's and Anita Björk's show!

TV-theatre is a limited medium but as such no one in Sweden can understand it and use it as Ingmar Bergman. The world know him as the film director, but in Scandinavia he also stands out as probably the best TV-theatre producer/director ever. In Sweden challenged only by Bo Widerberg and Lars Norén, I think. It shines through in the directing, the way he uses the actors and how they are placed within the "stage room". It's balanced, it's pure and it is physical - it is Bergman.

The play "Bildmakarna" (The Image Makers/Picture Makers) by Per-Olov Enquist was staged by Bergman at Dramaten (The Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm) in 1998 and then filmed for TV (Swedish Television; SVT) in 2000, whereas Bergman then staged it especially for the medium, so it's not just "filmed theatre", but TV-theatre (that Bergman regards as a medium of its own). As such this production is magnificent and one of the best I've seen. Scandinavian TV-theatre can't be better than this, and it hits you hard while watching as you also realize that Bergman's still got "it" as a director (being 80+ something now), something he definitely shows with this production of "Bildmakarna" and with his last "Saraband". Bergman has still got it.

The leads are played by a 77 year old Anita Björk (THE lady of Swedish theatre), portraying author Selma Lagerlöf, and by Elin Klinga (one of the big young Dramaten actresses today) portraying the 1920/30s-leading stage actress in Sweden, Tora Teje. These two women meet in a small viewing room, at a film lab, on the Swedish Filmstudios film lot, on a dark autumn day in the year 1920. Film director Victor Sjöström has invited the big national author there to view some finished scenes for his film "Körkarlen" (as Lagerlöf has written the original novel it is based on). She is there to give her approval to the scenes. Everyone is, naturally, quite nervous about this whole situation.

However, director Sjöström and film photographer Julius Jaenzon (who's also there to supervise the technical stuff) are interrupted in all this as actress Tora Teje starts questioning Selma Lagerlöf's writing and intention with her book (which Teje claims she loves; but she wants some answers from the author). Being the author Lagerlöf has some moral obligation to a reader to answer such questions, has she not? Tora Teje believes that it is her responsibility and she is firm about it. Perhaps there is something about her novel that everyone else has failed to see? Everyone but Tora, who annoys everyone in the room with her manners, including Selma Lagerlöf that she both offends and challenge. But how far will Tora be able to provoke her? Can she face up to it? And can Tora face up to what she has started? Can she handle Selma? A psychological cat-fight between the two women slowly emerges.. This turns out to be a penetrating drama of life and the art, and of the human psyche (for all characters present). Anita Björk is nothing but masterful and practically steals the show from the rest of the three great actors (who are definitely not bad). I have some problems with Elin Klinga's performance, though, but on the other hand - her character is suppose to be both rude, obstinate, childish, offensive and a big pain in the ass; so perhaps that's just it. ;) I don't know... but it's the ONLY thing here that's stopping me from giving this Bergman-piece a fat 10.

Don't miss this gem if you are a Bergman-fan (but I realize it can be hard to get hold of). But if you do, you're lucky. Because it will not only give you a fascinating and interesting story on Selma Lagerlöf (even if you don't know her history that well; it's still intriguing and sad), but it will also give you some interesting insights of how Bergman works on stage in Sweden (HAS worked, sadly); his legacy and rank here solely as a theatre director. It will give you something of the power that defines his skills as a stage director in Swedish theatre and his great importance to it (which is as great as his film legacy, perhaps even greater...).