Bergman: A Year in a Life

Ingmar Bergman, giant of Swedish cinema and theatre, had an extraodinarily productive professional year, and an equally extraordinary private life, in 1957. This documentary focuses on that year, but not exclusively, rather ranging over his whole biography. We learn quite a lot about his interesting but difficult personality, and about his accomplishments, but rather less about what was great about his art; personally, I like his work, but if I hadn't known it, this film would have told me more about how important it is considered to be than why. Meanwhile, director Jane Magnusson offers her personal opinions but never identifies herself, which feels odd - just who is this voice telling us how is? It's still an interesting story how one man's vision, and force of character, made himself the automatic person one associated (and to a not incosiderable extent, still associates) with Swedish cinema.