Persona

by Ingmar Bergman

(Fiction, Sweden, 1966, 80’, BW, Fr ST)

with Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, Margaretha Krook

Persona

Right in the middle of a performance, actress Elisabet Vogler loses her ability to speak. After a stay in a clinic, she settles on Fårö island with her nurse Alma for a time. The two young women become deeply complicit, which encourages Alma to confide in her. But the symbiotic relationship will soon deteriorate…


“I feel today that in Persona I went as far as I could. And that in unfettered freedom I touched upon wordless secrets that only the cinema can reveal.” Ingmar Bergman, Journal cinéphile lyonnais, 2016

”I discovered that every inflexion of my voice, every word in my mouth was a lie. (…) There was only one way to save myself from despair and collapse. Remain silent. Try to reach behind the silence, clarity, or at least gather up the resources I could still dispose of.”  Ingmar Bergman

“One day I said that Persona had saved my life. That was no exaggeration. If I hadn’t found the strength to make that film, I would no doubt have been a finished man.” Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) was born in Sweden into the family of a pastor. He developed a precocious passion for cinema.  He studied literature and history, but his true passion was for the theater, to which he devoted himself as early as 1938. In 1945, he directed his first feature film, Crisis, adapted from a Danish radio play, thereby launching his very prolific career. He first evoked the mysteries of couples’ lives of couple in 1949 with Thirst and then with Summer with Monika (1953). Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) and The Seventh Seal (1957) brought him international recognition. In 1958, he won the Golden Bear in Berlin for Wild Strawberries. Persona (1966) marked his encounter with Liv Ullmann, whom he would direct in many films, among which Cries and Whispers (1972) or Scenes from a Marriage (1973). He made Fanny and Alexander in 1982. He was distinguished with the “Palme des Palmes” at the 50th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. In 2003, he directed Sarabande, his last feature film, for television.

Other movies: THEMA : Black & White

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