The Magic Lantern of Ingmar Bergman: Through a Glass Darkly
April 8, 2025
Presented by The Swedish Club and Greg Olson Productions
The Magic Lantern of Ingmar Bergman
On a remote island a visionary young woman (Harriet Andersson) hears God hiding behind the wallpaper, His manifestation is imminent. Her writer father (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and doctor husband (Max von Sydow) respectively view her artistically and clinically, but her brother has the human touch. Oscar for Best Foreign Film and Screenplay.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2025
After Bergman married concert pianist Kabi Laretei, the space-time of music, its composition and as an immersive experience, influenced his cinematic thinking. The films became stunning “chamber pieces”: less dialogue, fewer characters, penetrating into “untested” dimensions of worldly life, philosophy and spirituality. Bergman didn’t set out to create a “religious trilogy,” but in retrospect Through a Glass Darkly can be seen as the beginning of a thematic grouping. In the month of Easter, 1968, Time magazine stunned the world with its cover: “Is God Dead?” Philosopher Frederick Nietzsche raised the question in the 19th century as the Western world became more secular, with science not religion explaining the natural world. What would happen to God-centered European morality? Bergman sums up Through a Glass Darkly as “conquered certainty.” God does exist, certainly for visionary Karin (Harriet Andersson), living on a remote island with her husband Martin (Max von Sydow), father David (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and brother Minus (Lars Password). God speaks to Karin behind the wallpaper, His manifestation is imminent. Karin embraces her reality, her men do not. David cooly takes notes on her behavior like he’s writing a novel. Martin, a doctor, can’t ease Karin’s mind. But Minus’ tender, human communion with his sister raises the possibility of a more expansive grasp of life. Oscars for Best Foreign Film and Best Screenplay, British BAFTA Award for Best Film.
—Greg Olson
- Director: Ingmar Bergman
- Principal Cast: Harriet Andersson, Max von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Lars Passgard
- Year: 1961
- Running Time: 89 min.
- Screenplay: Ingmar Bergman
- Cinematographers: Sven Nykvist
- Editors: Ulla Ryghe
- Music: Erik Nordgren
- International Sales: Svensk Filmindustri