Sad Sad News
So apparently Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) just died. What a great contribution he single-handedly made to cinema: From The Seventh Seal (1957) to Wild Strawberries (1957), to Persona (1966) to Fanny & Alexander (1982), he was a milestone that cannot be ignored or forgotten. He was named 8th Greatest Film Director of All Time by Entertainment Weekly, and the World's Greatest Living Filmmaker by Time magazine in 2005.
My personal favourite film of his is Persona. Though The Seventh Seal is the film that he became most known for, Persona undoubtedly has to be the film that is his most personal. Out of sixty-two films he directed, it's certainly one of his most creative, yet one of the most turbulent as well within his own life: While on the film he fell in love with lead actress Liv Ullmann, and even though they were both married, they left each other's respective spouses for each other. The resulting film shows evidence of this relationship, for Ullman's character seems to be a proxy for Bergman's own personality. Her character goes through many changes under the care of Bibi Andersson's nurse in the isolated beach house, and the arresting visuals bare as much about Bergman's mind and spirit as they are captivating cinematic imagery.
I'll have to catch up on a few of his titles soon to commemorate his unique contributions.