Ingmar Bergman's Cinema is a Blu-ray disc box set featuring 39 films directed by Ingmar Bergman, released by the Criterion Collection on November 20, 2018 in the United States. The set spans Bergman's early career, beginning in the 1940s, up to his final film in 2003. The films are organized non-chronologically, and are instead presented in four groupings that mimic the procession of a film festival. Accompanying the discs is a book featuring critical essays on each of the films, intended to guide the viewer through the experience. Of the 39 films featured, 18 had not been previously released by the Criterion Collection prior to their inclusion in the set.
The Criterion Collection announced the release of the set on July 13, 2018, in commemoration of Bergman's centenary birthday on July 14, 2018.
Overview The box set includes 39 films directed by Ingmar Bergman across 30 Blu-ray discs, spanning six decades. The films are arranged as a curated festival with 'opening' and 'closing' nights bookending double features and 'centerpiece' programs.
In addition to the films, the set comes with supplementary materials included on the individual discs, as well as on an exclusive supplementary disc presented as the final disc of the set. Introductions from Bergman himself are included for eleven of the films, while six also feature audio commentaries; additionally, there are over five hours of interviews with Bergman's key collaborators. Accompanying the discs is a 248-page book containing various essays on the films as they presented, intended to guide the viewer through the experience of watching each.
Contents Films +Key Denotes films previously unreleased by either the Criterion Collection or their Eclipse line Grouping Disc Film Year "Opening Night" 1 Smiles of a Summer Night 1955 2 Crisis 1946 A Ship to India 1947 3 Wild Strawberries 1957 4 To Joy 1950 Summer Interlude 1951 5 Summer with Monika 1953 6 Dreams 1955 A Lesson in Love 1954 "Centerpiece 1" 7 Scenes from a Marriage — Television version 1973 8 Scenes from a Marriage — U.S. theatrical version Saraband 2003 9 From the Life of the Marionettes 1980 Hour of the Wolf 1968 10 Shame 1968 The Passion of Anna 1969 11 Fårö Document 1970 Fårö Document 1979 1979 12 Through a Glass Darkly 1961 13 Winter Light 1963 14 The Silence 1963 15 The Virgin Spring 1960 "Centerpiece 2" 16 The Seventh Seal 1957 17 The Devil's Eye 1960 All These Women 1964 18 Sawdust and Tinsel 1953 The Rite 1969 19 The Magician 1958 20 The Magic Flute 1975 After the Rehearsal 1984 21 The Touch 1971 The Serpent's Egg 1977 "Centerpiece 3" 22 Persona 1966 23 Thirst 1949 Port of Call 1948 24 Cries and Whispers 1972 25 Waiting Women 1952 Brink of Life 1958 26 Autumn Sonata 1978 "Closing Night" 27 Fanny and Alexander – Television version 1982 28 Fanny and Alexander – Theatrical version 1982
Additional discs Grouping Disc Content(s) Year N/A 29 The Making of Fanny and Alexander 1984 30 Additional supplements
Packaging and artwork Ingmar Bergman's Cinema is packaged in a hardbox which contains a cardboard binder holding the individual discs. The cover artwork for the box features a still image from Persona (1966), while the back displays a portrait of Bergman.
Reception The New York Times critic Glenn Kenny assessed the set as "impressive and almost exhaustive", and interpreted it as "a fresh case for [Bergman's] continuing importance", in response to criticisms such as Jonathan Rosenbaum's 2007 opinion piece "Scenes From an Overrated Career". David Mermelstein of The Wall Street Journal noted that, "despite some oddities in presentation," the set "shows [that] the director’s work continues to merit close attention."
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