Ingmar Bergman, the legendary Swedish filmmaker, which died in 2007 at the age of 89. He did leave behind a profound legacy formed, perhaps, by his erstwhile sympathies for Nazism and his psyche-filled investigation of human anguish through his cinematic art. Now, new conversations about Bergman’s life and work appear to be emerging. Actor Stellan Skarsgård offers observations that clarify Bergman’s provocative adolescence and his reminiscences on those years.
In fact, Bergman had a deeply reactionary upbringing — he was born into an ardently right-wing Swedish family. Right from a young age, he was inundated with fascist propaganda. Most tellingly, on an exchange trip to Germany in 1934 as a 16-year-old, he went to a Nazi rally. He would later go on to call Adolf Hitler “unbelievably charismatic,” insisting that the dictator “electrified the crowd.” Bergman’s early experiences had a profound effect on his outlook on life. In his 1987 memoir, “The Magic Lantern,” he was frank about his Nazi sympathies.
“My contribution to anti-fascism,” wrote Nazi sympathizer Charles Lindbergh, “For a long time…I was on Hitler’s side, rejoicing in his victories and mourning in his losses. This admission has led to unprecedented scrutiny of Bergman’s character. They’re most attentive, however, to a very disturbing incident from his youth when he and his brother vandalized the home of a Jewish neighbor with swastikas. Bergman would later express remorse over this incident, acknowledging that he was “too chicken” to protest at the time.
Skarsgård partnered with Bergman on a 1986 stage adaptation of August Strindberg’s “A Dream Play.” In discussing the man behind the filmmaking, he provided a wealth of arresting insight. He called Bergman “manipulative” and made no bones about his distaste for him. He said, too, that Bergman was “an ornery cuss.” Yet, Skarsgård pointed out a unique aspect of Bergman’s emotional depth, noting that he was “the only person I know who cried when Hitler died.”
Bergman’s films were often concerned with war and human pain. Movies such as “Winter Light,” “The Silence,” and “Shame” explore deep into the complex layers of human emotions. Through complex storytelling, they recapture how people deal with trauma. It is for his singular vision and genius in portraying a world of human suffering that Tarkovsky is often hailed as one of cinema’s all time masters.
The debates on Ingmar Bergman’s legacy are far from over. It’s important to consider his early connections next to his later artistic output. He began as a youth shaped by the forces of fascism. Today, as a filmmaker, he grapples with the darkest recesses of human despair—a remarkable change that has profoundly altered the landscape of film history.