The Current
A magazine of film culture past and present, with new articles, interviews, and videos published every day
Recent Articles
Introducing Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema
Criterion producer Abbey Lustgarten walks us through the structure and features of a monumental new box set celebrating the Swedish master.
Margarethe von Trotta Found Her Cinema Gateway in The Seventh Seal
The great German director reflects on her first experience with Ingmar Bergman’s classic meditation on mortality, a film that opened her eyes to the possibilities of cinema.
Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson, Sisters in the Art
The powerhouse actors at the center of Persona became two of Ingmar Bergman’s most essential collaborators, bringing a remarkable emotional range to their performances.
Through the Years With Bergman
The author recounts the story of his friendship with the great filmmaker.
Eva Dahlbeck, a “Battleship of Femininity”
This diva of the screen brought a touch of elegance and no-nonsense wit to her roles in Waiting Women, Smiles of a Summer Night, and other Bergman gems.
Smiles of a Summer Night: Midsummer Merry-Go-Round
In the midst of a tumultuous period in his life and career, Ingmar Bergman made one of his most ebullient comedies.
Mirrors of Bergman
Filmmaker Kogonada, with a little help from Sylvia Plath, reflects on women and mirrors in the films of Ingmar Bergman.
The Looming Gravitas of Max von Sydow
Ingmar Bergman scholar Peter Cowie explores how the great actor’s authoritative screen presence allowed him to embody the director’s fears and ideals.
The Persistence of Persona
Decades later, Ingmar Bergman’s self-reflexive masterpiece remains a provocative enigma worthy of close investigation.
The Eerie Intensity of Ingrid Thulin
A performer of great psychological force and control, Ingrid Thulin embodied some of Ingmar Bergman’s darkest obsessions with her intimidating screen presence.
Fanny and Alexander: The Other Side
This sensuous, sprawling epic, which Ingmar Bergman intended to be his swan song, offers an effortless summing up of the themes—among them family, identity, and mortality—he'd spent a career exploring.
Ingmar Bergman Interviews Himself
In this classic self-interview, published to coincide with the release of Summer with Monika, the director reveals key elements of his filmmaking process.
Video
Spotlight
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema
A selection of essays commissioned for our new box set, in commemoration of the Swedish master’s hundredth birthday.
