The Seventh Seal

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

Persona

A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer.

Wild Strawberries

Crotchety retired doctor Isak Borg travels from Stockholm to Lund, Sweden, with his pregnant and unhappy daughter-in-law, Marianne, in order to receive an honorary degree from his alma mater. Along the way, they encounter a series of hitchhikers, each of whom causes the elderly doctor to muse upon the pleasures and failures of his own life. These include the vivacious young Sara, a dead ringer for the doctor's own first love.

Cries and Whispers

As Agnes slowly dies of cancer, her sisters are so deeply immersed in their own psychic pains that they can't offer her the support she needs. Maria is wracked with guilt at her husband's attempted suicide, caused by his discovery of her extramarital affair. The self-loathing, suicidal Karin seems to regard her sister with revulsion. Only Anna, the deeply religious maid who lost her young child, seems able to offer Agnes solace and empathy.

Fanny and Alexander

As children in the loving Ekdahl family, Fanny and Alexander enjoy a happy life with their parents, who run a theater company. After their father dies unexpectedly, however, the siblings end up in a joyless home when their mother, Emilie, marries a stern bishop. The bleak situation gradually grows worse as the bishop becomes more controlling, but dedicated relatives make a valiant attempt to aid Emilie, Fanny and Alexander.

The Making of Fanny and Alexander

The Making of Fanny and Alexander is a fascinating look at the creation of a masterpiece. Directed by Ingmar Bergman himself, this feature-length documentary chronicles the methods of one of cinema’s true luminaries as he labors to realize his crowning production.

Fårö Document

Bergman interviews the locals of Fårö in this fascinating documentary. An expression of personal and political solidarity with the fellow inhabitants of his adopted home, the island of Fårö in the Baltic Sea, this documentary investigates the sometimes deleterious effects of the modern world on traditional farming and fishing communities. The young, especially, voice doubts about remaining in such a remote, quiet place.

The Dance of the Damned Women

The film shows four women moving in a crowded, closed room to the music of Monteverdi. They represent women living by passing on a role that is passed down to them for generations. Two of the dancers are damned souls that come to life, the third is death and the fourth a child born free, but forced into the other female roles.

Karin's Face

A film based on the pictures from Ingmar Bergman's personal photo album, especially the pictures of his mother Karin.

The Image Makers

Per Olov Enquist's play about Selma Lagerlöf and Victor Sjöström after the shooting of The Phantom Carriage. Director Victor Sjöström has been shooting Selma Lagerlöf's novel The Phantom Carriage. He has invited the author to Stockholm to show her a number of scenes from the film in the presence of the talented cinematographer Julius Jaenzon and the young actress Tora Teje. The meeting between Lagerlöf, an older woman and world-famous author, and a young and talented actress becomes the focal point of the drama.

Scenes from a Marriage

Johan and Marianne are married and seem to have it all. Their happiness, however, is a façade for a troubled relationship, which becomes even rockier when Johan admits that he's having an affair. Before long, the spouses separate and move towards finalizing their divorce, but they make attempts at reconciling. Even as they pursue other relationships, Johan and Marianne realize that they have a significant bond, but also many issues that hinder that connection.

A Dream Play

"A dream play" - This made-for-television film constituted Bergman’s first production of Strindberg’s A Dream Play – a play he would revisit three times more. Gunnar Ollén’s Malmö crew was behind this, for its time, prestigious and costly theatre production, involving more than 40 actors and no less than 75 extras.

Harald & Harald

Harald and Harald read out loud from Culture Commission's final report (SOU 1995:84).

The School of Wives

The elderly Arnolphe has decided to marry a young woman, Agnes, whom he has fallen in love with. She is too young and innocent to realize what plans he has for her. But Agnes and Arnolphe's young friend, the dandy Horace, have fallen in love with each other. Their love is a threat to Arnolphe's attempt at getting married. Can the cunning Arnolphe stop them?

The Making of Autumn Sonata

A behind the scenes documentary of Ingmar Bergman's Autumn Sonata (1978), detailing every aspect of the production.