Liv & IngmarWhen you watch a movie, while there may be drama and tension, fear and anxiety, and you tell yourself that the emotions, that the feelings are scripted, comforted in the structure of the narrative as an illusion--it isn't real. Liv & Ingmar is a documentary, narrated by renowned actress Liv Ullmann, about her relationship with also renowned filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman, from the time of their meeting on the set of Persona and on into their twilight years. It is a romance; it is a tale of friendship and camaraderie. Theirs is a story which transcends the boundaries of love and cinema both.
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Liv & Ingmar is unquestionably a sentimental documentary, but it's crucial to note that for fans of cinema, the relationship between these two monumental artists is itself not only a thrilling account of basic human truths--not unlike Bergman's oeuvre--but also how the lives of the artists themselves influence their art. The opening of Liv & Ingmar recalls the experimental and acclaimed experimental drama about personality--namely Persona--showcasing the underbelly of the craft of cinema and filmmaking in the the story of women whose personalities are in a state of flux. Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman met on the set of this masterpiece, and their relationship blossomed into romance from this time together, sharing their mutual passion to produce such stellar cinema as this picture. Liv recalls that Bergman was over twenty years her senior, but the spark of their love was like that of a powerful explosion, enough to draw her into his orbit henceforth. I've always felt that the turning point in Ingmar Bergman's filmmaking career was Persona; it wouldn't be at all unusual to credit Liv's introduction as the catalyst. It is said that the camera doesn't lie, at least in the hands of an honest filmmaker--even brutally honest in the case of Bergman. One has but to observe the eye of the director in his works featuring Liv Ullmann going forward to see the way the camera looks at her. This is more than the mere observation of a director; there is devotion here, love...not unlike the way Liv describes how he looked upon her on Faro Island during the shooting of Persona, feelings expressed through the recitations of the correspondence of Bergman to Ullmann by voiceover.
There is a frankness to Liv & Ingmar, an honesty in Liv's emotions when she recalls her time with her ex-husband and subsequent friend. It may seem obvious considering that the film is a documentary, but the testimony is also juxtaposed with scenes from films by Bergman featuring Ullmann, implicating that the relationship of these two artists not only manifested in their work, but influenced it as well. Watching selected scenes from films like Hour of the Wolf or Shame gives extra weight to these disclosures when considering the greater context to the relationship between this star and this director, motivated by the state of their relationship at the time. It is not uncommon to consider how an artist's work is inspired by their personal life, but with the legend of Liv & Ingmar to guide us, it means that interpreting these scenes takes on a whole new dimension. The accounts--both by Liv and the voiceover by Samuel Fröler as the late Ingmar Bergman--makes these more than just films about interpersonal drama, but about genuine sentiment born from the heart, with all its rough edges and anxieties. Liv recalls how Ingmar spoke to her about how their lives were "painfully connected", as though the bond were one which demanded some sacrifice in order to exist. Liv recalls a possessive husband whose compulsion to control her freedom is evident in his works like Hour of the Wolf, giving the films subtext and a confessional tone--and how it was like a strain, a throb of pain which could not be sustained as it was. As the titles of the chapters suggest, the marriage would ultimately crumble under the weight of such demands, but the resurrection would follow in the form of a genuine friendship, born from the ashes of their marriage, a kinship held aloft by their passion for their craft.
As Liv Ullmann recounts her experiences with Ingmar Bergman, slices from their films together punctuate Liv & Ingmar, elucidating the impact one had over the other, and how that feeling was carried over into their work. Liv talks of how their break was one which, like any separation, was not without suffering, but was painful like a birth is painful, springing forth new personae for them, new identities through which to thrive and grow. Liv describes how she spent time in Hollywood, acclaimed as a new "Nordic star', with Ingmar's encouragement to motivate her. She still considers herself like the figurehead on a ship: pointed forward, but pressed tight to the ship to which she belongs...her home. Liv remembers how Ingmar described her as his "Stradivarius", describing how she is the peak of his instruments; not just flattery, considering how significant to Bergman's work Liv Ullmann would prove to be. As the recollections advance through the years, scenes from later works like Scenes from a Marriage and Saraband continue the trend of exploring the professional relationship but inescapable deeper elements of the bond between Bergman and Ullmann. Liv Ullmann talks of how their extensive relationship--spanning five decades--was an intrinsic part of them both, emotionally and professionally. Watching Liv & Ingmar, it becomes apparent that it would be impossible to separate one from the other after their introduction many years ago, so bound to one another, even when the joining continued ostensibly in a purely professional fashion. A diary of symbols--hearts and other assorted icons--kept on a board is a chronicle by Ingmar Bergman of his passion for Liv. It is aged by the sun, and Liv observes that it--like so much in life--must fade with time; but the memories remain. Liv & Ingmar is a reminder of the impact we leave on the lives of those we love and have been loved by, and how that fine, gentle wind carries us aloft into new territory.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and emotional documentary of love and film. It might seem sentimental, but considering that Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman are the most qualified of film artists to make the proclamation of this fairly amazing story of real romance, they are entitled more than anyone else to do so in this testament to their mutual genius.
There is a frankness to Liv & Ingmar, an honesty in Liv's emotions when she recalls her time with her ex-husband and subsequent friend. It may seem obvious considering that the film is a documentary, but the testimony is also juxtaposed with scenes from films by Bergman featuring Ullmann, implicating that the relationship of these two artists not only manifested in their work, but influenced it as well. Watching selected scenes from films like Hour of the Wolf or Shame gives extra weight to these disclosures when considering the greater context to the relationship between this star and this director, motivated by the state of their relationship at the time. It is not uncommon to consider how an artist's work is inspired by their personal life, but with the legend of Liv & Ingmar to guide us, it means that interpreting these scenes takes on a whole new dimension. The accounts--both by Liv and the voiceover by Samuel Fröler as the late Ingmar Bergman--makes these more than just films about interpersonal drama, but about genuine sentiment born from the heart, with all its rough edges and anxieties. Liv recalls how Ingmar spoke to her about how their lives were "painfully connected", as though the bond were one which demanded some sacrifice in order to exist. Liv recalls a possessive husband whose compulsion to control her freedom is evident in his works like Hour of the Wolf, giving the films subtext and a confessional tone--and how it was like a strain, a throb of pain which could not be sustained as it was. As the titles of the chapters suggest, the marriage would ultimately crumble under the weight of such demands, but the resurrection would follow in the form of a genuine friendship, born from the ashes of their marriage, a kinship held aloft by their passion for their craft.
As Liv Ullmann recounts her experiences with Ingmar Bergman, slices from their films together punctuate Liv & Ingmar, elucidating the impact one had over the other, and how that feeling was carried over into their work. Liv talks of how their break was one which, like any separation, was not without suffering, but was painful like a birth is painful, springing forth new personae for them, new identities through which to thrive and grow. Liv describes how she spent time in Hollywood, acclaimed as a new "Nordic star', with Ingmar's encouragement to motivate her. She still considers herself like the figurehead on a ship: pointed forward, but pressed tight to the ship to which she belongs...her home. Liv remembers how Ingmar described her as his "Stradivarius", describing how she is the peak of his instruments; not just flattery, considering how significant to Bergman's work Liv Ullmann would prove to be. As the recollections advance through the years, scenes from later works like Scenes from a Marriage and Saraband continue the trend of exploring the professional relationship but inescapable deeper elements of the bond between Bergman and Ullmann. Liv Ullmann talks of how their extensive relationship--spanning five decades--was an intrinsic part of them both, emotionally and professionally. Watching Liv & Ingmar, it becomes apparent that it would be impossible to separate one from the other after their introduction many years ago, so bound to one another, even when the joining continued ostensibly in a purely professional fashion. A diary of symbols--hearts and other assorted icons--kept on a board is a chronicle by Ingmar Bergman of his passion for Liv. It is aged by the sun, and Liv observes that it--like so much in life--must fade with time; but the memories remain. Liv & Ingmar is a reminder of the impact we leave on the lives of those we love and have been loved by, and how that fine, gentle wind carries us aloft into new territory.
Recommended for: Fans of a touching and emotional documentary of love and film. It might seem sentimental, but considering that Liv Ullmann and Ingmar Bergman are the most qualified of film artists to make the proclamation of this fairly amazing story of real romance, they are entitled more than anyone else to do so in this testament to their mutual genius.