Ingmar Bergman's The Silence

Pictures in the Typewriter, Writings on the Screen

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Entertainment, Performing Arts
Cover of the book Ingmar Bergman's The Silence by Maaret Koskinen, University of Washington Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Maaret Koskinen ISBN: 9780295801957
Publisher: University of Washington Press Publication: July 1, 2011
Imprint: University of Washington Press Language: English
Author: Maaret Koskinen
ISBN: 9780295801957
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Publication: July 1, 2011
Imprint: University of Washington Press
Language: English

Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film The Silence was made at a point in his career when his stature as one of the great art-film directors allowed him to push beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable to censorship boards in Sweden and the United States. The film's depiction of sexuality was, as Judith Crist wrote at the time in the New York Herald-Tribune, "not for the prudish." Yet Bergman's notebooks and screenplays reveal his tendency for self-censorship, both to dampen the literary quality of his screenwriting and to alter portions of the script that Bergman ultimately deemed too provocative.

Maaret Koskinen, a professor of cinema studies and film critic for Sweden's largest national daily newspaper, was the first scholar given access to Bergman's private papers during the last years of his life. Bergman's notebooks reveal the difficulties he experienced in writing for the medium of moving images and his meditations on the relationship (or its lack) between moving images and the spoken or written word. Koskinen's attention to this intermedial framework is anchored in a close reading of the film, focusing on the many-faceted relationships between images and dialogue, music, sound, and silence.

The Silence offers filmgoers an entryway into the cinematic, cultural, and sociopolitical issues of its time, but remains a classic - rich enough for scrutiny from a variety of perspectives and methodologies. Koskinen draws a picture of Bergman that challenges the traditional view of him as an auteur, revealing his attempts to overcome his own image as a creator of serious art films by making his work relevant to a new generation of filmgoers. Her exploration of the film touches on issues of censorship and the cinema of small nations, while shedding new light on the shifting views of Bergman and auteurist film, high art, and popular culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Ingmar Bergman's 1963 film The Silence was made at a point in his career when his stature as one of the great art-film directors allowed him to push beyond the boundaries of what was acceptable to censorship boards in Sweden and the United States. The film's depiction of sexuality was, as Judith Crist wrote at the time in the New York Herald-Tribune, "not for the prudish." Yet Bergman's notebooks and screenplays reveal his tendency for self-censorship, both to dampen the literary quality of his screenwriting and to alter portions of the script that Bergman ultimately deemed too provocative.

Maaret Koskinen, a professor of cinema studies and film critic for Sweden's largest national daily newspaper, was the first scholar given access to Bergman's private papers during the last years of his life. Bergman's notebooks reveal the difficulties he experienced in writing for the medium of moving images and his meditations on the relationship (or its lack) between moving images and the spoken or written word. Koskinen's attention to this intermedial framework is anchored in a close reading of the film, focusing on the many-faceted relationships between images and dialogue, music, sound, and silence.

The Silence offers filmgoers an entryway into the cinematic, cultural, and sociopolitical issues of its time, but remains a classic - rich enough for scrutiny from a variety of perspectives and methodologies. Koskinen draws a picture of Bergman that challenges the traditional view of him as an auteur, revealing his attempts to overcome his own image as a creator of serious art films by making his work relevant to a new generation of filmgoers. Her exploration of the film touches on issues of censorship and the cinema of small nations, while shedding new light on the shifting views of Bergman and auteurist film, high art, and popular culture.

More books from University of Washington Press

Cover of the book Gold Rush Manliness by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Sky Train by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book The Final Forest by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book A Wealth of Thought by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Stirring Up Seattle by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Native Seattle by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book And the View from the Shore by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Picturing India by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Transforming Monkey by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Dance Lest We All Fall Down by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book China Watcher by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Vestal Fire by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book Gay Seattle by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book World Order after Leninism by Maaret Koskinen
Cover of the book The Life and Times of John Trevisa, Medieval Scholar by Maaret Koskinen
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy