He plays in the dark (both literally and figuratively), giving resonance to the titles of the chosen musical pieces. On the other hand sadness is brought to the forefront in Music in Darkness, when Bengt, the young blind man, plays Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and a Nocturne by Chopin. When Martha gives birth in Waiting Women, her happiness is highlighted by Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits. Music can serve either to intensify or signify an emotional moment. This brief timeline enables us to classify the various uses of musical pieces in Bergman's works, uses which appear to increase over time towards more and more musicality. From this point on, Bergman's usage of classical music becomes increasingly more important, through to his final film, Saraband, in 2003. 2 appears four times, while original compositions have completely disappeared. In this 1961 film, the saraband from Bach's Cello Suite No. ![]() The situation shifts with Through a Glass Darkly. Photo: Bengt Westfelt © AB Svensk Filmindustri Mai Zetterling and Birger Malmsten in Music in Darkness. Original compositions were more commonly featured during this time. Between Waiting Women and The Virgin Spring, musical references become more sparse and limited to piano pieces: Schumann, Liszt and Chopin in Smiles of a Summer Night, Bach in Wild Strawberries, and Scarlatti in The Devil's Eye. Excerpts from Beethoven, Mozart and Mendelssohn appear in these films. ![]() Summer Interlude (1951) recounts the life of a ballerina at the Stockholm Opera. To Joy (1950) tells the misfortunate tale of an ambitious violinist. Music in Darkness, from 1948, tells the story of a young pianist left blind in a shooting accident. The first step of this work has therefore been to identify the musical pieces, listed here on the left.īergman's passion for music manifests itself very early on in his work. What do music and film have in common? What role does Bergman appoint music in his films? How does music affect the very act of creation? Musical references are rarely listed in the credits, with occasional mentions of the composer. For him, the art form closest to cinema was neither drama nor literature, but music. Throughout this study, it becomes clear that Bergman was not only a music-loving filmmaker, but also a true master of sound. This essay attempts to comprehend the indispensable role music played throughout his career – from Crisis to Saraband. Bergman himself spoke extensively of music. Many books have been written about Bergman, some of which speak of this infatuation. Nevertheless, the silver screen is where we truly witness Bergman's impassioned devotion to music, with its central placement in his films and the way in which he borrows countless elements from the classical repertoire. Other examples come through in his various opera productions, including Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, staged at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm in 1961, and Börtz's The Bacchae, 30 years later. His 1975 version of Mozart's Magic Flute is, however, one of the most wonderful examples of this passion for music. I can think of nothing worse than having music taken away from me.' This confession by Ingmar Bergman is rather surprising, coming from a filmmaker renowned for the astonishing beauty of his imagery. ![]() 'If I was forced to choose between losing my hearing or losing my sight, I would keep my hearing.
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