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Fifth Act by Ingmar Bergman β€” book cover

Fifth Act

by Ingmar Bergman, Joan Tate (Translator), Linda Haverty Rugg
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Overview

Award-winning film director Ingmar Bergman's scripts are among the most important documents in film history. Though his vision in such films as Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal has shaped our thinking about the cinema, the vast majority of his most powerful recent work only slowly finds its way to American theaters. The Fifth Act brings to English readers for the first time some of the finest creations of Bergman's mature years. In these scenarios of extraordinary frankness, even rawness, Bergman shows his tender yet realistic views on the world of theater, cinema, and acting, culminating with In the Presence of a Clown, where he returns to the character of his Uncle Carl, an irrepressible inventor who comes up with an early version of the talking film.

These most recent scripts, in effect Bergman's own fifth act, add an important and moving chapter to his life work. A preface contextualizing the scripts within Bergman's oeuvre has been added by Lasse Bergstrom, a noted Swedish film critic as well as the publisher of Bergman's work in Sweden. Born in 1918, Ingmar Bergman is considered to be one of the great creators of the modern cinema and he is responsible for more than forty films. Bergman has been nominated for nine Oscars, and has won numerous other awards

Synopsis

Award-winning film director Ingmar Bergman's scripts are among the most important documents in film history. Though his vision in such films as Wild Strawberries and The Seventh Seal has shaped our thinking about the cinema, the vast majority of his most powerful recent work only slowly finds its way to American theaters. The Fifth Act brings to English readers for the first time some of the finest creations of Bergman's mature years. In these scenarios of extraordinary frankness, even rawness, Bergman shows his tender yet realistic views on the world of theater, cinema, and acting, culminating with In the Presence of a Clown, where he returns to the character of his Uncle Carl, an irrepressible inventor who comes up with an early version of the talking film.

These most recent scripts, in effect Bergman's own fifth act, add an important and moving chapter to his life work. A preface contextualizing the scripts within Bergman's oeuvre has been added by Lasse Bergstrom, a noted Swedish film critic as well as the publisher of Bergman's work in Sweden. Born in 1918, Ingmar Bergman is considered to be one of the great creators of the modern cinema and he is responsible for more than forty films. Bergman has been nominated for nine Oscars, and has won numerous other awards

Ingvar Engen

Bergman is indeed a wordcrafter, who in his somewhat eccentric style produces people and lives of flesh and blood. —Falu Kuriren

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Editorials

Ingvar Engen

Bergman is indeed a wordcrafter, who in his somewhat eccentric style produces people and lives of flesh and blood. β€”Falu Kuriren

Lars Hagstroem

He is not only a magnificent directorβ€”he is also a great author. β€”Hallands Nyheter

Sverke Andreasson

Bergman's words turn instantly into images. I see the scenes before me, feel the radiance of the characters' exertions. β€”Gothenburg Post

Library Journal

This collection by the award-winning Swedish film director consists of three late film scripts: "After the Rehearsal" (1984), "The Last Scream" (1995), and "In the Presence of a Clown" (1997). In his introduction, Bergman explains that "The Fifth Act deals with my indefatigable companions: the stage, the actors and film, movie theaters, cinematography." Two of the scripts are autobiographical: in "After the Rehearsal," the aging director divulges his artistic and personal relationships with two actresses (a mother and daughter), while "In the Presence of a Clown" is based on Bergman's unbalanced uncle Carl, an inventor of early talking film. "The Last Scream" shows the ultimate humiliation of Swedish filmmaker Georg af Klercker in his futile plea to a disinterested financier/producer for backing. Bergman writes with honesty and compassion, and the translations are eloquent, In the preface, noted Swedish film critic Lasse Bergstrom succinctly places these scripts in the context of Bergman's entire literary oeuvre. Recommended for both academic and public libraries. Ming-ming Shen Kuo, Ball State Univ. Lib., Muncie, IN Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Book Details

Published
June 1, 2001
Publisher
New Press, The
Pages
160
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781565846623

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