Ingmar Bergman, 1918–2007

Ingmar Bergman, 1918–2007

I suppose there's a chess joke in here somewhere but I'll just say that this man was one of those artists who had such an impact on the world that his influence was felt well beyond the borders of his medium. When someone wants to sound smart, they cite Bergman or when someone wants to parody "art films" they satirize Bergman. Yet, Bergman films are far more than merely intelligent, layered exercises in human relationships and far from pretentious "art films". Their greatest component may very well be the raw and intense emotion you're left with when the credits role. All the analysis aside, the best way to remember a storyteller is by enjoying their stories, so maybe this week is as good as any to have your very own Bergman festival (start here).

This week in T.O. might be a very good week to sit in a theatre or at least somewhere with a decent cross-breeze. A cross-breeze is Nature's air conditioner or at least I hope so because we've got a hot week coming up and all I've got are opposing windows and a ceiling fan. I think I'll set aside some time tomorrow to go for a swim or at the very least a float.