Audience Member
Pretty fascinating to see Bergman this glad and positive. The at-the-time biggest film production in Sweden, put together in a 5h20min tv-movie, sure has a lot of clips, and as we are looking through the making of it, it sure is a endurance work to say it least. The documentary is capturing the essence of filmmaking and showing how it really went down on the set, and the big influence Bergman puts down into every scene.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
Full Review
Audience Member
It's an absolute treasure to have this much footage of Bergman at work, blocking and rehearsing scenes, working with actors, perfecting each composition and camera move with Sven Nykvist, conducting every moment of his film with such meticulous dexterity and such magnetic warmth. Every aspiring film director should see this movie. Not only is it great for its value as a part of film history, "The Making of Fanny and Alexander" a great movie in its own right, and easily the best, most comprehensive depiction I've ever seen of the production process--a process that can be both magic and mundane, exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. The production team, with their assured maestro at the helm, works through a series of problems, gets into minor squabbles, rehearses for hours, shoots take after take until it's finally right, tries to harness the elements and get a cat to cooperate, shares a lot of laughs, works long and often tedious hours, and, at the end of a seven month shooting schedule, can't bear to see their family of collaborators disbanded. It's all shot beautifully by a terrific behind-the-scenes unit--the documentary camera frames its subjects beautifully, with a perfect instinct for when to move the camera and when to hold, the cutting is terrific, and the intertitles, supplied by Bergman himself without any other editorializing or voice-over narration, provide an appropriately spare, wistful, nostalgic tone. A remarkable movie.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
Full Review
Audience Member
It is great to watch Bergman at work, and it's interesting to see how many decisions are made off the cuff. Still, it IS just a behind-the-scenes documentary (the first one I've ever watched twice, I believe) and could hardly be considered essential viewing. I also think 19 minutes of Gunnar Bjornstrand with a candle on his head is a little much, although the scene does serve a purpose.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/17/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A priceless glimpse into Bergman's work process, created by the master himself. While the film was less about insights into the director's mind and more about literal behind-the-scenes work done, there is still something magical and enlightening about watching Bergman in the zone. There are little treasures to this film; the ones I found most special were both the way Bergman handled his child actors (this requires a lot of patience and understanding) and the way he handled his elder actors (again- lots of patience). He is a gentle director with definate theater influence, so that his scenes are born out of his actors' performances. Perhaps the greatest reason wo watch this film is to see the conclusion to a beautiful and productive friendship; legendary cinematographer Sven Nykvist does what is probably his best work in 'Fanny and Alexander', and it is interesting to see the process behind that work, and how much of it is decided by Bergman. This is a must-see for filmmakers and fans of Ingmar Bergman, and en enjoyable experience for anyone interested in the filmmaking process.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A terrific "making of" for one of the greatest masterpieces of all time.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/19/23
Full Review
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