Fanny and Alexander is one of Bergman’s most ambitious works. With a runtime clocking at 312 minutes, this miniseries has the taste of a Victorian novel by Charles Dickens, and like one of Dickens’s books once you enter the story, you can’t let go.

The first episode is the hardest to get through, it serves as a setting for what’s to follow, and introduces us to the big Ekdahl family, given the huge amount of characters at first can be a bit difficult to remember who is who, but soon enough that’s not a problem anymore, and you feel right at home, at Christmas, with your family.

Even though it’s Christmas, not everything is happy and fun, from the very…

Fanny and Alexander is one of the great films about childhood, and yet it is so much more than that. In many ways it stands as Ingmar Bergman’s swan song, capping his impressive body of work with a glorious coda. He returns to many of the themes he examined over the course of his career, and yet here he locates them in a new and more optimistic light. That is not to say that Fanny and Alexander is a sunny film - it is actually very dark at times - but where it differs from his previous films is that it is told, at least in part, through a child’s perspective, and this frees it up for fantasy in a…

Criterion Collection Spine #262
(Foreign language film - Sweden)
(Five-hour Television Version)

(🎄Christmas Movie Fest 2020🎄)

Legendary Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman presents the joys, hardships, and mysteries of the world through the eyes of a young boy.

"Everything is alive. And everything is God, or God's intention. Not only the good things, but the cruelest and worst. What do you think? ... If there is a God, he's a shit and piss God, that I'd like to kick in the arse."

I first learned about Ingmar Bergman when I did a report on him for a Swedish culture course I took during my study abroad. When I got back home I wanted to check out one of his films and…

Television Version

Bergman’s turn-of-the-century tapestry of life, both a sprawling summation of his previous works and a passing of the torch to fellow filmmakers, daring them to do any better. This is, quite simply, life-changing. For years now I’ve been edging towards Fanny and Alexander, putting it off largely due to the whopping 312-minute runtime of the revered television version, which is universally considered the superior cut. This cut was also Bergman’s preferred version, so with the master’s wishes in mind, I delved headfirst into the first episode of the beloved Swedish epic.

Spanning a fleeting hour-and-a-half, in many ways the first part feels much like the first act of The Godfather (bar Bergman’s delectable surrealist touches), setting in motion…

"ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴍᴀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ"

"𝗜𝗻 '𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 & 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿', 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝗝𝗲𝘄, 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲, 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆, 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀." - 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁

I didn't know you had this in you, Ingmar! A Bergman film that does not make you want to kill yourself? What are the odds!?
In a town in Sweden, in the year 1907, Fanny & Alexander as children in the warm Ekdahl family live a…

☆"If a big know-it-all like him punishes a runt like me for so little, then he's just the dirty bastard I suspect he is."☆

My Journey into the Films of Ingmar Bergman -- Part 52 of 62

The first episode feels like a stand-alone film itself. Amazing.

After watching the theatrical cut last night of Fanny & Alexander, Ingmar Bergman's late-career masterpiece, I was so excited to see the longer television version today, eager to notice what additions are in this work which is over two hours longer.

Needless to say, the richness in the detail and depth of stories and character development in this TV presentation is massive and impeccable. I so appreciated being able to spend more time with…

TV Miniseries version.

'If there is a god, then he's a shit, and I'd like to kick him in the butt.'

It's a bit of a sweeping statement to call Fanny and Alexander a grand summation of Bergman's life and work to date but that's very much the impression you get from watching it, although more importantly it feels like a cathartic release, an artist exorcising his last remaining demons or accepting the harsh realities of life and coming to terms with them. This epic turn of the century period piece takes us back to the decadent world of his childhood in Uppsala, the stately Ekdahl family and their lavish estate a stand-in for his own bourgeois upbringing.

If only…

“You will never escape me”

5 Hour Television Cut

Definitely the most special thing Bergman has done. Plays out like an exceptional novel, probing the traumatic roots of Bergman's filmic tendencies in such a masterful, deceptively simple, and powerful way. Might be the ultimate auteur film. Whatever that even means. So many dense ideas about the intersections of family, art, imagination, dream, reality, religion, power, performance that would inform all of Bergman's work, and it plays out in a way that is so different from everything I have seen from him so far, while still retaining the same bleak simplicity and devastating existential despair. Definitely one I need to see again before I attempt to say anything smart about it.…

"ᴏꜰ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍꜱ ᴍᴀʏ ᴄᴏᴍᴇ"

"𝗜𝗻 '𝗙𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆 & 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿', 𝗜𝗻𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗕𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲-𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗹𝗱, 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻, 𝗝𝗲𝘄, 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲, 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆, 𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝗽𝗼𝗼𝗿, 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗮𝗻𝗲. 𝗛𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗻𝘀." - 𝗥𝗼𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗘𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁

I didn't know you had this in you, Ingmar! A Bergman film that does not make you want to kill yourself? What are the odds!?
In a town in Sweden, in the year 1907, Fanny & Alexander as children in the warm Ekdahl family live a…

"Cualquier cosa puede pasar. Todo es posible y probable. El tiempo y el espacio no existen. Sobre la frágil base de la realidad la imaginación teje su tela, y diseña nuevas formas, nuevos destinos".

Con esta frase cierra Bergman lo que iba a ser su última película. La última obra de una filmografía de más de cuarenta películas. Algunas malas, otras buenas, y unas cuantas obras maestras, hitos del cine mundial. Sin embargo todo parece englobarse en aquella última frase de Fanny y Alexander: cualquier cosa puede pasar.

Analizando la filmografía de Bergman llegué a la conclusión de que su manera de actuar en las películas es a través del indeterminismo. Es decir, la casualidad. Cada movimiento de cámara, impulso…