Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema
Disc 11, Fårö Document / Fårö Document 1979
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Synopsis
In honor of Ingmar Bergman’s one-hundredth birthday, the Criterion Collection is proud to present the most comprehensive collection of his films ever released on home video. One of the most revelatory voices to emerge from the postwar explosion of international art-house cinema, Bergman was a master storyteller who startled the world with his stark intensity and naked pursuit of the most profound metaphysical and spiritual questions. The struggles of faith and morality, the nature of dreams, and the agonies and ecstasies of human relationships—Bergman explored these subjects in films ranging from comedies whose lightness and complexity belie their brooding hearts to groundbreaking formal experiments and excruciatingly intimate explorations of family life.
Arranged as a film festival with opening and closing nights bookending double features and centerpieces, this selection spans six decades and thirty-nine films—including such celebrated classics as The Seventh Seal, Persona, and Fanny and Alexander alongside previously unavailable works like Dreams, The Rite, and Brink of Life. Accompanied by a 248-page book with essays on each program, as well as by more than thirty hours of supplemental features, Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema traces themes and images across Bergman’s career, blazing trails through the master’s unequaled body of work for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
Picture 8/10
Ingmar Bergman’s documentaries Fårö Document and Fårö Document 1979 grace the 11th dual-layer disc found in Criterion’s box set Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema. Both films come from 2K restorations and are presented in the aspect ratio of 1.37:1.
The book states both films have been sourced from 16mm elements, though the opening title on the restoration that opens the first film states it comes from 35mm elements. It seems obvious, from the outset, that the first film was shot on 35mm (with some portions in 16mm), and the second film entirely in 16mm (though 35mm scenes from the first film are inserted in places). Because of this the first film comes off looking best of the two, and it is, much to my surprise, one of the best-looking presentations so far in the set, at least when contained to the 35mm sequences. Fårö Document delivers an exceptional looking presentation, an incredibly crisp and film-like presentation that really goes above anything I was expecting. Just about every shot is razor sharp and photographic, delivering extraordinary detail, even in longer landscape shots. Colour sequences render gorgeous, natural looking colours, and the black-and-white sequences deliver rich grayscale along with superb white and black levels. Film grain is very fine and rendered cleanly, never looking like noise. A few sequences shot on 16mm don’t have the same crispness level and can look a little fuzzier, with heavier grain, but they’re still clean, incredibly film-like, and deliver on the colours as well.
Fårö Document 1979 was shot primarily on 16mm, and though I still think it looks incredibly photographic and still manages to deliver some impressive colours, it’s just not as sharp or crisp as the previous films; it’s a little fuzzier. The 35mm inserts from the previous film only call attention to the difference as they’re substantially sharper than the footage shot for this film. Yet it still looks like a projected film, it’s clean, and it doesn’t feature any digital problems, even during some of the mistier shots.
Both films have also been rigorously cleaned up, and I’m hard pressed to recall any heavy damage of any sort. I was expecting these to be in rough shape for whatever illogical reason on my part, but that certainly isn’t the case. They both look great!
Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
Both of the films present lossless PCM 1.0 monaural presentations. Both films are documentaries so audio was recorded on the spot and is limited by the elements and the locations used. The audio can be flat, but it’s still clear and easy to hear. The tracks also doesn’t present any damage or distortion.
Fårö Document 1979: 6/10 Fårö Document: 6/10
Extras 6/10
To accompany the sole documentaries in this set, Criterion includes two more short “documentaries” on this disc under Fårö Document 1979’s menu: Daniel and Karin’s Face, running about 10-minutes and 15-minutes respectively. Daniel was created by Bergman for a 1967 Swedish omnibus film, Stimulantia, and created from 16mm home movie footage of his son, Daniel, from birth to the afternoon of his second birthday, hitting a number of achievements along the way (from walking to trying a Swedish brand of bottled water). Karin’s Face centers around Bergman’s mother, and he explores her history (including details about a marriage frowned upon by her family) through family photos and albums. This also gives a look at Bergman’s own childhood and his father.
The two films have also been beautifully restored (though the home movie footage in Daniel still shows damage) and are presented in 1080p/24hz.
The 247-page book then features an essay by Michael Koresky covering all of the films found on this disc (even the shorts to a small extent) and the story behind how Bergman would come to discover Fårö and how it would play into his work and life. Though more scholarly material about these works would have been appreciated, the essay does a decent job filling that gap
Closing
Devoted to Bergman’s documentary work, the disc delivers excellent presentations for each film, including the two bonus shorts.
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