God, Death, Art and Love: The Philosophical Vision of Ingmar Bergman

by Robert E. Lauder

From the introduction:

That books will continue to appear about [Ingmar] Bergman is to be expected. But why this book? That Bergman has made his last film and that his autobiography recently appeared would seem to make this discussion of the author/director especially timely. Not only are we guaranteed that no new work will be added to the corpus of Bergman’s cinematic creations but we now have his own report and reflection on his life. However, I am hoping that my extended essay has more justification than mere timeliness. This is one of the few books devoted entirely to a discussion of Bergman’s philosophic vision, written by a professional philosopher from a philosophic standpoint.

198 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1989

Reviews

[Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of disappointed by this one--I found some of Lauder's analysis compelling and even affirming (esp. his claims on love), but I was rather suspicious of much of his exegesis, as he identified himself as a Christian theist (this rather in opposition to what Bergman often communicates in his films, in my view). I think the resulting (outrageous) claim that the film A Virgin Spring (one in which a young, innocent girl of, maybe, ten is brutally raped and murdered) affirms the idea of a loving God, then, is unsurprising. His analysis is often immature, in my view; unfortunately for me, he focused a lot on Bergman films I haven't seen (The Magician, Face to Face, The Seventh Seal) and not enough on my favorites. Ultimately, though, I think he does come up with some good interpretations of Bergman's films that are worth considering (most prominently, that interpersonal love is the only salvation for our existence), if not totally valorizing.