Whilst we’ve never been tempted to re-mortgage in order to stump up the massive $6000 required to purchase a copy of Helmut Newton's SUMO (complete with sturdy metal book stand) we are still considering getting hold of a copy of the slightly more affordable Araki limited edition that's also published by Taschen. One of Taschen’s books that we certainly will be buying is the newly published Ingmar Bergman Archives, which promises to be as highly collectable as our copy of The Stanley Kubrick Archives.
The Ingmar Bergman Archives is an in-depth exploration of the director’s professional and private life and serves as an homage to one of the most esteemed film and theater artists of all time. The book was begun in cooperation with Bergman himself, before his death last year, and was made with full access to his archives. The many photographs in the book were collated by Bengt Wanselius, Bergman's photographer for 20 years, who discovered previously unseen images from Bergman's films, and selected unpublished images from the personal archives of many photographers, including the legendary Lennart Nilsson. Rare texts by Bergman, as well as interviews never previously published outside Sweden, have now been made available, thanks to the book's editors receiving unrestricted access to those packing cases at Bergman's foundation, as well as various theatres and film studios.
The 592 page hardback volume comes with a couple of special bonuses; an original film strip from a copy of Fanny and Alexander that has been played on Bergman’s own film projector and a DVD containing over 110 minutes of new and rare documentary footage. The book has already been nominated as Best Non-Fiction Book 2008 for the August Prize, the Swedish equivalent to the Pulitzer and many of the photographs can currently be seen in an exhibition at the Nobel Museum in Stockholm. Take a look below to see images from The Ingmar Bergman Archives:
Since 1957, when he released The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, Ingmar Bergman has been one of the leading figures in international cinema. In a career that spanned 60 years, he wrote, produced, and directed 50 films that defined how we see ourselves and how we interact with the people we love, in films like Persona, Scenes from a Marriage, and Fanny and Alexander.
Before his death in 2007, Bergman gave Taschen and the Swedish publishing house Max Ström complete access to his archives at The Bergman Foundation, and permission to reprint his writings and interviews, many of which have never been seen outside of Sweden. Picture researcher Bengt Wanselius, who was Bergman’s photographer for 20 years, scoured photo archives all over Sweden, discovered previously unseen images from Bergman’s films, and selected unpublished images from the personal archives of many photographers.
Text editor Paul Duncan gathered a team of Bergman experts as contributing editors—Peter Cowie and Bengt Forslund (for film/TV), and Ulla Åberg & Birgitta Steene (for theater)—who have researched and written a narrative that, for the first time, will combine all of Bergman’s working life in film and theater. Such is the depth of Bergman’s writings that most of the story is told in his own words. This book also features a new introduction by Bergman’s close friend, actor and collaborator Erland Josephson, as well as a DVD full of rare and previously unseen material, and an original strip of film from Fanny and Alexander.
The publishers have been given complete access to the files and archives of the Swedish Film Institute, Svensk Filmindustri, Sveriges Television, and the Royal Dramatic Theater, as well as many other institutions, publishers, and newspapers, making this not only the most complete book ever published on Ingmar Bergman, but also about an individual director.
Bergman in Focus / Nobel Laureates Find a Director
September 21, 2008 - January 18, 2009
Nobel Museum, Börshuset, Stortorget, Gamla Stan, Stockholm, Sweden
Through the photos displayed the visitor will get a fascinating insight into Ingmar Bergman's creative process, not least in interaction with the actors. The seven photographers that have provided photos for the exhibition are K.G. Kristoffersson, Lennart Nilsson, Beata Bergström, Bo-Erik Gyberg, Per Adolphson, Arne Carlsson and Bengt Wanselius.
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