The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography

One Christmas, when Ingmar Bergman was 10 years old, a wealthy aunt gave his older brother a magic lantern--a low tech projector. Little Ingmar was overwhelmed by the contraption, and he traded 100 tin soldiers for it from his rather indifferent brother. That night he crept into a closet with the lantern, fired it up, and gazed in wonderment at the images flashed against the closet wall. He was enchanted, and in his memoir, aptly titled after that memorable experience, he tells us that he still is.The Magic Lantern is as intriguing as Bergman's films. Anyone who has seen his films will immediately appreciate just how many scenes in them are pulled from Bergman's own life--or at least his memories, accurate or not, of his life: the spanking scene in "Fanny and Alexander," the locked-in-a-closet scene in "Hour of the Wolf," the infidelity in "Faithless" (Liv Ullmann directed, but Bergman wrote the script), the death fear in "Seventh Seal," and so on. Bergman truly is a confessional artist. As both writer and director, his personal life, both inner and outer, is the raw material for his films.The Magic Lantern isn't written in a linear style. Memories of childhood dance with more recent ones--e.g., rehearsing Strindberg's "Dream Play" or being arrested on false charges of tax evasion. What's important for Bergman throughout is his inner life: the incredibly rich psyche that serves as the magic lantern that projects his art into the world, both on the screen and the stage.Bergman wrote his memoir after he'd "retired." He still had several films ahead of him, including what I think turned out to be one of his best, "Saraband." The themes that haunted him throughout his life, including ones that he thought he'd laid to rest involving God and death, and which he wrote about in The Magic Lantern, remained with him for the final two decades of his life. Like his movies, there is no final resolution. Perhaps that's simply the human condition.

This book was translated into English from its Swedish origins.Reading his book was like watching his films, in crystal clear details, from the very beginning and throughout his long and eventful life.Bergman recalled his life in a low key manner, showing his torments, failures and weaknesses instead ofhis achievements.A very well written book by one of the world's master filmmakers.

This mixture of show business and stream of consciousness makes for a book I could not put down. I have been a fan of Bergman's films since I saw "The Seventh Seal"; this book is open, honest, interesting, and wonderfully written. SO glad I bought it!!!

Mostly random memories from childhood and his theater productions, hardly anything about the movies. A fascinating but incomplete self-portrait of the master.

Amazing! It was a Valentine's Day gift for my husband and he's thrilled with it. We both love Bergman.

Great

This book is an absolute treasure. So happy to own it.

everything good.

Great book. I learned alot about one of the great auteurs of cinema. Thank you.

Impecable edición de esta autobiografía de uno de los mejores cineastas de la historia.

Je découvre Bergman comme écrivain et je suis impressionnée.. Recommande vivement !

Great Book!!!

Excelente autobiografía para entender las referencias del mundo cinematográfico de Bergman.