Friday, June 21, 2013

Mixtape Movies Blogathon: Bergman Not By Bergman

The concept of Fandango Groovers Movie Blog’s new ingenious blogathon is a simple one: assembled a collection of films with no direct connection (star, director, source material) that manage to compliment each other. Choose five films (and one wild card) for the post and explain why they make a fitting movie mixtape.

I saw this bitchin’ concept as a refreshing way to talk about my favorite filmmaker, Ingmar Bergman. My mixtape is essentially a list of movies that I feel are directly influenced by Bergman’s work. For any number of reasons, they are movies that Bergman could’ve made. So, without further ado, here’s my Bergman Not By Bergman mixtape.

3 Women (Robert Altman, 1977)
Altman’s masterful 3 Women chronicles the very unnerving relationship between two friends, played by Sissy Spacek and Shelley Duvall. Altman said the film was based on a dream, and was never quite sure what it was about. So, at its core, we have a mysterious little movie, starring mysterious women, concocted from fragmented memories of a dream. Yeah, that sounds like a Bergman film all right.

Another Woman (Woody Allen, 1988)
Bergman’s films have had a more significant impact over Woody Allen’s career than anything else. Famously, Allen once said Bergman was “probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera.”

And, without question, the most Bergmanesque film Allen ever made was his criminally ignored Another Woman. The film, about a spiteful author (Gena Rowlands) recounting her life, makes a great companion piece to Bergman’s Wild Strawberries. It’s certainly no coincidence that Another Woman is by far my favorite Woody Allen film.

Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001)
I’ve often described my favorite Bergman film, Persona, as a vivid fever dream that dares to be scrutinized. Try to force your way too far down the rabbit hole, and you’ll likely emerge more confused. Accept it for what it’s worth, and you can bask in the hellish atmosphere. Shit, I just described Mulholland Dr. as well, didn’t I?

In the Bedroom (Todd Field, 2001)
There aren’t too many modern American films that value time and silence as much as Field’s In the Bedroom. The movie captures the despair of its characters through stark, barren imagery, and contoured faces of anguish. Bergman was a great admirer of stillness – of putting a camera right in front of an actor’s face and letting the story unfold. I only wish more contemporary films shared Field’s vision.

The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, 2009)
I believe Michael Haneke to be as close to a living Bergman as we have. Both directors were tedious with their patience, concise with their dialogue, cruel with their images, and on and on. The White Ribbon feels like the most appropriate film for this list. It would’ve been Bergman at his most epic; his most vast and all-telling. I’d be really curious to know if Bergman ever saw Haneke’s films. I’d love to know what he thought.

Wild Card: Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)

Had Bergman lived a few years longer, I can imagine him saying “Fuck it” and delivering a film that really pushed the limits of the most warped facets of his psyche. Antichrist, while an extreme example of this imagining of mine, seems fitting for atmosphere alone. It’s stark and horrifying before we really know how stark and horrifying it actually is. It’s a great mix of Hour of the Wolf and Persona, with, admittedly, a whole hell of a lot of von Trier mixed in.

32 comments:

  1. What a good thing that you've put The white ribbon, underrated but masterful movie. Great job man!

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    1. Thanks! I love The White Ribbon, and it really does feel like a Bergman film.

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  2. Interesting list. I've seen all except 3 Women, but that's pretty high on my watchlist.
    I think I should rewatch The White Ribbon at some point. Like I know I have watched it but my mind just went blank through most of it.

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    1. Thanks. 3 Women is really trippy, by far the most "out there" Altman film I've seen.

      All of Haneke's films have the uncanny ability to grow on me. There's always more to discover.

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  3. I haven't seen The White Ribbon yet. Of those I have seen, I can totally see the Bergmanesque-ness of all the others except In the Bedroom. I am not saying I don't agree with you, just that I never made that connection myself.

    One I agree with most is Another Woman. Even though you can see Bergman in a lot of Allen's work, this one is almost like an odd-man-out of his filmography because it is so heavily Bergamn-ish.

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    1. I saw In the Bedroom long before I saw my first Bergman, but when I did become a Bergman fanatic, I felt that Field really mirrored the pace of his film off of Bergman's style. I have no proof of this, just instinct.

      I really wish Another Woman would somehow gain a wider audience. I think that film is simply remarkable.

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  4. With the exceptions of Mulholland Dr. and Antichrist, I actually haven't seen the rest of these films. I'm also fairly new to the world of Bergman as well and have only seen Hour of The Wolf and The Passion of Anna at this point but I feel like this mix of films will be a nice accompaniment to my full exploration of his work. Thanks for the recommendations! I hear 3 women is a crazy movie and it's been on my list for a while of films I have to see.

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    1. 3 Women is definitely crazy, but in that weird Bergman-ish kind of way. Hope you have fun exploring Bergman's work. Honestly, I envy you. Discovering a Bergman film for the first time is sheer bliss. I have nothing else to compare it to.

      In fact, Bergman is the only filmmaker whose films I cannot marathon. I can't watch two Bergmans in one day. Every film has to sit for a great long while.

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    2. Thanks for the 3 Women rec! I recently went through and watched every Altman film (with the exception of HealtH, which I can't find) and it was definitely one of the best!

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    3. You watched 'em all? Wow, that's impressive. He's made a lot of films, some great (like this one) others are kind of a drag. Glad you liked this one though.

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    4. I would agree 100% with that statement. This one was definitely one of his best but I was actually amazed at how many underwhelmed me. Everyone knows MASH, The Player, and Short Cuts are great movies, but little gems like Brewster McCloud and Images really stuck with me more than I ever expected. I'd be interested in hearing some of your favs from him (I won't ask you to slog through his entire filmography though, that's way too tough lol).

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    5. My Top 10 Altman would be...

      10. A Prairie Home Companion
      9. Gosford Park
      8. Nashville
      7. MASH
      6. The Long Goodbye
      5. Secret Honor
      4. Short Cuts
      3. The Player
      2. 3 Women
      1. McCabe & Mrs. Miller

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    6. Interesting, mine would probably be:

      10. Gosford Park
      9. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
      8 Quintet
      7. Secret Honor
      6. The Long Goodbye
      5. MASH
      4. Brewster McCloud
      3. Short Cuts
      2. The Player
      1. 3 Women

      Thanks again for the great recs man, 3 Women is awesome and I finally got around to In The Bedroom and was left utterly devastated by it!

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    7. Ah, In the Bedroom is so gut wrenching. I really like that one.

      Nice list. Haven't seen Quintet yet.

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  5. Great idea for a mix! I really need to re-watch In The Bedroom. It's been a long time since I've seen that.

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    1. Thanks! I love In the Bedroom... it has a huge influence over my screenwriting and filmmaking. I love how it makes time for time, if that makes sense.

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  6. Wow... that is a nice mixtape of films. I definitely buy that list of films that you chose. Especially those influenced by Bergman. I thought you were going to go for Interiors but once again, you went for something different. In fact, Another Woman is in my watchlist for next month as I'm set to cover Allen's work from the late 80s to 2000 for the next 2 parts of my Auteurs series on Allen.

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    1. Thanks man. Interiors was my first choice for a Woody Allen film on this list. But then I remembered Another Woman, and I couldn't NOT include it. Either way, I just love both of those movies.

      I can't wait for your two Allen's pieces. Those are going to be amazing.

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  7. Great choices of The White Ribbon and Mulholland Dr. While I don't feel that Mulholland Dr. resembles any of Bergman's work, I can see its connection to Persona. And The White Ribbon is freakin' fantastic.

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    1. Thanks man. I honestly didn't make the Persona/Mulholland Dr. connection until I recently rewatched Mulholland. I guess we all see what we want to see, but in that specific viewing, I SAW Persona.

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  8. Cool idea for a list, it'd be neat if you continued it with other directors if it could work. 3 Women is a film I really need to get around to seeing since I've most of Altman's other films from the 1970s and loved them.

    Also I don't know if you watch It's Always Sunny, but this little set of promos is fantastic.
    http://www.indiewire.com/article/ingmar-bergman-inspired-promos-for-its-always-sunny-in-philadelphia

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    1. Thanks man. While I was writing this, I did start thinking of other directors I could do this for. Kind of a fun exercise.

      I just watched all of those It's Always Sunny promos. Amazing. I wonder how many people how "get" them...

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  9. Sorry, I have missed you of the list, I will add it now.

    Possibly the most interesting mixtape, certainly the cleverest and the toughest watch, The White Ribbon followed by Antichrist. Any mixtape with Mulholland Dr. on it is good with me.

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    1. It's all good man!

      Glad you dig the mixtape, and I agree, it would be a damn tough watch. Thanks again for putting the blogathon together!

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  10. Awesome idea for a mix! Can't go wrong with (not) Bergman. I should be seeing Another Woman soon (also need to watch 3 Women), and I love your other picks. Antichrist is a great wild card, too. That's a messed up film, no doubt.

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    1. Thanks dude! I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on Another Woman. It's such a Bergman-esque film... I just love the hell out of it.

      I would've loved to have known what Bergman thought of Antichrist.

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    2. I loved Another Woman, especially upon further reflection. Bergman-esque indeed, and how did Rowlands not get ANY recognition for that performance? Look for it to pop up on my 1988 ballot later this week. :)

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    3. So glad you liked it! Can't wait to scope out your ballot.

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  11. Awesome "mixtape" post, Alex! I've only seen one Bergman, but I loved that you included In the Bedroom and The White Ribbon on this list. They are such smart slow-paced films that explore the human spirit. Great job!

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    1. Thanks! You have to see more Bergman ASAP. He's been such an inspiration on my creative life.

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  12. Fantastic list, man. I always consider The White Ribbon the single most Bergmanesque movie he never made. This list is also a much-needed reminder I need to track down and see 3 Women.

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    1. Thanks man! Dude, you would love 3 Women. Really.

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