Ingmar Bergman
Master of existential cinema
Most quoted
"I have lived in this world, and I have loved in this world. And I have suffered in this world. And I have been happy in this world. And I have been unhappy in this world. And I have been afraid in this world. And I have been brave in this world. And I have been cowardly in this world. And I have been good in this world. And I have been bad in this world. And I have been a human being in this world."
— from The Seventh Seal, 1957
"I don't want to produce a work of art that the public can sit and suck aesthetically... I want to give them a blow in the small of the back, to scorch their indifference, to startle them out of their complacency."
"I want to be a good human being, a good artist, and a good craftsman. I want to be a good husband, a good father, a good friend. I want to be a good citizen. But I don't want to be a good Swede."
— from Interview
All quotes by Ingmar Bergman (370)
I believe in the power of silence.
The human heart is a labyrinth.
We are all actors in the play of life.
The most important thing in art is to be honest.
I have always been interested in the relationship between reality and illusion.
The cinema is a mirror of society.
I believe in the power of the subconscious.
The human mind is an enigma.
We are all searching for meaning in a meaningless world.
The most profound experiences are often the most simple.
I have always been interested in the nature of good and evil.
I believe in the power of dreams.
The human condition is one of constant struggle.
I want to be one of the artists who have been able to create a cathedral, a temple, a church, a mosque, a synagogue, a place of worship for the human soul.
I work in a medium that is very close to the dream. The dream is the most important thing in my life.
I believe that the human being is a very complex and contradictory creature. And that's what makes him so interesting.
I have always been interested in the relationship between man and God. Or, if you like, between man and the unknown.
The demon of art has been with me since my childhood. It's a demon that I can't get rid of.
I think that the artist's task is to create a world that is as complex and as contradictory as the world we live in.
I have always been fascinated by the idea of death. It's the only thing that we all have in common.
Contemporaries of Ingmar Bergman
Other Film & Theaters born within 50 years of Ingmar Bergman (1918–2007).