Best of Ingmar Bergman

Port of Call (1948)

Bergman pays homage to French poetic realism and Italian neo-realism in this poignant romantic drama.

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Summer Interlude (1951)

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An exquisite portrait of the tragic transience of love and life, Bergman's first masterpiece.

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Waiting Women (1952)

This inspired tragicomic look at the fragile nature of love was Bergman's first commercial success.

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Summer with Monika (1953)

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Gunnar Fischer's sensual cinematography makes this portrait of adolescent love intensely evocative.

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Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

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There are echoes of Fellini in this portrayal of a group of circus folk, whose fortunes are threatened by love and jealousy.

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A Lesson in Love (1954)

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This comical depiction of a disintegrating marriage presages Bergman's later Scenes from a Marriage.

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Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)

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The one film that belies Bergman's 'gloomy Swede' reputation is an enchanting comedy which oddly foreshadows the director's more pessimistic explorations of male-female relationships.

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Wild Strawberries (1957)

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Possibly the greatest of Bergman's films, certainly the most frequently referenced, Wild Strawberries is a fable of the acceptance of mortality that is as stark as it is beguiling.

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The Seventh Seal (1957)

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Bergman's most famous film can be read as a bleak metaphor for life and the fiercest of attacks on organised religion.

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The Magician (1958)

Bergman vents his frustration with unsympathetic critics and audiences in this odd mix of farce and Gothic horror.

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The Virgin Spring (1960)

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Inspired by a Medieval ballad, this bleak film shows the conflict between base instincts and higher spiritual qualities.

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Through a Glass Darkly (1961)

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A quintessentially Bergman-esque study in those essential elements of human experience - love, faith and hope.

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Winter Light (1962)

Man's relationship with God and the limits of faith are examined with characteristic Bergmanian irony in this, his most compelling chamber piece.

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Persona (1966)

Man's dual identity is the subject of this, the most mystifying, paradoxical and haunting of Bergman's films.

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Cries and Whispers (1972)

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The torment of pain - physical and spiritual - is powerfully evoked in this intense and fascinating study of mortality.

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Scenes from a Marriage (1973)

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This devastating portrait of a disintegrating marriage is one of Bergman's greatest achievements.

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Fanny and Alexander (1982)

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For this lavish period drama, Bergman drew heavily on his own brutal experiences as a child.

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Saraband (2003)

Bergman's final work is one of his best - a poignant drama on the irreconcilable conflict between generations.

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