The Cinematheque will be playing Ingmar Bergman’s films during its 14-week Thursday night movie screenings at the Armer Theater.
The Cinematheque is a program that professor Tim Halloran oversees, showcasing a specific director’s archive of work for an entire semester. Last semester the spotlight was focused on famed Italian director, Frederico Fellini, This fall, Bergman is the star.
“The series is a true retrospective of Bergman’s large cross-section of work,” said Halloran. “In total, he’s done over 50 films that span five decades and we only have 14 weeks to show that.”
Halloran added they chose the well-known Swedish director because he is a unique film artist and is considered one of the best film directors of the 20th century. He said the director’s vast archive of films made choosing the screening’s playlist no easy task.
Ingmar Bergman made his mark on the film industry with emotional themes that dealt with loneliness, despair and betrayal. Although filmed in Sweden, movies like “Smiles of a Summer Night” (1955), “Persona” (1966), and “The Seventh Seal” (1957) earned the director worldwide success. He won three Academy Awards and was honored by the Academy with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award in 1971.
The Cinematheque screenings will feature Bergman‘s most famous films, beginning with “Summer Interlude” (1951) and ending with “Fanny and Alexander” (1981). The films will be shown on the theater’s digital projection system, which Halloran describes as amazing.
“Bergman was always seen as a dark director but as you start to follow his films, you see themes of redemption,” said Halloran.
Halloran, who pegged Bergman’s “Persona” as his favorite film by the director, said the three-month-long screenings will give audiences a chance to see these themes develop into a more positive direction.
Halloran said he hopes Cinematheque’s film screenings would give audiences a unique big screen experience.
This is exactly what senior Erica Pitts, a television production major, credits to quality movie watching. Pitts said she often utilized the theater during class and attended some of the screenings held last spring.
“The theater is nice, clean and makes you feel like you’re in a real movie theater,” said Pitts.
Boasting 35mm film projectors, surround sound, and classic theater seating, Halloran said the Alan and Elaine Armer Theater is the perfect location for the screenings. “The feedback after the first couple of screenings and the enthusiastic response caused me to start pushing the campaigning of this program,” he added.
Sophomore cinema and television arts major Robert Weiland was a regular attendee at the Cinematheque screenings last spring when the work of Frederico Fellini was shown in a 12-week period.
“I didn’t know anything about Fellini when I started attending the screenings,” said Weiland. “Now I feel like I got a grasp on his work. I got him under my belt now.”
Weiland adds he plans on continuing his Thursday night dates at the Armer Theater. Although he has no knowledge of Bergman’s work or career, he looks forward to exploring his films. As an aspiring director, Weiland said he thinks the Cinematheque program will give more respect to directors and creators.
“I hope people would take the time to appreciate my work in a theater,” he said. “ It’s a more personal environment and your able to get up close with the actual creation.”
Screenings start at 7 p.m. in the Armer Theater located in Manzanita Hall Room 100.
8/26—Summer Interlude
9/2—Smiles of a Summer Night
9/9—Seventh Seal
9/16—Wild Strawberries
9/23—The Virgin Spring
9/30—Through a Glass Darkly
10/7—Winter Light
10/14—The Silence
10/21—Persona
10/28—Hour of the Wolf
11/4—The Passion of Anna
11/18—Cries and Whispers
12/2—Autumn Sonata
12/9—Fanny and Alexander
