Persona (1966 film)

Persona
Film poster, with the lead characters on a strip of film
Theatrical poster
Directed byIngmar Bergman
Written byIngmar Bergman
Produced byIngmar Bergman
StarringBibi Andersson
Liv Ullmann
CinematographySven Nykvist
Edited byUlla Ryghe
Music byLars Johan Werle
Production
company
Distributed byAB Svensk Filmindustri
Release date
  • 31 August 1966 (1966-08-31)[1]
Running time
84 minutes[2]
CountrySweden
LanguageSwedish
Box office$250,000 (U.S.)[3]

Persona is a 1966 Swedish avant-garde psychological drama film[n 1] written, directed, and produced by Ingmar Bergman and starring Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. The story revolves around a young nurse named Alma (Andersson) and her patient, well-known stage actress Elisabet Vogler (Ullmann), who has suddenly stopped speaking. They move to a cottage, where Alma cares for Elisabet, confides in her, and begins having trouble distinguishing herself from her patient.

Characterized by elements of psychological horror, Persona has been the subject of much critical analysis, interpretation, and debate. The film's exploration of duality, insanity, and personal identity has been interpreted as reflecting the Jungian theory of persona and dealing with issues related to filmmaking, vampirism, homosexuality, motherhood, abortion, and other subjects. The experimental style of its prologue, storytelling, and end has also been noted. The enigmatic film has been called the Mount Everest of cinematic analysis; according to film historian Peter Cowie, "Everything one says about Persona may be contradicted; the opposite will also be true".[n 2]

Bergman wrote Persona with Ullmann and Andersson in mind for the lead roles and the idea of exploring their identities, and shot the film in Stockholm and Fårö in 1965. In production, the filmmakers experimented with effects, using smoke and a mirror to frame one scene and combining the lead characters' faces in post-production for one shot. Andersson defended a sexually explicit monologue in the screenplay and rewrote portions of it.

When first released, Persona was edited because of its controversial subject matter. It received positive reviews at its initial release with Swedish press outlets coining the word Person(a)kult to describe its enthusiastic admirers. It won Best Film at the 4th Guldbagge Awards, and was Sweden's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The censored content was reinstated in English-language restorations in 2001. Over time, Persona has received widespread critical acclaim, especially for Bergman's direction, screenplay, and narrative, Nykvist's cinematography, and Andersson's and Ullmann's performances. Many critics consider Persona one of the greatest films ever made, Bergman's magnum opus, and a work of art of experimental cinema, and Andersson's and Ullmann's performances two of the best female performances in movie history. Persona is also considered one of the most difficult and complex films. It was ranked fifth in Sight & Sound's 1972 poll and 17th in 2012. It also influenced many directors, including Robert Altman, David Lynch, and Denis Villeneuve.

  1. ^ Steene 2005, p. 270.
  2. ^ Li, Charmaine (May 2014). "Revisited: Ingmar Bergman's 'Persona'". Berlin Film Journal. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  3. ^ Balio 1987, p. 231.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hooton was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Levy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Collin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Michaels 2000, p. 17.
  8. ^ Gado 1986, p. 339.
  9. ^ Rosenstock, Benjamin (25 January 2016). "What Does It Mean to Like a Movie?". University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 28 June 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  10. ^ Orr 2000, pp. 86–87.
  11. ^ Wilmington, Michael (17 March 2006). "Ingmar Bergman's 1966 'Persona' a successful personal experiment". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  12. ^ Young 2015, p. 127.
  13. ^ Dawson, Tom (24 January 2003). "Persona (2003)". BBC. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  14. ^ a b Michaels 2000, p. 5.
  15. ^ Wartenberg 2008.
  16. ^ Boyers, Robert (1968). "Bergman's Persona: An Essay on Tragedy". Salmagundi. 2 (4 (8)): 3–31. JSTOR 40546476.
  17. ^ Elsaesser, Thomas (27 March 2014). "The Persistence of Persona". The Criterion Collection. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  18. ^ Gado 1986, p. 340.


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