Two cinema giants disappeared earlier this weekend. They may not be widely known to the general public in the US, but they were nonetheless very important figures, as well as major influences in the world of cinematography worldwide.
Ingmar Bergman, without a doubt one of the greatest movie director of all times, died earlier this morning. He was 89.
That I wasn't interested in politics or social matters, that's dead right. I was utterly indifferent. After the war and the discovery of the concentration camps, and with the collapse of political collaborations between the Russians and the Americans, I just contracted out. My involvement became religious. I went in for a psychological, religious line... the salvation-damnation issue, for me, was never political. It was religious. For me, in those days, the great question was: Does God exist? Or doesn't God exist? Can we, by an attitude of faith, attain to a sense of community and a better world? Or, if God doesn't exist, what do we do then? What does our world look like then? In none of this was there the least political colour. (Ingmar Bergman)
The man never made any direct political statements, yet he managed to direct one of the most memorable anti-war movie you're likely to see. He looked at the war from the other side...
This is the final scene of the movie Skammen ("Shame", 1968). Music provided by the Smashing Pumpkins. Sweedish, subtitled.
The film ends with Eva huddling next to her husband, as he stares into the sky, telling him of a dream she had, but being unsure of what it all means. This is an ending no Hollywood film would dare. But they still survive. (source: altfg)
Michel Serrault was another giant, more local to the French cinema. Mostly known in the USA for his role in the original La cage aux folles (adapted in english as "The Birdcage"), Serrault was one of the greatest actors of his generation, having played in over 135 movies throughout his career. He was 79.
This is a scene from 24 Heures de la Vie d'une Femme (24 Hours in the Life of a Woman, 2002). Subtitled.