Bergman and Antonioni

Bergman and then Antonioni. Within a few hours, two of my favorite film makers put down their curtains on their final scenes. They are dead. No more playing "chess with death." What a coincidence. It is not a surprise so to say - both of them were in their ripe ages. It is not that they were about to produce any new masterpiece. But, their passing away does punctuates my daily routine and forces me into a reflection. What they have created, how it has impacted me, what would have happened if they were just another Joes. What would be like living in a world without Seventh Seal, Scenes from a marriage, Wild Strawberries, La Notte, L'Aventura, and Blow up. There are many enduring films that are made, but very very few are in this league. Films that are not only timeless, but also act as powerful indicators of my own personal evolution and maturity. In other words, (with due respect to Gaugin) - where did I come from, what am I, where am I going. How my interpretations of these movies change over time reflects the change in my own personal preferences and how my view of life (come experience, come maturity, come bitterness) evolves. For example, Italian director Fellini is my favorite right from the point I first saw his movie, but then I found Antonioni to be so slow and disconnected. But in recent years, I am simply appalled and can say have just started to peel the first layers of Antonioni's greatness and have started liking him. His trilogy which highlights how emotionally disconnected we have gotten is summarized in this dialogue in La Notte - “Each time I have tried to communicate with someone, love has disappeared.”

As far as Bergman, I have written before. I am a not a film technician - so I am ignorant about camera work and other technicalities of Bergman but his screenplay, handling of complex subjects, and rivetting storytelling is beyond explanation.

My life is incomplete without their films. I can safely say along with few other things these films make life worth living. It reminds amidst everything that even though death is the final outcome, life is not all that bad. That some human beings have the power to create such wonderful works for ordinary mortals like me to enjoy. Someone who speaks our deppest thoughts and converts them into visual images. People who show us that what I think, feel, or go through is not unique. That we are connected. Swedish, Italian, or Indian - we can feel the same way and in doing so helps us tide our own insularity and loneliness. I am grateful. RIP - Bergman, RIP - Antonioni.

[Update - I have been scanning obituaries around the leading dailies and all comparisons put aside, there are only few worth the mention. I found the one in The Guardian. Bergman and Antonioni]

Great Clips: Here