Ingmar Bergman: Quotes about thinking

“People think there's a solution… If everything is distributed in the proper quarters, put into the right pigeonholes, everything will be fine. But I'm not so sure. … Nothing, absolutely nothing at all has emerged out of all these ideas of faith and scepticism, all these convulsions, these puffings and blowings.”

Ingmar Bergman

Jonas Sima interview 
Bergman on Bergman (1970)
Context: People think there's a solution... If everything is distributed in the proper quarters, put into the right pigeonholes, everything will be fine. But I'm not so sure. … Nothing, absolutely nothing at all has emerged out of all these ideas of faith and scepticism, all these convulsions, these puffings and blowings. For many of my fellow human beings on the other hand, I'm aware that these problems still exist — and exist as a terrible reality. I hope this generation will be the last to live under the scourge of religious anxiety.

People , Faith , Idea , Thinking

“I am very much aware of my own double self… The well-known one is very under control; everything is planned and very secure. The unknown one can be very unpleasant. I think this side is responsible for all the creative work — he is in touch with the child.”

Ingmar Bergman

As quoted in "Ingmar Bergman: Summing Up A Life In Film" http://web.archive.org/web/20110913212122/http://bergmanorama.webs.com/kakutani_nyt83.htm by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times Magazine (26 June 1983)].
Context: I am very much aware of my own double self... The well-known one is very under control; everything is planned and very secure. The unknown one can be very unpleasant. I think this side is responsible for all the creative work — he is in touch with the child. He is not rational, he is impulsive and extremely emotional. Perhaps it is not even a "he," but a "she."

Thinking

“I was very cruel to actors and to other people. I think I was a very, very unpleasant young man. If I met the young Ingmar today, I think I would say, "You are very talented and I will see if I can help you, but I don't think I want anything else to do with you."”

Ingmar Bergman

As quoted in "Ingmar Bergman: Summing Up A Life In Film" by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times Magazine (26 June 1983).
Context: I was very cruel to actors and to other people. I think I was a very, very unpleasant young man. If I met the young Ingmar today, I think I would say, "You are very talented and I will see if I can help you, but I don't think I want anything else to do with you." I don't say I'm pleasant now, but I think I changed slowly in my 50's. At least I hope I've changed.

People , Thinking , Help

“I am so 100 percent Swedish… Someone has said a Swede is like a bottle of ketchup — nothing and nothing and then all at once — splat. I think I'm a little like that.”

Ingmar Bergman

As quoted in """"Ingmar Bergman: Summing Up A Life In Film"""" by Michiko Kakutani in The New York Times Magazine (26 June 1983).
Context: I am so 100 percent Swedish... Someone has said a Swede is like a bottle of ketchup — nothing and nothing and then all at once — splat. I think I'm a little like that. And I think I'm Swedish because I like to live here on this island. You can't imagine the loneliness and isolation in this country. In that way, I'm very Swedish — I don't dislike to be alone

Thinking

“For me he's just a hoax. It's empty. It's not interesting. It's dead. Citizen Kane, which I have a copy of — is all the critics' darling, always at the top of every poll taken, but I think it's a total bore. Above all, the performances are worthless. The amount of respect that movie's got is absolutely unbelievable.”

Ingmar Bergman

On the work of Orson Welles
Jan Aghed interview (2002)

Thinking , Dead

“I think he's a very good technician. And he has something in Psycho, he had some moments. Psycho is one of his most interesting pictures because he had to make the picture very fast, with very primitive means. He had little money, and this picture tells very much about him. Not very good things. He is completely infantile, and I would like to know more — no, I don't want to know — about his behaviour with, or, rather, against women. But this picture is very interesting.”

Ingmar Bergman

On Alfred Hitchcock in an interview with John Simon (1971).

Women , Money , Thinking

“When I was young, I was extremely scared of dying, but now I think it a very, very wise arrangement. It’s like a light that is extinguished. Not very much to make a fuss about.”

Ingmar Bergman

As quoted in "Ingmar Bergman, Master Filmmaker, Dies at 89" by Mervyn Rothstein in The New York Times (31 July 2007) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/31/movies/31bergman.html?hp.

Thinking , Light

“I don't watch my own films very often. I become so jittery and ready to cry… and miserable. I think it's awful.”

Ingmar Bergman

BBC article http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3616037.stm (10 April 2004).

Thinking , Cry

“You find him disgusting with his thick mouth and ugly body and wet appealing eyes. You think he's disgusting and you're afraid.”

Ingmar Bergman

"Alma" (Bibi Andersson) in Persona (1966).
Films

Thinking