Fårö Document
Directed byIngmar Bergman
Produced byLars-Owe Carlberg
CinematographySven Nykvist
Release date
  • January 1, 1970 (1970-01-01)
Running time
57 minutes
CountrySweden
LanguageSwedish

Fårö Document is a 1970 Swedish documentary film directed by Ingmar Bergman. It was shot on the island of Fårö and is about its inhabitants.

Subject

Speaking in 1969, Bergman identifies Fårö as a small island near Gotland, with a population of 754, down from 1,100 40 years previously; it was merged into the larger Gotland municipality.[1] Erland Wallin, mayor, says in an interview the people of outlying areas outside of urban centres often feel neglected.[2] Bergman draws his conclusion the people of Fårö lack equality compared to others in urban areas: the youth lack a gathering place, schools lack funding, families have no daycare, and interviewee Arvid Andersson is frustrated that his efforts to have a bridge built over Fårö Sound achieve no results.[1] Bergman also called for subsidies for the island's farmers.[3]

Production

Ingmar Bergman and Sven Nykvist shot on Fårö on numerous occasions.

Bergman shot numerous films on Fårö, including Through a Glass Darkly (1961), Persona (1966), Hour of the Wolf (1968), Shame (1968), The Passion of Anna (1969), and The Touch (1971); however, whereas the others use the island for symbolism and have been termed the "island films", Fårö Document is a documentary.[4] Cinematographer Sven Nykvist shot the documentary on 16 mm film.[5] The Fårö Document production crew consisted of five people and the interviews and photography lasted between 15 March and 1 May 1969.[3]

Broadcast and release

Fårö Document initially aired on Swedish television on 1 January 1970, with approximately three million viewers.[6] Outside Sweden, its availability was limited, but the Paley Center for Media in New York City made the film available with English subtitles.[3]

In 2018, The Criterion Collection released the film on Blu-ray in Region A, along with 38 other Bergman films, in the set Ingmar Bergman's Cinema.[7]

Sequel

A second documentary, Fårö Document 1979, followed in 1979.[8] Bergman shot the follow-up film observing the lives of the locals, including shearing sheep and carrying out other chores.[9] Criterion included a Blu-ray version of the follow-up documentary in Ingmar Bergman's Cinema.[7] At the end of the film, Bergman, in the voiceover narration, implies that there would be a second sequel if he were still alive in ten years' time, but no such sequel ever materialized.

References

  1. 1 2 Bergman, Ingmar (1970). Fårö Document. Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (Blu-ray). The Criterion Collection.
  2. ↑ Wallin, Erland (1970). Fårö Document. Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (Blu-ray). The Criterion Collection.
  3. 1 2 3 Steene 2005, p. 418.
  4. ↑ Steene 2005, p. 40.
  5. ↑ "Fårö Document". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  6. ↑ Vermilye 2002, p. 33.
  7. 1 2 Chitwood, Adam (12 July 2018). "Criterion Announces Massive 39-Film Ingmar Bergman Blu-ray Collection". Collider. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Steene 2005, p. 419.
  9. ↑ "Fårö Document 1979". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 5 January 2019.

Bibliography

  • Steene, Birgitta (2005). Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press. ISBN 9053564063.
  • Vermilye, Jerry (2002). Ingmar Bergman: His Life and Films. Jefferson: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0786411600.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.