The Magic Lantern (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ingmar Bergman is perhaps the greatest living filmmaker, having written and directed the masterpieces "The Seventh Seal," "Wild Strawberries," "Through a Glass Darkly," "Cries and Whispers," "Scenes From a Marriage," "Fanny and Alexander" and many others. In this autobiography, Bergman focuses more on his personal than his professional life, offering the reader an unusually intimate portrait of a troubled and prolific artistic psyche.

From Publishers Weekly

Director Bergman's memoir explores his relations with his parents and older brother, his introduction to the theater, his successes and failures and his decision to stop making films. "A reader's disappointment over the paltry detail and characterization of Bergman's wives, children and lovers--and of his films--is somewhat dissipated by the inclusion of numerous anecdotes about Chaplin, Garbo, Karajan, Olivier and especially Ingrid Bergman," reported PW. Photos.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (November 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140104690
• ISBN-13: 978-0140104691
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #607,888 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful story of a life, November 24, 1997

By	[e-mail] (NYC) - See all my reviews

This book is a moving, candid account of the great director's often turbulent life. It is written the same way that his films are made: full of humor and tender observation. I was deeply touched by it and inspired by his creative spirit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful autobigraphy., June 12, 2000

By	Adriana Villanueva (Caracas, Miranda Venezuela) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Magic Lantern is not a page turner. The autobiography of the swedish film director Ingmar Bergman is the kind of book that needs time to be read, not because its boring or too deep, but because its so good so enjoyable and every chapter so wonderful that its a shame to finish it too quickly. The Magic Lantern is the life of Bergman but he hardly writes about his movies, he writes about his childhood, his life in the theater, the women of his life, his relationships with his children, his health, politics... this book will help you understand one of the greatest filmmakers of our time.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacks "Magic", July 11, 2004

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Ingmar Bergman's autobiography lacks the creative intensity and spark that have made him a cinematic legend. While "The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography" is prettily written and lets you see a little of Bergman's persona, he wrote with little detail and few interesting anecdotes.

Bergman covers his childhood at a Lutheran parsonage in Sweden, and his early fascination with the mechanics of filmmaking -- the "magic lantern." He describes his failures and successes, his marriages, his love affair with muse Liv Ullman, and the many now-legendary figures that he dealt with in his illustrious career.

Ingmar Bergman creates atmospheric, riveting films full of emotion... which is the exact opposite of "The Magic Lantern." It's heavy in uninteresting details and bits of information -- Bergman lectures at length about Swedish taxes, but doesn't tell us about his feelings or his motivation.

And while people who write autobiographies are entitled to keep parts of their lives private, Bergman's lack of emotion carries over to his family. He barely mentions Ullman, and only includes one emotionless anecdote about their love affair. Their daughter Linn isn't mentioned at all. For that matter, none of his kids or wives are given much attention.

If one slogs through the swamp of boring details, there are a handful of interesting stories, involving people like Charlie Chaplin, Ingrid Bergman and Greta Garbo. But Bergman seems to be half asleep. There's little humor, pathos or anger in his writing -- it's flat. There's something wrong with a book when the most passionate anecdote is about Bergman and a cinematograph. It's no coincidence that Bergman calls this book "The Magic Lantern" -- filmmaking seems to be the only passion he can describe.

Ingmar Bergman is an excellent director, but as a writer he leaves something to be desired. "The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography" comes across as a distasteful duty he didn't pay much attention to, rather than a look into his mind and life. Dull and ponderous.