From the dictionary, the word “persona” means the mask presented to satisfy the demands of the situation or the environment and not representing the inner personality of the individual. When it comes to Ingmar Bergman's Persona, the more accurate meaning is a mask. Mask can further be interpreted as untruthful and camouflage. Some people believe that Elizabeth and Alma's interaction shows behavior that can neither get rid of nor control. Others believe that the character Elisabeth is consciously destroying Alma in the process of curing her. This film reflects Bergman’s childhood with a miserable experience, which is unbearable to recall in his later life.
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was born on July 14th, 1918 in Uppsala, Sweden. His father, Enrique Bergman, was a devout Lutheran. He was considered a very conservative and strict father in the Bergman’s. In Ingmar’s childhood, he and his brother can feel a harsh religious atmosphere in their home. He mentioned in his autobiography “The Magic Lantern”, in his childhood, he will get a cruel punishment by his father because of bedwetting. His mother would be indifferent and indulge his father in doing this punish behavior. Since they make a mistake, they need to confess their sin in his father's room. Moreover, after being beaten, they need to kiss dad’s hands for forgiving their sins for religious purposes. In the autobiography, Bergman also mentioned that his father treats badly for his family since he needs to maintain his own reputation and follow the rules of religious regulations. This childhood trauma made him question the suppression of human nature by God and religion during his life.
Bergman's movies are generally unpleasant, and sometimes terrifying. In Persona, Alma is almost depressed because of Elizabeth’s silence. Alma gradually loses herself with her since she saw Elizabeth's letter to the doctor and found that her secret of having affairs with her ex is mentioned in the letter. She angrily accused Elizabeth. However, Elizabeth stays completely silent. Alma almost pissed off and frightened Elizabeth with a pot of boiled water. From this scene, we can see that Ingman Bergman is different from other directors ." persona" main theme is spiritual violence. If the two characters are torturing each other, in other words, they are also torturing themselves. The ending of the film makes an allegory to the theme, the film itself is also tortured. Based on the impact of his childhood experience, he screened a film called Fanny and Alexander in 1982 to illustrate, or I would say to express the conflict between children and parents, which is related to his childhood memory.
Ingmar Bergman's film often shows the emotional changes of the actor/actress through close-ups on their face. Persona is also famous for its facial depiction. At first, he realized that both actresses Liv Ullmann and Bibi Anderson looked similar, later on, came up with the storyline of "persona." Long shots and close-ups of characters are often used in Bergman’s film to highlight the personality of the characters. For example, in Persona, when Alma enters Elizabeth’s room, a long shot covers the whole ward; In The Virgin Spring, the photographer also uses long shots to depict the landscape of the rural countryside. His films also use some common objects/props and filming techniques to bring out the standards of the photographer and director and also proved that Ingman is a legend in film history.
At this point, I would like to mention Bergman’s royal cinematographer Sven Nykvist. He is one of the world's foremost cinematographers, whose being cooperate with Ingmar Bergman for over 30 years. Sven Vilhem Nykvist was born on 3 December 1922 in Moheda, Kronobergs. In 1953, Bergman get captivated by Nykvist’s shot for Sawdust and Tinsel. This shot made an impression on him and wanted Nykvist to participate in his films as the cameraman. They started their cooperation in The Virgin Spring in 1960. Furthermore, the photographer used a back shot to show the character’s tragic regret after killing 3 shepherds. Nykvist also plays around with lightings and explored the technique of capturing realistic scenery with natural light. He also likes to use natural light to create dreamy feelings and shadows when setting up the lights on actors' faces. The light can reflect in people’s eyes, which is called "Catch light". He said that the flashing light in the eyes of an actor can help the audience to understand the character more, and feeling the connection between them and the character.
Overall, from the film Persona, we not only learned the shooting skills of the director and cinematographer but also get to know more about the director’s childhood life from his film. From the films he shot, the director cleverly used psychological techniques to metaphor the problems in the society or his own experience at that time. Moreover, we understand that Nykvist was not an ordinary person who shoot films. He is a master who passionate about exploring new things in the arts. Over 30 years of cooperation has highlighted a significant influence on history. Their work has also won many awards. Ingmar Bergman had a huge achievement in his career and also became admirable for other directors in the new generation.
Bibliography
Allen, W. (2006). Sven Nykvist. Ingmarbergman. https://www.ingmarbergman.se/en/person/sven-nykvist
Definition of personality | Dictionary.com. (2021). Www.Dictionary.Com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/personality
Ingmar Bergman. (1918, July 14). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000005/
R. (2011, June 29). Ingmar bergman ”persona”. Douban. https://movie.douban.com/review/5005551/
Sven Nykvist. (1922, December 3). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005815/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1