FILMS | How Ingmar Bergman originated flashbacks in Wild Strawberries (1957)

Today, we remember one of the most influential filmmakers of world cinema, Ingmar Bergman (died on 30th July 2007). Among many a classic by the Legend, what I love most is his Wild Strawberries (1957). Victor Sjöström, a director and writer himself, played the same age Dr. Isak Borg (78).

Ingmar Bergman and Victor Sjöström

The film begins when Dr. Borg recollects a bizarre dream, he saw last night. In the dream, he is alone in the lanes of his city, comes across a handless clock, an abnormal faced man, an unmanned horse carriage, a coffin's broken cover showing himself lying inside - all these odd visuals representing Surrealism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NdoKjLwvS4

The major film happens during a day-long journey of Dr. Borg to receive an honorary degree at a University. And here the filmmaker's craft gets speculated.

Ingmar's father was a Father in Church. He has been listening to religious discourses since childhood. Probably, excessive religious activities have led Ingmar to question the existence of God in his films. And this film is a strong case. Two young boys fight over the issue until they are separated by a woman.

Bergman has used quite novel ways to explore flashback techniques in Wild Strawberries. For example, if one is visiting his favorite place say after a gap of twenty years, he is bound to remember the best things there, as they were once. Time changes but not the ardent feelings! During this long journey, Prof Dr. Borg recollects his childhood and youth memories, precisely as these happened then, with the same excitement. Although a mature person now, Dr. Borg looks afresh towards those incidents which are permanently stored in his memory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qYVaoKnL_M

As an old man now, Dr. Borg takes a nap in a journey and witnesses a weird dream. Amusingly, some people Borg had come across accidentally a short while ago, appear as different characters in the dream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lFTRluHdZo

The cut back from flashback reflects so seamless transition. Ironically, Bergman died peacefully in sleep, making another seamless transition from life to death !

The discerning audience of Hindi films can find heavy impact of Bergmanian flashback in the song number dil dhundata hai phir wohi from Gulzar's Mausam (1975). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwqRf66ujAc&list=RDfwqRf66ujAc&start_radio=1