Bergman's Muses

<p> Bergman is a most versatile director who has devoted himself to several muses in a variety of media. Apart from being a writer of plays and screenplays he has over the past fifty years directed about a hundred stage performances fifty films and many works for radio and television. During this time all the production equipment used have undergone significant changes (allowing just for instance a more varied and subtle use of light and sound). But by his own admission Bergman's texts have often lacked a clear orientation toward a specific medium.</p><p> This book focuses on Bergman's way of tackling the problems inherent in each art form he has dealt with giving a penetrating picture of his craftsmanship and the intimate relationship between his work on stage and in film as well as the possibilities and limitations of the various forms. With the varied media at his disposal Bergman is internationally the most versatile author-cum-director presently at work well aware of what each medium can and cannot do and most importantly eager to test its borders. The book addresses itself not only to Bergman fans but also to all those interested in the aesthetic problems related to different presentational forms.</p>