Original subtitles

That'll be good. It's good!

- We'll start then. - Yes.

Go!

Light should come through the damn lens.

It's just taped together.

Take this away and load it up. This is enough.

It's not the same film. There's a soundtrack.

We don't want that. We'll have to reload it.

...and that was because of Ingmar Bergman.

6 months earlier, he'd said that he was finished with the theatre.

No one understood why. He was so full of life.

He was in the Royal Dramatic Theatre and saw this script.

We'd worked together previously on The Dance of the Rainsnakes.

So he read the play.

And that's how it happened.

I remember, he rang me to say-

- 'Do you think it is a good idea for me to do this? '

I said I thought it was a very good idea and he said-

- 'I'll accept it if you want to do it yourself'.

'But I'll kill you if anyone else does it.'

'ln that case, okay then,' I said. I was delighted.

THE IMAGE MAKERS

A bit further.

- Do you have her? - Yes and I can see Carl-Magnus.

Then there is a quiet and still moment between you.

You look at him and he looks down.

And then he nods and goes like that.

Just like that. And then...

...then she turns away and you invite her in there. Okay?

Then she sits down and you sit down and you walk behind.

Just a second. Where, there? Was it there?

- Where Lennart is standing. - What? Where he's standing now.

Let's mark Lennart there. Then the close up.

Lean forward and whisper to her.

- Shall I put my hand up? - That's it.

Ingmar had something that I didn't. He had known them all.

Hardly Selma. He claims to have met her when he was 3 years old.

Sometimes his imagination takes him a long way.

But he knew Victor Sjostrom well and he worked with him for many years-

- both in his films and with Svensk Filmindustri.

He knew Tora Teje well and Julius Jaenzon.

I can understand what attracted him. He knew those people-

- and at the same time, it was all about-

- those artistic circles he's moved in all his life. He is a writer too.

He recognises the subtext in a piece of fiction.

He is a director. He's worked with theatre, film and photography.

He knows a lot about acting. It was all served up on a tray.

I understand he was tempted to do this and I am pleased about it.

- Hello, Victor. - Hello.

This is the actress Tora Teje and photographer, Julius Jaenzon.

- Good afternoon! - He spells his name J A E N Z.

He has done a fantastic job with night scenes and special effects.

We photographed the background and put the same negative in the camera.

And then we did the phantom, the spirit.

I have read Victor Sjostrom's film scripts.

They are still at the Swedish Film Institute.

I am quite impressed when I read that script comprising 605 scenes.

He describes every shot visually, very clearly

how the shot should develop.

As a script writer he is astoundingly ambitious-

astoundingly detailed and clear.

It all must have been crystal clear in his head when he did a take.

- Okay, off you go. - Should I fall over?

No, don't fall over, fall down on your knees.

Okay, now you can move. Just sit down.

- Sit like that. - And down like that?

And you come forward, like that.

Show me your face, Elin.

- Where? - Lie down there. Just like that.

And then you say...

Sometime, when I'm on stage to play, reading music, I'm going to think of you.

- And Father. - And your father.

And that hand, full of tenderness.

Everyone has read Selma Lagerlof both as child and adult.

She wrote a novel called Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness.

If you read it in the light of this it is very unusual.

That novel was made into a film by Victor Sjostrom.

It turned out to be a masterpiece.

I say 'turned out to be', although it is one of the top ten films ever.

A monument in the history of silent movies.

It's called The Phantom Chariot so they know what the film's about.

I've been stupid. I'm sorry.

Selma, you're not to be sad.

You are the prettiest and most beautiful creature I've ever met.

Julius, we're ready to begin.

Go!

Thank you!

Can we have some working light to adjust the cameras?

Can we have a little bit so I can get in the poster.

Can you move it about 20 cm to your right.

You should be higher up. There!

They all need to have a common focus point too.

It should be here. Can we hang something here?

- Roll the film a little bit. - Okay.

Lennart, could you move the cross they are focussing on.

What made you include Tora Teje?

I think that in a lot of my plays that are about writers-

- the actress is the main character. There is always an actress.

She was very involved. She was Victor Sjostrom's mistress.

She had been in several of Selma's films.

Selma's work was often filmed.

I needed a bold straight-talker-

- who didn't bow down in front of Selma Lagerlof.

But instead, asked the uncomfortable questions that would get-

- Selma to open up and in that way Tora Teje was fantastic.

So this is the way it should be.

To start with, you have your eyes closed.

And then the clapperboard comes in.

And it goes out again.

And you open your eyes and look straight into...

...hang on, who has the close up?

And then, look up slowly.

And look straight into his camera.

- Can you see that? - Oh yes.

And then you turn sideways, like that.

Move extremely slowly.

And then look forward again, slowly.

- And then... - Should I turn around?

How do you mean?

No, no. You're supposed to, but we don't give a damn.

How were you sitting to start with? That's it.

And then you moved there and there and then forwards.

And then you have to change... You have a feel for it.

Earnestly. Open your lips without opening your mouth.

- Do you understand? - I can't play at all.

- No, she is deadly serious. - All the time?

Yes, here she is. What were you going to say?

- Of course! - Of course.

The little smile is coming at the end there.

Go through the same procedure. Close your eyes.

Raise your head a bit. Like that.

Thank you!

She is the one that opens up all the characters and that's how she was.

She had that background, born on the southside, in those conditions.

But she is priceless as...

...the one that makes all the characters open up.

It's so nice to be so untouchable, isn't it? Damn you!

And little me, trying to worm out your secrets.

You and Selma are actually a bit alike, although you don't know it.

- You have to change your dress. - Now?

We are starting to check the light too. It's a completely different...

...light.

Personal success is nice but others misfortune should not be despised.

Haven't you heard it before? It's a classic.

Hello my luvvies.

How are you? This was so good.

- Such a good girl. - But you have all been good.

It's been great fun.

This scene that was so damned difficult.

Damned author, I say to the camera, where he is standing filming.

They don't know what they're writing.

It is fun this, actually. It becomes a different play.

I think that whole scene with you in the editing room is fun-

in Stiller's editing room.

It was fantastic when Garbo came to see me at the studio one evening.

She was in Sweden and came here with Countess Bernadotte.

She arrived in a 17 m long limousine.

I was still there with my secretary.

He took care of that one, Bernadotte.

We went into my simple room at the studios.

And she looked around and said, 'This is Stiller's room'.

We went round and looked at everything. It was strange-

- a strange experience. She had sun-glasses.

I only had the table-light lit and she suddenly took off her glasses.

'Mr Bergman, this is what I look like.'

Suddenly I could see why she was unable to film.

She had a mean little pursed up mouth, like a zip.

The tips crossways here and they can't be removed by operation.

It was quite remarkable.

- A remarkable person. - How old was she then?

I don't actually know, around 60.

But it was a remarkable experience.

We were in the small studio and looked around.

'That hole, I remember that was after the fire in Gosta Berling.'

The whole floor had gone on fire in the small studio.

And we had a look round the canteen. It was the oddest experience.

And then suddenly, she was bored.

'Now I'm going to leave. Thank you Mr Bergman.'

Completely... right!

When Svensk Filmindustri began making sound films in the early 30s-

AGA had stolen a sound system

or borrowed a sound system. In practise, stolen

from the German sound system.

They built a home-made system and experimented.

Which meant that in the Svensk Filmindustri films in the 30s-

you can't hear what they say.

You couldn't even into the 40s. In practise it was impossible.

Very difficult to hear and huge microphones.

You've never seen them. A guy standing there.

That scene was too long. I can't stand like that so long.

- They should have been bent. - No, they were completely straight.

There were continuous arguments between...

...with sound and the sound department.

We haven't been up-to-date when it comes to sound.

We're starting to be now. This year and last year have been different.

It's a pity we haven't thought about the acoustics-

- I can hear there are difficulties with background noise here.

The walls and floor are so hard.

I can't point that out, because they have found it.

- We have to do our best. - I just mentioned it.

You were right to.

I felt, with them... I am their right ear.

Suddenly technical complications become a huge irritation for me.

When I was younger I could lose my temper.

But I hope you gentlemen don't think...

Everyone else is finished. Thank you for this week.

That we have survived and had fun together.

Thank you for today.

- Do we need a bit more... - No. I think we should celebrate.

- Should I fetch? - Look at this, here

- Promise not to squeeze that spot. - We've spoken about it.

Cross your heart.

- Have we already discussed it? - I have told her not to.

I'm going to fetch my nice warm red trousers.

- Goodbye, honey. - Goodbye.

- Take care. See you on Monday. - Yes, we will.

The first picture is just here.

With that aperture and that.

And you can take... Sofi?

Let's see, Pierre?

We need to have a light up here.

We need to be right up with this mechanism.

- So we see through the film. - That shines through the film.

And that special phenomenon.

It would be even more fun if we have it down here.

It's even better in there.

First, he is sitting looking in here.

You wind on here.

That should be lit, but like that.

And he sits completely bewitched, staring into it.

He doesn't see her come in the door because he's staring down.

And then, you finish.

And then you lean backwards, like this.

You sit still, looking down.

Mats, can we have some light on the machinery here.

Do you see?

He sits like that. Then you stop winding on.

Just look at the picture.

The light should really stop when he stops winding. Can you do that?

- Yes, I can. - Can you?

Lean back in the chair. Follow him.

I think everything to do with film is related to eroticism.

Don't you agree?

Not at all like that.

Now everyone has learnt how to rewind a film.

Get set! Are you ready?

Projector!

Now!

Let your hand drop, turn around...

...towards us. Lean slightly to your left, like that.

Thank you! Very good.

- I think it's very good. - Thank you, Anita.

Knock on the door.

Can we take it from where you hold her head?

So you latch on to what she does, do you see? Sit forward.

Off you go.

Why does it say tuberculosis in the book, when it is all about booze?

- It is loaded. - We are ready when the film is.

It must be nice for you to see the film, to make things clearer for you.

There are other ways to use double exposure.

- With double! - With double exposure.

When you won't tell anyone why you wrote that book.

Now Victor is making a film. How can he explain it if you don't?

What more should come out?

They are like excited children and she gets so tired of them.

- That's great. - Now the walls are crumbling.

They are already inside the walls. And him, attacking from behind, too.

That will be fun.

- All the same problems. - Yes, you have.

- But I'm doing well. - Good to see you.

- You give me some happiness. - You've grown-up since we last met.

- Have I? That's right. - Do you still do handstands?

- Don't do it until we have filmed. - No.

Then you can walk on your hands as much as you like.

- Have they put on your make-up? - Yes, this little girl has done it.

- You haven't been pawing her? - Yes! No!

We can do like that. Then you always put it over there, like that.

- You know that you've taken it. - Good, do that.

Isn't that full power and that's off?

- Yes, but it's not plugged in. - It says on and off.

- The whole thing is just bluffing. - Yes, it's just a bluff.

All films are.

- Take out the... - The 10!

- And then load it. - I'm loading.

Where do you want to have the light? I think it is in the way there.

Am I too tall?

We'll start up here... Let's load the film now.

And then we continue further down.

Now run the machine. Start it first.

That's it and start turning.

Just like that.

And you follow.

We're going to check the focus.

- Turn off the lights! - Lights! Lights!

- And then stop. - Stop! Stop!

Thank you! Lovely. Great.

- Now is the moment of truth. - A good moment.

- Okay, I'll do it for your sake. - Yes.

- Not much, but for my sake. - Yes for your sake, and Daniel.

Ingmar, are you free in March when we negotiate salaries.

You have to negotiate at the right moment and this was exactly right.

- Isn't that right? You have to agree. - Yes that's right.

If Nypan had said, 'I'll do it but without a line',

- Then it would have been difficult. - Yes, impossible.

- That was damn good. - What about the line?

'Yes, sir.' I'll say, 'Action'.

Yes, sir.

- Action! - Yes, sir.

- Thank you very much, brother. - Thank you too.

- That was fun. - We are two old film guys.

You can say that again.

- Forever. - Until we kick the bucket.

I hope that we can do this together when we get to heaven.

- My wife doesn't think I'll make it. - Doesn't she?

- Are you sure? - She said so when she was alive.

It was great fun this time.

- Thank you. - Thank you very much.

Thanks, Sofi.

- You'll be back soon. - No, I think that's it.

- But it was nice to finish this way. - Thank you.

Now, Bergman is going home.

- To think that it worked out so well. - Yes.

- Great. Nypan was fun too wasn't he? - Yes it was fantastic.

- It was great. - Wonderful.

- He was just right. - And he loved it.

- He still lives in that world. - Sure, who doesn't?

Respect. Thank you.

Okay, thank you.

Goodbye to you too!