Film legend Ingmar Bergman will bring his latest production, The Image Makers by Per Olov Enquist, to Brooklyn Academy of Music's Majestic Theatre, June 2-6.
Though primarily known for such legendary films as "The Seventh Seal," "Smiles of a Summer Night," and "Fanny and Alexander," Bergman has been directing theater even longer -- more than 60 years. The play, performed by the Royal Dramatic Theatre of Sweden, threads together several Bergman-esque motifs, as well as having many of the actors portray real life artists (Victor Sjostrom & Selma Lagerlof) in fictional situations.
Image Makers is set in Stockholm at the beginning of this century, with Nobel Prize-winner Selma Lagerlof arriving at Sjostrom's studio to screen his film adaptation of her novel, "The Phantom Carriage." During her two-day visit, the elderly Lagerlof meets Tora Teje, a young and feisty actress, and cinematographer Julius Jaenzon.
The cast includes Anita Bjork (Selma Lagerlof), Elin Klinga (Tora Teje), Lennart Hjulstrom (Victor Sjostrom) and Carl-Magnus Dellow (Julius Jaenzon).
BAM's Rose Cinemas will be screening several movies in conjunction with Image Makers, including the premiere of Bergman's 1998 film, "The Presence of a Clown," Bergman's 1957 film "Wild Strawberries," and Victor Sjostrom's "The Phantom Carriage," the silent film directed by Sjostrom, which plays a key role in Image Makers. Bergman's achievements were honored in 1995, with a New York City wide celebration of his artistry, produced by BAM. Bergman's stage credits include plays from the pantheon of great writers : Euripides, Shakespeare, Chekhov, Pirandello, Ibsen, O'Neill and Strindberg.
For tickets to Image Makers, call (718) 636-4100.
-- By Sean McGrath