SWEDEN:Bergman's first international success was Smiles of a Summer Night, made in 1955. Some of his other major successes were The Seventh Seal (1956), which won prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. It explored the individual's relationship with God and the idea of Death. In the story, set in the 14th century, a knight challenges Death to a game of chess.
Wild Strawberries (1957) was considered a landmark film in Bergman's career. It dealt with the subject of man's isolation, and as in several other films, Bergman used a journey as a plot structure.
The Virgin Spring (1960) and Through a Glass Darkly (1961) both won Bergman Oscars. Then came Winter Light (1962), Persona (1966) and Cries and Whispers (1973) - about a dying woman tended by her two sisters and a servant. Scenes from a Marriage (1973) - was originally made for TV, but Bergman later edited it into a film.
Autumn Sonata (1978) was the only film he made with the late Ingrid Bergman, a fellow Swede but no relation. His greatest international success was the autobiographical Fanny and Alexander (1982), which received the Oscar for best foreign film.
