Sydney Film Festival (12) - David Stratton comments on the Bergman retrospective

Dear Geoffrey,

You seek comments on the SFF reviews.

I’d just like to put Barrie Pattison’s mind   at rest re the Bergman retrospective.  It seems that audiences are eager to re-discover, or in many cases to discover, some Bergman films screened in pristine 35mm prints.  I’m told that this is the best-attended retrospective the SFF has had for several years (‘ever’ is actually how the Festival Director expressed it); the venue has been packed for every screening so far and the feedback has been entirely positive.  I’ve also noted that there’s a wide cross-section of ages attending these screenings, from oldies who, like me, discovered Bergman in the 50s, to young people seeing him for the first time.  So far, at least, it’s been a very positive experience.

David