Ingmar Bergman was a legendary Swedish filmmaker, and one of the best-known names in the history of world cinema. He made numerous films that are counted among the best of the 20th century, and ended up being an incredibly prolific director due to his career beginning in the 1940s and ending in the 2000s, upon his death at the age of 89 in 2007.
There are very few Bergman films that aren't worth watching, due to his consistency and talent as a filmmaker. He ended up directing close to 50 feature films, with numerous classics among those. The following are some of his most well-renowned and popular movies and stand as his most acclaimed based on ratings from users on IMDb.
10 'Winter Light' (1963)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Religion and faith were themes often explored by Ingmar Bergman through his films, with Winter Light being one of his most acclaimed films to do just that. It's an intimate psychological drama that focuses on the struggles of a solitary priest in a small town, with its core premise clearly one that influenced the similarly praised 2017 film First Reformed by Paul Schrader.
Winter Light's also one of Bergman's shortest feature films, clocking in at just 81 minutes. Thanks to its focus on one central character and its relatively narrow scope, it still manages to do a great deal in that runtime and holds up as a beautifully filmed and compelling film that earns its 8.0/10 rating on IMDb.
9 'Through a Glass Darkly' (1961)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
With a cast of just four credited actors, Through a Glass Darkly is another intimate and precisely focused film by Ingmar Bergman. It centers on a young woman named Karin who's recently been released from a psychiatric hospital and goes back to her family. Together, they go on vacation to a remote island cut off from much of society.
The isolation quickly begins to impact Karin in unexpected ways, as she begins to believe she's getting messages from God. The story is otherwise a slow-burn, with disturbing family secrets being revealed as they all spend time together. Like many Bergman movies, it's far from a fun watch, but it leaves an impact.
8 'Cries & Whispers' (1972)
IMDb Rating: 8.0/10
Ingmar Bergman was at his most prolific in the first few decades of his filmmaking career, with many of his older films containing black-and-white visuals. This can make it something of a shock to the system when watching films from the less prolific decades in his career - namely, from the start of the 1970s onwards - when he frequently made bold visual choices regarding the use of color.
Few Bergman films demonstrate this better than Cries & Whispers, which uses the color red about as often as its characters express feelings of despair (both are constants). It's surprisingly highly rated for such a depressing movie, as there's scarcely a single moment of levity or hope in its story about two sisters being emotionally distant towards a third sibling who's slowly dying from a terminal illness.
7 'Autumn Sonata' (1978)
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IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
While Autumn Sonata might not be bathed in a single color to quite the same extent as Cries & Whispers, it does still demonstrate Ingmar Bergman's mastery of color. It's bathed in a warm yet somewhat muted yellowish glow most of the time, neatly befitting the "Autumn" part of its title by looking very... well, autumnal.
The film's premise, however, deals with one character - a mother - who's very cold towards her daughter, with much of the film showing the two struggling to converse and interact when the mother decides to pay a visit to her daughter. It's fantastically acted, proving to be an excellent showcase for the talents of its two leads - Ingrid Bergman (no relation to Ingmar) and Liv Ullmann - making it understandable why it's one of Bergman's highest-rated films on IMDb.
6 'The Virgin Spring' (1960)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
The Virgin Spring is one of Ingmar Bergman's most disturbing movies. While the filmmaker often explored intense psychological themes in his work, on-screen violence and physical harm aren't seen nearly as often, making The Virgin Spring stand out for its disturbing story and scenes.
It deals with a horrific crime perpetrated against a young woman in a forest, and the way her father plots a revenge plot against the criminals with unforeseen consequences. It's a horrendously dark and stomach-churning movie, and it speaks volumes to the film's effectiveness that it's over 60 years old and still packs such a punch.
5 'Wild Strawberries' (1957)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
With a spot on the IMDb Top 250 list, Wild Strawberries is up there with the most popular Ingmar Bergman films among the site's users. It's about an elderly doctor whose life is approaching its end, forcing him to think back on the way he spent his time on Earth while also dealing with the loneliness that can come with old age.
It's another sad yet compelling film from Bergman, once more demonstrating how few filmmakers have ever proven so skilled at deeply investigating the mindset of their protagonists. With its simple premise and relatable themes - plus a runtime of only 91 minutes - it stands as one of Bergman's most accessible films, therefore functioning as a good starting point for those wanting to explore his immense body of work.
4 'Fanny and Alexander' (1982)
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IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Fanny and Alexander exists in two versions: a theatrical cut from 1982 that runs for just over three hours, and a much longer miniseries version that aired the following year and was just over five hours long. The theatrical cut (which still has an epic length) has an 8.1/10 rating on IMDb, and the longer cut is even more beloved, with an IMDb rating of 9.0/10.
That would make the miniseries version seem like the more attractive option, but the theatrical cut is still a staggering achievement, with its runtime likely being long enough for most viewers. It's a compelling family drama told through the eyes of two children - the title characters - and stands out among other Bergman movies for its epic scope and narrative, compared to his usual small-scale, intimate character studies.
3 'Persona' (1966)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
One of Ingmar Bergman's tensest and most nerve-wracking films, Persona being a thriller of sorts makes it one of Bergman's most accessible films, though how it incorporates its thriller elements can sometimes make it feel like one of his most dense and overwhelming. It rides a difficult line in that regard, but the result is a difficult one to shake.
Its plot centers on a nurse looking after an actress, and the way their lives become intertwined when their personalities seem to begin merging. It's a surprising and thoroughly unpredictable movie, and has clearly had an impact on many users of IMDb, given its rating of 8.1/10 on the site.
2 'The Seventh Seal' (1957)
IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
Of all the films directed by Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal might well be the most famous, or at least the one that's referenced the most frequently. It's a fantasy/drama about a knight discussing various weighty topics with Death while they play a game of chess. At the same time, numerous people are also shown dealing with a plague that's sweeping the country.
It's an ambitious movie that touches upon faith, death, existentialism, and the meaning of life within a relatively lean runtime of only 96 minutes. It's heavy and heady, but ultimately serves as a good overview of Bergman's style and favored topics, though still might not be an ideal starting point for newcomers to his filmography, given its thematic complexity.
1 'Scenes from a Marriage' (1974)
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IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
A heavy yet absorbing relationship drama that wouldn't be a great date movie, Scenes from a Marriage is Ingmar Bergman's highest-rated film on IMDb. It's also one of his longest, clocking in at 169 minutes, and like Fanny and Alexander, it also has a miniseries version that's about two hours longer, and has a slightly better rating from IMDb users.
It centers on a middle-aged couple whose relationship is in its dying days, with the film comprising mostly of long scenes featuring just the two of them having increasingly volatile arguments while organizing their divorce. It's grim and tough to watch, but also remains compelling because of the sharp writing and excellent performances by its two leads, Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson.