Ingmar Bergman has been recognized as the world's greatest director by his peers, among them Kusturica, Lynch, Coen and Coppola. His Academy award-winning pictures and prolific body of work including 62 films and over 170 plays were known for their existential questions, romantic despair and provocative eroticism, and Bergman's personal life was equally complex. The death of the artist in July 2007 prompted many to look at his influence on other filmmakers as well as other art forms. Bergman wrote the screenplays for many of his films, and although they were carefully structured, there were elements of improvisation from the actors increasingly in the latter part of Bergman's career.
Aleksandra Orbeck Nielsen and David Kammenos in 'Scenes From A Marriage'