Writing the Unspeakable

When I first started reading Jonathan Rosenbaum's New York Times op-ed piece about Ingmar Bergman, I literally gasped. Trashing the genius Swede auteur? And so soon after his death? The man's body isn't even cold and out come the knives to slash away at this fabled master of celluloid. Entitled "Scenes from an Overrated Career," Rosenbaum writes, "The hard fact is, Mr. Bergman isn't being taught in film courses or debated by film buffs.... Why hardly anyone watches Bergman films anymore." Rosenbaum contends that Bergman didn't break any new ground in filmmaking; he simply transferred his stage techniques to film. "Above all, his movies aren't so much filmic expressions as expressions on film," he writes. I partially agree with his points; however, I feel that because so many of Bergman's films are great, doesn't that make him a great director? (Image via Msnbcmedia3.msn.com)