''Fårö Document'' is a 1970 Swedish

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

directed by

Ingmar Bergman Ernst Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish film and theatre director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential film directors of all time, his films have been described as "profoun ...

. It was shot on the island of

Fårö Fårö () or in Gutnish is a Baltic Sea island just north of the island of Gotland, itself off mainland Sweden's southeastern coast. It is the second-largest island in the county and it is a popular summer resort. It has its own language, Fårö ...

and is about its inhabitants.

Subject

Speaking in 1969, Bergman identifies Fårö as a small island near

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

, with a population of 754, down from 1,100 40 years previously; it was merged into the larger Gotland municipality. Erland Wallin, mayor, says in an interview the people of outlying areas outside of urban centres often feel neglected. Bergman draws his conclusion the people of Fårö lack equality compared to others in urban areas: the youth lack a gathering place, schools lack funding, families have no daycare, and interviewee Arvid Andersson is frustrated that his efforts to have a bridge built over Fårö Sound achieve no results. Bergman also called for subsidies for the island's farmers.

Production

Bergman shot numerous films on Fårö, including '' Through a Glass Darkly'' (1961), ''

Persona A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. It is also considered "an intermediary ...

'' (1966), ''

Hour of the Wolf ''Hour of the Wolf'' () is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror and Folk horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg (von Sydow), who ...

'' (1968), ''

Shame Shame is an unpleasant self-conscious emotion often associated with negative self-evaluation; motivation to quit; and feelings of pain, exposure, distrust, powerlessness, and worthlessness. Definition Shame is a discrete, basic emotion, d ...

'' (1968), ''

The Passion of Anna ''The Passion of Anna'' ( – "A passion") is a 1969 Swedish drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, who was awarded Best Director at the 1970 National Society of Film Critics Awards for the film. Plot The audience is introduced to A ...

'' (1969), and '' The Touch'' (1971); however, whereas the others use the island for symbolism and have been termed the "island films", ''Fårö Document'' is a documentary. Cinematographer

Sven Nykvist Sven Vilhem Nykvist (; 3 December 1922 – 20 September 2006) was a Swedish cinematographer and filmmaker, best known for his collaboration with directors Ingmar Bergman and Woody Allen. Often considered to be one of the greatest cinematographers ...

shot the documentary on

16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical Film gauge, gauge of Photographic film, film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm film, 8 mm and 35mm movie film, 35 mm. It ...

. The ''Fårö Document'' production crew consisted of five people and the interviews and photography lasted between 15 March and 1 May 1969.

Broadcast and release

''Fårö Document'' initially aired on Swedish television on 1 January 1970, with approximately three million viewers. Outside Sweden, its availability was limited, but the

Paley Center for Media The Paley Center for Media, formerly the Museum of Television & Radio (MT&R) and the Museum of Broadcasting, founded in 1975 by William S. Paley, is an American cultural institution in New York City with a branch office in Los Angeles. It is de ...

in New York City made the film available with English subtitles. In 2018,

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of art film, arth ...

released the film on

Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...

in Region A, along with 38 other Bergman films, in the set '' Ingmar Bergman's Cinema''.

Sequel

A second documentary, ''Fårö Document 1979'', followed in 1979. Bergman shot the follow-up film observing the lives of the locals, including shearing sheep and carrying out other chores. Criterion included a Blu-ray version of the follow-up documentary in ''Ingmar Bergman's Cinema''. At the end of the film, Bergman, in the voiceover narration, implies that there would be a second sequel if he were still alive in ten years' time, but no such sequel ever materialized.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fårö Document 1970 films 1970 documentary films Films directed by Ingmar Bergman Gotland 1970s Swedish-language films Swedish documentary films 1970s Swedish films Swedish-language documentary films