Ayoh - Shop now
Buy new:
-23% $16.97
FREE delivery Friday, May 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$16.97 with 23 percent savings
List Price: $22.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Wednesday, May 28. Order within 7 hrs 46 mins.
In Stock
$$16.97 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.97
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$11.88
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Friday, May 30 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tuesday, May 27. Order within 2 hrs 1 min.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$16.97 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$16.97
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Ingmar Bergman
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography Paperback – May 15, 2007

by Ingmar Bergman (Author), Joan Tate (Translator)
4.7 out of 5 stars 127 ratings
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$16.97","priceAmount":16.97,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"16","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"97","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"cUqLy3SJd68IY4%2BwwkOIkGFdXL7w7wSbA0Gz6sH6DOgSUB7IuKMZUPCaI3a%2FrMCzWat3YmmOOWDLvosA0vVhOLsT11Wq40Gr8xNDkJuqaS%2Bk0h4az0Op88JYJWOglLah7jh8NyF7C04%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$11.88","priceAmount":11.88,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"88","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"cUqLy3SJd68IY4%2BwwkOIkGFdXL7w7wSbFF7DlGyc%2F035WHPCP9AMtI62u1G10IwJQC1M36HtV3jGLQKzlKniduduLMlxWhugY0KSvF4JArCiiAqA1NPJXZ9ufwstUAWSDHgcLHlHr0tzpVMok0cQC%2F6o3bmB3H3ClyQwGFhSZahKFjtHeHDKExdpbfldEhpT","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

“When a film is not a document, it is a dream. . . . At the editing table, when I run the strip of film through, frame by frame, I still feel that dizzy sense of magic of my childhood.” Bergman, who has conveyed this heady sense of wonder and vision to moviegoers for decades, traces his lifelong love affair with film in his breathtakingly visual autobiography, The Magic Lantern.

More grand mosaic than linear account, Bergman’s vignettes trace his life from a rural Swedish childhood through his work in theater to Hollywood’s golden age, and a tumultuous romantic history that includes five wives and more than a few mistresses. Throughout, Bergman recounts his life in a series of deeply personal flashbacks that document some of the most important moments in twentieth-century filmmaking as well as the private obsessions of the man behind them. Ambitious in scope yet sensitively wrought, The Magic Lantern is a window to the mind of one of our era’s great geniuses.

“[Bergman] has found a way to show the soul’s landscape . . . . Many gripping revelations.”—New York Times Book Review

“Joan Tate’s translation of this book has delicacy and true pitch . . . The Magic Lantern is as personal and penetrating as a Bergman film, wry, shadowy, austere.”—New Republic

“[Bergman] keeps returning to his past, reassessing it, distilling its meaning, offering it to his audiences in dazzling new shapes.”—New York Times

“What Bergman does relate, particularly his tangled relationships with his parents, is not only illuminating but quite moving. No ‘tell-all’ book this one, but revealing in ways that much longer and allegedly ‘franker’ books are not.”—Library Journal

Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    314 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    May 15, 2007
  5. Dimensions
    0.8 x 6 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0226043827
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0226043821
Next slide of product details
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Frequently bought together

The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography
This item: The Magic Lantern: An Autobiography
$16.97
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Images: My Life in Film
$17.60
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Sculpting in Time: Tarkovsky The Great Russian Filmaker Discusses His Art
$34.70
Get it as soon as Friday, May 30
Only 18 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review


“[Bergman] has found a way to show the soul’s landscape. . . . Many gripping revelations.”


-- Woody Allen ― New York Times Book Review

"In its structure, its tone, its intent, Bergman's book asks to be judged, not as a factual account, however good, but as a work of literature. It succeeds--exactly as he wanted it to: The Magic Lantern is as personal and penetrating as a Bergman film, wry, shadowy, austere.” -- Stanley Kauffmann ― New Republic

"Combined with the life-affecting astonishment that his brutal and beautiful films inspire, The Magic Lantern cultivates a sensitivity towards this film-loving, sometimes self-loathing, sometimes faith-avowing Ingmar Bergman." -- Kristi McKim ― Film International


“Bergman’s minute recall is essentially, astonishingly, visual. Description after description stamp out scenes from his films. The man, his memory, his work are one. . . . It is wonderfully liberating to be made privy to the tangible relish in his craft . . . The Magic Lantern is no conventional autobiography, more a scalding stream of consciousness from the pen of a licentious puritan. . . . He is funny and crisp about several of the Famous and unstrainingly vicious about the dead and dismal critics.”
-- John Osborne ― New York Review of Books

About the Author


Ingmar Bergman is a Swedish filmmaker who has written and directed over fifty films.  He is the recipient of three Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film for The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, and Fanny and Alexander.

 

Joan Tate (1922–2000) was a prolific translator of Swedish works into English.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 15, 2007
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ New Ed
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 314 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226043827
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226043821
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.8 x 6 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 127 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ingmar Bergman

Ingmar Bergman

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
127 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this autobiography thought-provoking, providing an amazing glimpse into Bergman's mind. Moreover, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with customers describing it as very well written. Additionally, they appreciate the pacing, with one customer highlighting it as a fascinating autobiography by the master filmmaker.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

9 customers mention "Thought provoking"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking, providing an amazing glimpse into Bergman's mind, and one customer describes it as a masterpiece of exploring the mind.

"This book provides a fascinating view and journey deeply into a highly talented artist’s mind...." Read more

"...Reading his book was like watching his films, in crystal clear details, from the very beginning and throughout his long and eventful life...." Read more

"...The Magic Lantern is as intriguing as Bergman's films...." Read more

"...of Bergman's films since I saw "The Seventh Seal"; this book is open, honest, interesting, and wonderfully written. SO glad I bought it!!!" Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, describing it as very well written and amazing.

"...his achievements. A very well written book by one of the world's master filmmakers." Read more

"..."The Seventh Seal"; this book is open, honest, interesting, and wonderfully written. SO glad I bought it!!!" Read more

"Amazing! It was a Valentine's Day gift for my husband and he's thrilled with it. We both love Bergman." Read more

"This book is an absolute treasure. So happy to own it." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one describing it as a fascinating autobiography by the master filmmaker.

"Great biography, extraordinary man. Thank you, PAC" Read more

"It is an excellent honest and stimulating self-portrait of a fascinating man...." Read more

"A Fascinating Autobiography by the Master Filmmaker..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Rob C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is a masterpiece of exploring the mind of one of the most talented people who have ever lived
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    This book provides a fascinating view and journey deeply into a highly talented artist’s mind. It’s beautifully written by a man you gently coached actors of the caliber of Ingrid Bergman to reach the highest apex of their trade. The beauty of Ingmar’s writing is so rich and deep that it often brought tears to my eyes. This book, with all its beauty, is also deeply disturbing as it provides the pain that artists go through while on their own journey. This man knew he was going to be in film as a child, but he came from a lower class Swedish family that experienced their own deep emotional problems, that I believe provided Ingmar with the fodder that resulted in him reaching the status of certainly within the top 10 directors that ever lived. It’s simply a must read for anyone who loves the arts.
    Helpful
     Report
  • B. Ying
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Autobiography by the Master Filmmaker
    Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book was translated into English from its Swedish origins.
    Reading his book was like watching his films, in crystal clear details, from the very beginning and throughout his long and eventful life.
    Bergman recalled his life in a low key manner, showing his torments, failures and weaknesses instead of
    his achievements.
    A very well written book by one of the world's master filmmakers.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Kerry Walters
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Sixty years have gone by, but the excitement is still the same"
    Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2008
    Verified Purchase
    One Christmas, when Ingmar Bergman was 10 years old, a wealthy aunt gave his older brother a magic lantern--a low tech projector. Little Ingmar was overwhelmed by the contraption, and he traded 100 tin soldiers for it from his rather indifferent brother. That night he crept into a closet with the lantern, fired it up, and gazed in wonderment at the images flashed against the closet wall. He was enchanted, and in his memoir, aptly titled after that memorable experience, he tells us that he still is.

    The Magic Lantern is as intriguing as Bergman's films. Anyone who has seen his films will immediately appreciate just how many scenes in them are pulled from Bergman's own life--or at least his memories, accurate or not, of his life: the spanking scene in "Fanny and Alexander," the locked-in-a-closet scene in "Hour of the Wolf," the infidelity in "Faithless" (Liv Ullmann directed, but Bergman wrote the script), the death fear in "Seventh Seal," and so on. Bergman truly is a confessional artist. As both writer and director, his personal life, both inner and outer, is the raw material for his films.

    The Magic Lantern isn't written in a linear style. Memories of childhood dance with more recent ones--e.g., rehearsing Strindberg's "Dream Play" or being arrested on false charges of tax evasion. What's important for Bergman throughout is his inner life: the incredibly rich psyche that serves as the magic lantern that projects his art into the world, both on the screen and the stage.

    Bergman wrote his memoir after he'd "retired." He still had several films ahead of him, including what I think turned out to be one of his best, "Saraband." The themes that haunted him throughout his life, including ones that he thought he'd laid to rest involving God and death, and which he wrote about in The Magic Lantern, remained with him for the final two decades of his life. Like his movies, there is no final resolution. Perhaps that's simply the human condition.
    18 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • David Starzyk
    5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    This mixture of show business and stream of consciousness makes for a book I could not put down. I have been a fan of Bergman's films since I saw "The Seventh Seal"; this book is open, honest, interesting, and wonderfully written. SO glad I bought it!!!
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Ess William
    4.0 out of 5 stars Slyly evasive
    Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Mostly random memories from childhood and his theater productions, hardly anything about the movies. A fascinating but incomplete self-portrait of the master.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Eduardo
    5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing! It was a Valentine's Day gift for my husband and he's thrilled with it. We both love Bergman.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Pablo A Calvan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great biography, extraordinary man. Thank you, PAC
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Sandy
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magic
    Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This book is an absolute treasure. So happy to own it.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!!!
    Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Great Book!!!
    Report
  • Greg Randolph
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Great book. I learned alot about one of the great auteurs of cinema. Thank you.
    Report
  • Felipe Ortega
    5.0 out of 5 stars Imprescindible
    Reviewed in Mexico on June 16, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Impecable edición de esta autobiografía de uno de los mejores cineastas de la historia.
    Report
  • TocHE-pOche
    5.0 out of 5 stars Magique..
    Reviewed in France on November 3, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Je découvre Bergman comme écrivain et je suis impressionnée.. Recommande vivement !
    Report
  • Prerna Munshi
    4.0 out of 5 stars For an honest account
    Reviewed in India on November 8, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The first Bergman that I watched was in college, as a very young woman, who had just ventured into films and try as she might, couldn't help sleeping through such times, though masterpieces, but largely uninteresting for a usual 21 year old.

    I chanced upon "Cries and Whispers" , 5 years back. My 1st Bergman. And, the man haunts me still. I cannot forget the red curtained, elaborately designed manor house, where the film was shot , the 'eerie' air , that is yet to leave me.

    In the years later, as my interest in films kept growing, I could never part away from Bergman. The man is mysterious and that's what lends him his charm, the part incomprehensibility of his works draws me closer to them. Though I feel so wretched while writing anything about him, yet I can't do away with the desire.
    My knowledge about films is dismal and this I realized only after watching some good number of films.Bergman takes this sorry state of my film knowledge to a more abysmal degree with his techniques.
    This ever widening gap between my ability to grasp him and his skill made me take up one more attempt to bridge this unbridgeable gap - I bought Magic Lantern. I had been ordering this book since last year but for some or the other reason, it never got delivered until September this year.
    Also, meanwhile, I watched a few more Bergman and the same feeling of being haunted (As had happened in Cries and Whispers) has always recurred.
    The book- Magic Lantern, an autobiography, is actually an old Bergman writing his stream of consciousness - of a battered childhood amidst a strictly religious family, his precociousness, his early encounters with women, his sensitivity, his ill health, his doubts on God, Faith and Reigion, his unfathomable love for Strindberg and theater, his films, his mistresses, his anxieties, his depressions, his rage, his creator's blocks, his writings, his burning ego , his domineering, his wives, his knowledge of knowing what he wanted, his impulse! All written with a hard hitting austerity- quite like his films.

    I congratulate the translator Joan Tate too. Bergman, had he written all of it in English (even if he wielded command on the language), couldn't have done justice to himself.
    Report