This 20-minute film on the shooting of one of Bergman’s lesser known films, Nära livet, was shot on 16mm and the picture quality is therefore superior to much of the rest of the behind-the-scenes- material in our collection that were shot on smaller gauges. As almost all of Nära livet takes place in the maternity ward of a hospital, all the images in this document on the shooting of the film take place in the studio. We see the actors preparing themselves before shooting and there are some stunning images of Eva Dahlbeck, Ingrid Thulin and Bibi Andersson between takes. There are also numerous shots of Bergman himself, instructing the actors and even clowning before the camera.
Jon Wengström – Svenska Filminstitutet