# Sven Nykvist

Sven Vilhem Nykvist (Swedish pronunciation:; 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 of all time, his work is generally noted for its naturalism and simplicity. He also won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for Cries and Whispers (1972) and Fanny and Alexander (1982).

## Early life and education

Nykvist was born in Moheda, Kronobergs län, Sweden. His parents were Lutheran missionaries who spent most of their lives in the Belgian Congo, so Nykvist was raised by relatives in Sweden and saw his parents rarely. His father was a keen amateur photographer of African wildlife, whose activities may have sparked Nykvist's interest in the visual arts.
A talented athlete in his youth, Nykvist's first cinematic effort was to film himself taking a high jump, to improve his jumping technique. After a year at the Municipal School for Photographers in Stockholm, he entered the Swedish film industry at the age of 19.

## Career

In 1941, he became an assistant cameraman at Sandrews studio, working on The Poor Millionaire. He moved to Italy in 1943 to work at Cinecittà Studios, returning to Sweden two years later. In 1945, aged 23, he became a full-fledged cinematographer, with his first solo credit on The Children from Frostmo Mountain.
He worked on many small Swedish films for the next few years, and spent some time with his parents in Africa filming wildlife, footage which was later released as a documentary entitled In the Footsteps of the Witch Doctor (also known as Under the Southern Cross).
Back in Sweden, he began to work with the director Ingmar Bergman on Sawdust and Tinsel (US: The Naked Night, 1953). He was one of three cinematographers to work on the film, the others being Gunnar Fischer and Hilding Bladh.
Nykvist would eventually become Bergman's regular cinematographer. He worked as sole cameraman on Bergman's Oscar-winning films The Virgin Spring (1959) and Through a Glass Darkly (1960). He revolutionised the way faces are shot in close-up with Bergman's psychologic drama Persona (1966).
After working with other Swedish directors, including Alf Sjöberg on The Judge (1960) and Mai Zetterling on Loving Couples (1964), he then worked in the United States and elsewhere, on: Richard Fleischer's The Last Run (1971); Louis Malle's Black Moon (1975) and Pretty Baby (1978); Roman Polanski's The Tenant (1976); Jan Troell's Hurricane (1979); Bob Rafelson's version of The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981); Norman Jewison's Agnes of God (1985); Woody Allen's Another Woman (1988), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Celebrity (1998); Richard Attenborough's Chaplin (1992); Nora Ephron's Sleepless in Seattle (1993); and Lasse Hallström's What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) and Something to Talk About (1995).
Nykvist won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography for two of his films: Cries and Whispers (1972), and Fanny and Alexander (1982), both of which were Bergman films. Nykvist said that his favorite cinematography was Fanny and Alexander. At the 9th Guldbagge Awards in 1973 he won the Special Achievement award for his work on Cries and Whispers. He was also nominated for a Cinematography Oscar for The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988), and in the category of Best Foreign Language Film for The Ox (1991), in which he directed Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.
Nykvist won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his work on The Sacrifice (1986), the last film directed by Andrei Tarkovsky, who by then was in exile from his native Russia. He was the first European cinematographer to join the American Society of Cinematographers, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the ASC in 1996.

## Personal life and death

His ex-wife, Ulrika, died in 1982. Nykvist's career was brought to an abrupt end in 1998 when he was diagnosed with aphasia; he died in 2006, aged 83. He wrote three books, including Curtain Call published in 1999. His son Carl-Gustaf Nykvist directed a 1999 documentary about him, Light Keeps Me Company.

## Filmography
### Cinematographer
#### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1943 | In Darkest Smaland | Schamyl Bauman | With Olle Nordemar |
| 1945 | Gomorron Bill! | Lauritz Falk Peter Winner | With Hilding Bladh and Göran Strindberg |
| 1945 | Barnen från Frostmofjället | Rolf Husberg | With Olle Nordemar |
| 1945 | 13 stolar | Börje Larsson | |
| 1946 | Saltstänk och krutgubbar | Schamyl Bauman | |
| 1947 | Lata Lena och blåögda Per | Lennart Wallén | |
| 1947 | Maj på Malö | Schamyl Bauman | |
| 1949 | The Devil and the Smalander | Ivar Johansson | With Carl-Erik Edlund |
| 1949 | Sjösalavår | Per Gunvall | |
| 1949 | Big Lasse of Delsbo | Ivar Johansson | |
| 1949 | Bohus Battalion | Sölve Cederstrand Arthur Spjuth | |
| 1950 | Loffe blir polis | Elof Ahrle | With Göran Strindberg |
| 1950 | The Realm of the Rye | Ivar Johansson | |
| 1952 | In Lilac Time | Ivar Johansson | |
| 1952 | Under södra korset | Himself Olof Bergström | |
| 1953 | Barabbas | Alf Sjöberg | With Göran Strindberg |
| 1953 | The Road to Klockrike | Gunnar Skoglund | |
| 1953 | Sawdust and Tinsel | Ingmar Bergman | With Hilding Bladh |
| 1954 | Storm over Tjurö | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1954 | Karin Månsdotter | Alf Sjöberg | |
| 1954 | Salka Valka | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1955 | The Magnificent Lie | Schamyl Bauman Mike Road | |
| 1955 | Darling of Mine | Schamyl Bauman | With Göran Strindberg |
| 1955 | Sista ringen | Gunnar Skoglund | |
| 1956 | Laughing in the Sunshine | Daniel Birt | |
| 1956 | Blånande hav | Gunnar Skoglund | |
| 1956 | Gorilla | Himself Lorens Marmstedt Lars-Henrik Ottoson | |
| 1956 | Night Child | Gunnar Hellström | |
| 1956 | The Girl in Tails | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1956 | Den tappre soldaten Jönsson | Håkan Bergström | With Rune Ericson |
| 1957 | A Dreamer's Journey | Lars-Magnus Lindgren | |
| 1957 | Synnöve Solbakken | Gunnar Hellström | |
| 1958 | The Lady in Black | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1958 | Laila | Rolf Husberg | |
| 1959 | The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp | Kurt Hoffmann | |
| 1959 | Får jag låna din fru? | Arne Mattsson | |
| 1960 | The Virgin Spring | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1960 | Stage Fright | Kurt Hoffmann | |
| 1960 | A Matter of Morals | John Cromwell | |
| 1960 | The Judge | Alf Sjöberg | |
| 1961 | The Marriage of Mr. Mississippi | Kurt Hoffmann | |
| 1961 | Through a Glass Darkly | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1961 | Mörderspiel | Helmut Ashley | |
| 1961 | Lita på mej älskling | Sven Lindberg | |
| 1962 | Snow White and the Seven Jugglers | Kurt Hoffmann | |
| 1963 | Winter Light | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1963 | Love Has to Be Learned | Kurt Hoffman | |
| 1963 | The Silence | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1963 | Prins hatt under jorden | Bengt Lagerkvist | |
| 1964 | All These Women | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1964 | To Love | Jörn Donner | |
| 1964 | The Dress | Vilgot Sjöman | |
| 1964 | Loving Couples | Mai Zetterling | |
| 1965 | Lianbron | Himself | |
| 1965 | Transit | Erwin Leiser Bernhard Wicki | |
| 1966 | Persona | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1967 | Roseanna | Hans Abramson | |
| 1967 | Bränt barn | Hans Abramson | |
| 1968 | Hour of the Wolf | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1968 | Shame | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1969 | An-Magritt | Arne Skouen | |
| 1969 | The Passion of Anna | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1970 | One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich | Caspar Wrede | |
| 1971 | The Touch | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1971 | The Last Run | Richard Fleischer | |
| 1971 | Lockfågeln | Torgny Wickman | |
| 1972 | A Free Woman [it] | Volker Schlöndorff | |
| 1972 | Siddhartha | Conrad Rooks | |
| 1972 | Cries and Whispers | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1974 | The Dove | Charles Jarrott | |
| 1974 | Scenes from a Marriage | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1974 | Ransom | Caspar Wrede | |
| 1975 | The Magic Flute | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1975 | Monismanien 1995 | Kenne Fant | |
| 1975 | Black Moon | Louis Malle | |
| 1976 | Face to Face | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1976 | The Tenant | Roman Polanski | |
| 1977 | The Serpent's Egg | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1978 | Pretty Baby | Louis Malle | |
| 1978 | En och en | Erland Josephson Himself Ingrid Thulin | |
| 1978 | Autumn Sonata | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1979 | Hurricane | Jan Troell | |
| 1979 | Starting Over | Alan J. Pakula | |
| 1980 | Marmalade Revolution | Erland Josephson | Also credited as producer |
| 1980 | Willie & Phil | Paul Mazursky | |
| 1981 | The Postman Always Rings Twice | Bob Rafelson | |
| 1982 | Cannery Row | David S. Ward | |
| 1982 | Fanny and Alexander | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1983 | Star 80 | Bob Fosse | |
| 1983 | La tragédie de Carmen | Peter Brook | |
| 1984 | Swann in Love | Volker Schlöndorff | |
| 1985 | Agnes of God | Norman Jewison | |
| 1986 | Dream Lover | Alan J. Pakula | |
| 1986 | The Sacrifice | Andrei Tarkovsky | |
| 1988 | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Philip Kaufman | |
| 1988 | Katinka | Max von Sydow | With Claus Loof |
| 1988 | Another Woman | Woody Allen | |
| 1989 | Crimes and Misdemeanors | Woody Allen | |
| 1991 | Buster's Bedroom | Rebecca Horn | |
| 1991 | The Ox | Himself | |
| 1992 | Chaplin | Richard Attenborough | |
| 1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Nora Ephron | |
| 1993 | What's Eating Gilbert Grape | Lasse Hallström | |
| 1994 | With Honors | Alek Keshishian | |
| 1994 | Only You | Norman Jewison | |
| 1994 | Mixed Nuts | Nora Ephron | |
| 1995 | Something to Talk About | Lasse Hallström | |
| 1995 | Kristin Lavransdatter | Liv Ullmann | |
| 1996 | Private Confessions | Liv Ullmann | |
| 1998 | Celebrity | Woody Allen | |
| 1998 | Curtain Call | Peter Yates | |

#### Short film

| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1973 | Kallelsen | Himself | |
| 1976 | De fördömda kvinnornas dans | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1989 | Oedipus Wrecks | Woody Allen | Segment of New York Stories |
Documentary short
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1943 | En Stockholmssilhuett | Bibi Lindström | |
| 1946 | Där lägereldarna brinna | Mauritz Sandin | |
| 1961 | Africa and Schweitzer | Jan Sadlo | |
| 1995 | Liv Ullmann | | Segment of Lumière and Company |

#### Television

TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1969 | The Rite | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1970 | Fårö Document | Ingmar Bergman | Documentary film |
| 1971 | Karpfs Karriere | Bernhard Wicki | |
| 1973 | Das blaue Hotel | Stanislav Barabas | |
| 1980 | Aus dem Leben der Marionetten | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1984 | After the Rehearsal | Ingmar Bergman | |
| 1986 | Nobody's Child | Lee Grant | |
TV series
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1973 | Scenes from a Marriage | Ingmar Bergman | Miniseries |
| 1975 | Nouvelles d'Henry James | Volker Schlöndorff | Episode "Les raisons de Georgina" |
| 2001 | Nova | | Episode "Life's Greatest Miracle" |

### Director

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 1952 | Under södra korset | Yes | Yes | No | Co-directed with Olof Bergström |
| 1956 | Gorilla | Yes | No | No | Co-directed with Lorens Marmstedt and Lars-Henrik Ottoson |
| 1965 | Lianbron | Yes | No | No | |
| 1973 | Kallelsen | Yes | Yes | No | Short film |
| 1978 | En och en | Yes | No | Yes | Co-directed with Erland Josephson and Ingrid Thulin |
| 1991 | The Ox | Yes | Yes | No | |

## Awards and nominations

Academy Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1973 | Best Cinematography | Cries and Whispers | Won |
| 1983 | Best Cinematography | Fanny and Alexander | Won |
| 1988 | Best Cinematography | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |
American Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1988 | Outstanding Achievement in Theatrical Releases | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |
| 1996 | Life Achievement Award | Life Achievement Award | Won |
BAFTA Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1973 | Best Cinematography | Cries and Whispers | Nominated |
| 1983 | Best Cinematography | Fanny and Alexander | Won |
British Society of Cinematographers
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1983 | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Fanny and Alexander | Won |
| 1988 | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |
| 1992 | Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film | Chaplin | Nominated |
Cannes Film Festival
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1986 | Best Artistic Contribution | The Sacrifice | Won |
Independent Spirit Awards
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1988 | Best Cinematography | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Won |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1983 | Best Cinematography | Fanny and Alexander | Won |
| 1988 | Best Cinematography | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |
National Society of Film Critics
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1966 | Best Cinematography | Persona | Nominated |
| 1968 | Best Cinematography | Shame | Nominated |
| 1973 | Best Cinematography | Cries and Whispers | Won |
| 1988 | Best Cinematography | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |
New York Film Critics Circle
| Year | Category | Title | Result |
| 1983 | Best Cinematographer | Fanny and Alexander | Nominated |
| 1988 | Best Cinematographer | The Unbearable Lightness of Being | Nominated |

## Legacy

The Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award is awarded annually at the Gothenburg Film Festival, presented in collaboration with the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Foundation. In 2003, Nykvist was judged one of history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild.