Product: Persona (1967)
Rating: 5.0
A true masterpiece of world cinema
The first time I saw "Persona" as an eager college student many years ago, my reaction was "huh?" I have seen the film several dozen more times since then, and much of the mystery remains, revealing another dimension with each viewing. Since Bergman's retirement and subsequent autobiographical writings, John Lahr speculates that this film is clearly about the two sides of Bergman's mother--and he makes a convincing case. Someone else here has posted that the film is really a disection of schitzophrenia. I have made the argument in the past that the movie is about...the movies. The working title was "Cinematography," and Bergman has expressed this duality about the role of the artist/filmmaker in the past and the trickery inherent in the process of making and watching films. My point is that all the above--and more--is true. Critic John Simon has stated that "'Persona' is to film what 'Ullyses' is to the novel." Yep...at least.