Why did Ingmar Bergman reject his Oscar nomination?
Since the very conception of cinema, there have been countless pioneers who have contributed to the art form’s evolution in one way or another. However, only a handful of them can claim to have had even a fraction of the seminal impact Ingmar Bergman had on 20th-century cinema. Translating our philosophical crises and our psychological conflicts to the big screen, Bergman’s artistic vision changed cinema forever.
Ranging from the iconic chess match with Death in The Seventh Seal to the chilling psychosexual explorations in Persona, Bergman’s body of work is littered with moments of brilliance that effortlessly demonstrate his genius. Even within that seemingly endless list of masterpieces, one project that manages to stand out is Wild Strawberries. Bergman’s quietly powerful 1957 drama stars Victor Sjöström as a professor who traverses the landscape of his past.
In an interview, the director revealed that the idea came to him during a long drive when he passed by his grandmother’s old house and thought it would be wonderful if he could open the door and find a portal to his lost childhood. He said: “So it struck me – what if you could make a film about this; that you just walk up in a realistic way and open a door, and then you walk into your childhood, and then you open another door and come back to reality, and then you make a turn around a street corner and arrive in some other period of your existence, and everything goes on, lives. That was actually the idea behind Wild Strawberries.”
Besides the widespread critical acclaim that bolstered his status as one of the most important voices in world cinema, Bergman also received a number of accolades for his achievement. In addition, Wild Strawberries was nominated for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ at the Academy Awards, but the Swedish auteur found the nomination so insulting that he actually wrote a letter to the Academy requesting them to never nominate him again.
In his scathing letter, Bergman attacked the Academy’s position in the industry and criticised their work: “As Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries) didn’t compete for “Oscar”, I think it is wrong to nominate the picture, and therefore, I want to return the “Certificate of Nomination”. I have found that the “Oscar” nomination is one for the motion picture art humiliating institution and ask you to be released from the attention of the jury for the future.”
Although most directors would jump at the opportunity to compete for one of the most well-known prizes in the film industry, Bergman had no need for the kind of attention and discourse generated by the Oscars. Instead of getting validation from the Academy, Wild Strawberries was highly praised by other pioneering filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsky and Stanley Kubrick.
Check out the letter below.
