When I was young, I was extremely scared of dying. But now I think it a very, very wise arrangement. It's like a light that is extinguished. Not very much to make a fuss about.
Life wasn't about freeing up human souls. It was about creating obedient slaves in the hierarchical construction of the society - with God at the top, then the king and then the father.
For me, the human face is the most important subject of the cinema.
The anger and the creativity are so closely intertwined with me, and there's plenty of anger left.
I was booed at the premiere of 'Miss Julie,' a remarkably stimulating experience.
We didn't know that Mother had gone through a passionate love affair or that Father suffered from severe depression. Mother was preparing to break out of her marriage, Father threatening to take his own life.
When we came out from the Elysee palace, there was a gigantic limousine waiting for us and four police on motorcycles. It is probably one of the few times I have experienced my fame. I thought it was so fantastic that I laughed to the point of shouting.
Sometimes, I probably do mourn the fact that I no longer make films.
I dream about doing a film about once a week.
From an early age onward, it was said that 'Ingmar has no sense of humor.'
I haven't put an ounce of effort into my families. I never have.
On a personal level, there are many people who have meant a great deal to me. My father and mother were certainly of vital importance, not only in themselves but because they created a world for me to revolt against.
I usually say I left puberty at 58.
I was very much in love with my mother. She was a very warm and a very cold woman. When she was warm, I tried to come close to her. But she could be very cold and rejecting.
In 'The Serpent's Egg,' I created a Berlin which no one recognized, not even I.
I am extremely suspicious of dreams, apparitions and visions, both in literature and in films and plays. Perhaps it's because mental excesses of this sort smack too much of being 'arranged.'
I throw a spear into the darkness. That is intuition. Then I must send an army into the darkness to find the spear. That is intellect.
The doors between the old man today and the child are still open, wide open. I can stroll through my grandmother's house and know exactly where the pictures are, the furniture was, how it looked, the voice, the smells. I can move from my bed at night today to my childhood in less than a second.
My pictures are always part of my thinking, and my emotions, tensions, dreams, desires.