Some writers find it easy to share their ideas with other people. Their messages come out strong and clear so that no other interpretation can be assumed. However, there are a few directors who have such complex mind processes that they have difficulty sharing it with others in a linear, easy to understand manner.

Darren Aronofsky, David Lynch and Ingmar Bergman are examples of writers/directors that have this personal challenge. They do not always think in a formulaic, Hollywood manner and this can lead to complex story lines, odd dialogue and questionable plot lines.

However, just because a movie is confusing does not make it bad. Most of the films listed below are considered masterpieces- far beyond their time and steaming with profound thought. However, the full message cannot be understood in one viewing. An audience member may have to research the film and watch it over and over again before it starts making sense.

In order to help with the process of understanding, we have linked to the scripts to some of these great, but confusing, films. Reading the script may help give insight that simply watching the film would not. We hope that with time, you may be able to discover deeper meaning from these films and many other confusing masterpieces.

1. (1957) The Seventh Seal Script
2. (1977) Eraserhead [Transcript]
3. (1995) Dead Man [Transcript]
4. (1998) Pi Script
5. (1999) Fight Club Script
6. (2000) Memento Script
7. (2001) Donnie Darko Script
8. (2001) Mulholland Drive Script
9. (2001) The Matrix Script
10. (2003) The Matrix Reloaded Script
11. (2003) The Matrix Revolutions Script
12. (2004) Primer Script

A few directors have exerted so much influence on cinema as Ingmar Bergman, described by Woody Allen as the greatest film artist since the invention of motion picture camera. During his remarkable career spanning over some five decades, he wrote and directed such masterpieces as The Seventh Seal (1957), The Winter Light (1963), Wild Strawberries (1957), The Silence (1962), Persona (1966), Through the Glass Darkly (1961) and Fanny and Alexander (1982). He mostly explored the existentialist themes of anxiety, death, faith and insanity in his films. Other than cinema, he was also an active and productive director in theater. The stress that he laid upon the characters in his films and the efficient presentation of the feelings behind them is virtually unmatched. His scripts discuss the characters and their innermost fears, hopes and desires in great details.

Three of Ingmar Bergman’s films (The Virgin Spring, Through the Glass Darkly and Fanny and Alexander) won Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. He was nominated for ten more Oscars in the categories of Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. In 1971, he was also awarded the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Academy Awards. Bergman has exerted wide influence on directors throughout the world, including the noteworthy Hollywood directors such as Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Ingmar Bergman mostly wrote his own screenplays, after in depth analysis and months of retrospection. The English titles of  Ingmar Bergman Films, with links to scripts where we found them:

1. Torment Script (1944)
2. Crisis  (1946)
3. It Rains on Our Love  (1946)
4. Woman Without a Face  (1947)
5. A Ship to India  (1947)
6. Music in Darkness  (1948)
7. Port of Call  (1948)
8. Eva  (1948)
9. Prison  (1949)
10. Thirst  (1949)
11. To Joy  (1950)
12. This Can’t Happen Here  (1950)
13. Summer Interlude  (1951)
14. Divorced  (1951)
15. Secrets of Women  (1952)
16. Summer with Monika  (1953)
17. Sawdust and Tinsel  (1953)
18. A Lesson in Love  (1954)
19. Dreams  (1955)
20. Smiles of a Summer Night Script (1955)
21. Last Pair Out  (1956)
22. The Seventh Seal Script (1957)
23. Wild Strawberries Script (1957)
24. Brink of Life  (1958)
25. The Magician Script (1958)
26. The Virgin Spring  (1960)
27. The Devil’s Eye  (1960)
28. Through a Glass Darkly  (1961)
29. The Pleasure Garden  (1961)
30. Winter Light  (1963)
31. The Silence  (1963)
32. All These Women  (1964)
33. Persona Script (Transcript) (1966)  script link 2 ($)
34. Stimulantia  (1967)
35. Hour of the Wolf  (1968)
36. Shame Script (1968)
37. The Rite  (1969)
38. The Passion of Anna  (1969)
39. The Touch  (1971)
40. Cries and Whispers Script Excerpt (1972)
41. Scenes from a Marriage  (1973)
42. The Magic Flute  (1975)
43. Face to Face Script (1976) ($)
44. The Serpent’s Egg  (1977)
45. Autumn Sonata  (1978)
46. From the Life of the Marionettes  (1980)
47. Fanny and Alexander Script (1982)
48. After the Rehearsal Script (1984)
49. The Blessed Ones  (1986)
50. The Best Intentions  (1991)
51. Sunday’s Children  (1992)
52. Private Confessions  (1996)
53. In the Presence of a Clown Script (1997)
54. Faithless  (2000)
55. Saraband Script (2003)

Some useful Bergman links:

Ingmar Bergman Foundation – Film facts, plots, quotes, cast

Bergmanorama – Site with reviews, analysis, cast and credits