The Top 100 Project

“Persona” is Latin for “mask”, which makes this Age Of The Mask we’ve been experiencing for the past year & a half an ideal time to talk about Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece. Well, it’s one of his MANY masterpieces. Dude could direct. This is a trippy art film that gives us plenty to debate and tear apart. It’s also been imitated half to death in the 55 years since it was made, which is perhaps why it feels just a touch dated. Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann are terrific playing characters who deal with issues of identity, grief, guilt and deep emotional pain. But are the 2 women really just 1 woman who’s experiencing a serious mental crisis? Imaginary friend?! See, very influential. So head to your summer beach house (for the last few days of this summer) and let the 406th Ellises’ Analysis pry its way into your earholes during the trip. Well, Actually: John Ford was 8th on the Sight & Sound’s 2002 Critics poll of Top 10 Greatest Directors Of All Time, but surprisingly he wasn’t ranked on the Top 10 as