Tomas Alfredson and Sara Johnsen Discuss Adapting Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Faithless’ and the Creative Freedom of TV at London TV Screenings
Renowned filmmaker Tomas Alfredson and screenwriter Sara Johnsen recently shared insights into the process of adapting Ingmar Bergman’s classic “Faithless” for television, highlighting the unique opportunities that the medium offers for creative expression. Speaking at the London TV Screenings event, Alfredson and Johnsen emphasized the artistic liberty and flexibility that television provides compared to traditional film formats.
Swedish filmmaker Tomas Alfredson, now best known as the director behind beautiful, taut features like Let the Right One In and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, wrote to Swedish screen legend Ingmar Bergman sometime in the early 2000s with an idea. Bergman’s response was characteristically colorful.
“What the hell is this? What do you mean?” Bergman told Alfredson.
Alfredson had told the Persona filmmaker that he wanted to remake Faithless, the 2000 feature Bergman had written about an imaginary woman who recollects her painful experience of adultery to an aging filmmaker. The pic played in competition that year in Cannes and was directed by Bergman’s ex-wife, actress Liv Ullmann.
Tomas Alfredson and Sara Johnsen Discuss Adapting Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Faithless’
During the discussion, Tomas Alfredson and Sara Johnsen delved into the challenges and rewards of reimagining Bergman’s iconic work for a contemporary audience, underscoring the depth and complexity of the narrative. They expressed their appreciation for the expansive canvas that television offers, allowing them to explore themes and characters in a more nuanced and detailed manner than a typical film adaptation would allow.
“This was long before everyone was producing remakes, so it was a very unusual question, especially for Bergman,” Alfredson said.
Fast forward to February 2024 and Alfredson is deep into an edit of a contemporary TV adaptation of Faithless he has directed from scripts penned by Norwegian writer Sara Johnsen (July 22).
The six-episode drama series unravels across two time periods. In the present-day storyline, the renowned director David Howard, 73, is reunited with his former great love, actress Marianne Vogler, 75. Forty years prior, in the main story, a young David and Marianne fall in love and embark on a passionate love affair they must keep a secret, as Marianne is married to David’s best friend, Markus Vogler.
The series is fronted by Jesper Christensen (Into the Darkness) and Lena Endre, who play the older couple while Gustav Lindh (Queen of Hearts) and Frida Gustavsson (Vikings, The Witcher) animate their younger versions. Endre returns to the Faithless story after starring in the original Bergman edition. Also starring is German-Swedish actor August Wittgenstein (The Crown, Das Boot, Ku’damm).
The series is produced by Fremantle’s Miso Film Sweden, in co-production with SVT and ARTE, with the support of DR, NRK, YLE, RUV, and Nordisk Film & TV Fond. Fremantle is handling global sales on Faithless and will be presenting the series as one of its scripted titles during the London TV Screenings on Friday.
Below, Alfredson and Johnsen discuss their collaboration and the unique pressure of adapting Bergman as Scandinavian filmmakers. The pair also tease the form of their series, which they told us is a “free interpretation” of Bergman’s original script.
The duo’s collaboration on this project signifies a convergence of artistic vision and storytelling prowess, aiming to honor Bergman’s legacy while infusing new perspectives and interpretations into the narrative. Their dialogue at the London TV Screenings event illuminated the evolving landscape of television as a platform that empowers creatives to push boundaries and delve into intricate storytelling realms with unparalleled freedom.
