Best of Criterion’s New Releases, August 2016

Each month, the Paste staff brings you a look at the best new selections from The Criterion Collection. Much beloved by casual fans and cinephiles alike, The Criterion Collection has for over three decades presented special editions of important classic and contemporary films. You can explore the complete collection here. In the meantime, here are our top picks for the month of August:
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words
Director: Stig Björkman
Year: 2015
Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words is a stunning revelation of a beloved screen actress. For those of us who didn’t know much about Ingrid Bergman, this film is full of surprises and insight. For those in the know, it is an intimate and, often times, beautiful portrait of an artist. Utilizing her diary entries that spanned decades, we are given a glimpse into the life of Bergman and those who were close to her. This documentary plays like a biopic, if she were here to star in it of course! Voice-over narration carries the film from the beginning, engrossing and pulling us into the deeply flawed, yet beautiful and insightful person that Bergman was. Each of her children are interviewed, giving layered descriptions of the actress. Each one is like a Rorschach test—they all see a different person throughout their lives. While the film doesn’t present her as a puzzle or enigma to be figured out, there are certain mysteries. We wonder and hang on every decision she makes, her various romantic lives, herself as Mother, as friend, as actress, and so on. Though she is presented in her own words, we are left wondering what more can you tell us, Ingrid? The film is a fantastic example of documentary filmmaking and a must-have for classic film lovers. —Nelson Maddaloni
A Taste of Honey
Director: Tony Richardson
Year: 1961