There is no better medium for exploring film style and technique than film itself, yet films about directors at work are rare indeed. Ingmar Bergman has often filmed the behind-the-scenes life of his work, but Document: Fanny and Alexander is the first he has edited for release to the public. It is a sort of film diary, with commentary by the director, of the making of Fanny and Alexander, which Bergman has said was one of his most joyous filmmaking experiences: "Fanny and Alexander is a declaration of love for life...the sum total of my life as a filmmaker." It tells the story of a large Swedish family at the turn of the century, focusing on two young children, their mother and paternal grandmother. Document: Fanny and Alexander includes many delightful moments-outtakes of a botched sequence involving an uncooperative cat, Bergman directing a high spirited pillow fight-and some surprises, not the least of which is the relaxed camaraderie this man of stern reputation shares with his cast and crew. But it also delineates the meticulous craft of the master director in sequences showing the relationship of the movements of the actors to those of the camera, the importance of "imperceptible" camera movements, Bergman's skill at grouping characters, and his informative conferences with cinematographer Sven Nykvist and Lars Karlsson ("the Mozart of assistant cameramen"). The information is couched in scenes from the film itself, captured here in their raw form and then shown, for comparison, in the final version. As a portrait of an artist at the end of his career (Bergman announced Fanny and Alexander as his last feature), Document: Fanny and Alexander is a treasure.