Ingrid Bergman
If you twisted my arm and forced me to choose
just one actress as my favourite, it would definitely be Ingrid
Bergman and I'll confess to having fantisized about her when
I was a young boy. I can't now remember whether the film I
saw was Casablanca or Nortorious when I first laid eyes on
the angelic face of Ingrid Bergman... Okay, I won't get silly...
Tempted though... But what was it Ingrid had? Charm, beauty,
personality... Of course, all of those things, but, for me,
it was her naturalness, her sublime femininity, her smile...
Sorry, I'm off again... But, seriously, I did find her dreamy.
To her career. Ingrid Bergman followed in her
compatriot Greta Garbo's footsteps and studied at the Royal
Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm and had made a dozen films in
her native Sweden before David O. Selznick signed her to make
an English language version of one of her Swedish language
films, Intermezzo.
Then, Ingrid Bergman returned to Sweden and
completed one more Swedish language film before appearing
in a few moderately successful movies in the United States...
drum roll... Then in 1942 Ingrid Bergman joined Humphrey Bogart
in the classic film of all classic films, Casablanca, which,
arguably, remains her best known role. Bergman did not consider
Casablanca to be one of her favourite performances. She said,
"I made so many films which were more important, but
the only film people ever want to talk about is that one with
Bogart." About Bogart, she is quoted as saying, "I
never really knew him. I kissed him, but I didn't know him."
Even though we now consider Casablanca to be
one of her best roles, Ingrid didn't receive her first Academy
Award nomination for Best Actress until For Whom the Bell
Tolls, which she made in 1943 and which was also her first
colour film. It was the following year, she won the Oscar
for Best Actress for Gaslight, made in 1944, and after losing
to Ingrid Bergman for the 1944 Best Actress Academy Award,
Barbara Stanwyck told the press she was a "member of
The Ingrid Bergman Fan Club." declaring, "I don't
feel at all bad about the Award because my favorite actress
won it and has earned it by all her performances." There
is probably no better accolade an actor can receive from their
peers. Ingrid Bergman received a third consecutive nomination
for Best Actress with her performance as a nun in The Bells
of St. Mary's, made in 1945.
Teaming up with Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman made
another true classic in the Alfred Hitchcock film, Notorious,
made in 1946. Ingrid Bergman made three Hitchcock films in
all, Spellbound. Notorious and Under Capricorn and Cary Grant
and Ingrid Bergman shared a special chemistry and starred
in a few classics together, my favourites being Indiscreet
and Notorious.
When I think of a black and white film I see
Ingrid Bergman's face. I think the simple reason for that
is because I enjoyed watching her films the most. Sleep tight,
Ingrid Bergman, I look forward to seeing your beautiful face
again some day...
Tim Rees
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