Friday, August 29, 2014

9 Moments From Ingrid Bergman on her 99th Birthday

Aside from all the moments in Ingrid's work, there are a few that come to mind that are a bit out of the ordinary. This list changes, but I thought I'd give 9 of them to you on her 99th birthday!


9. The champagne scene from "Anastasia." Because all they serve there is champagne.


8. The dancing scene from "Cactus Flower." The film is scored by Johnny Williams (aka John Williams) and why aren't we still doing these moves? I am. I'm still doing these moves.


7. The patriotism scene from "Notorious." I've used this line too many times. It's fantastic, especially after a night of drinking and driving.


6. The bed scene from "Indiscreet." "When Harry Met Sally" totally stole this technique from Stanley Donen, but I'm not complaining. It's sexy, funny and WORKS.


5. The Chopin scene from "Autumn Sonata." This one isn't funny, but it's one of the most moving scenes in her work. Liv Ullmann, Ingmar Bergman and Ingrid Bergman all in the same room, plus Ingrid shows off how she can tickle the ivories. 


4. The dream sequence from "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." This is a colorized version, which normally I'm not a fan of, but in this case, it makes it more terrifying and creepy. Ivy is a hot mess, and I think that's great.   


3. The piano scene from "Intermezzo." Women can play piano faster than men can play violin. Also, never hire a hot piano teacher because she will steal your husband and your children will love her more.


2. The dancing scene from "Indiscreet." Cary Grant hopping around like an idiot and Ingrid pretending to be mad at him. Two words: Gold dress. 


1. The psychotic break scene from "Gaslight." You know you've earned your Oscar when they coin a phrase after your performance, and I'm not just "gaslighting" you about this one.  




Happy Birthday Ingrid Bergman!



Today marks the 99th birthday for our beloved Ingrid Bergman! It also is the 32nd anniversary of her death. That's right, if this is your first time reading one of my birthday posts, fun fact: Ingrid Bergman died on her 67th birthday.

Ingrid's life was one filled with as much drama as the parts she played on the screen. Her mother died when she was 3, her father died when she was 12 and her aunt died in Ingrid's arms 6 months following. She worked hard for her dreams. She studied theater, piano and singing and acting was always her calling. She was a beauty who knew how to work the system.



The drama didn't end there. She had a baby when she was 23 and was married to a dentist who followed her to Hollywood when her career took off and made her a star. She had affairs with powerful men, including Victor Fleming (75 years ago... You know, the guy who directed "The Wizard of Oz" and "Gone with the Wind" in the same year), Robert Capa (the guy who took those famous WWII Normandy photos and later died because he stepped on a land mine) and later she would end her marriage with Peter Lindstrom by fleeing the states for Italy with Roberto Rossellini.

She was declared "Persona Non Grata" on the US Senate floor and wouldn't return to the States until after a decade.

Her work spoke for itself and for her. It lives on, thankfully, and though her full-circle time on this earth expired, her films immortalized those beautiful moments on screen.

Personally, I feel Ingrid Bergman has been a humanized star. She is someone I've watched time and again bring life to the screen and she has always inspired me to follow my ambitions and dreams.

Today, I celebrate the life and work of Ingrid Bergman, though I carry her in my head and heart everyday to utilize part of her path to guide my own.

The world made a better place thanks to Ingrid's work, especially the cinematic world.

Happy Birthday, Ingrid!





About Me

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An avid Ingrid Bergman fan, I am a student of her life and work as well as film, filmmaking and Classic Film in general. I have my M.F.A. in TV/Film Production from USC School of Cinematic Arts and have been making a living in the business they call show. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @alexis_morrell