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.  

Retrobites CBC Interviews with Ingrid Bergman

I recently found some interviews on Youtube of Ingrid Bergman. They are from the CBC as part of their "Retrobites" series.
They are just another wonderful window into Ingrid's life and work. Thank you to CBC for posting!

"Life in Black and White and Technicolor"

I was perusing the various blogs I follow and I found one through a follower, Loes, called Life in Black and White and Technicolor. I urge you all to follow this well articulated blog. She does a fantastic job of incorporating film, art, favorites, student life and life in general into her posts.

One particular post caught my attention... "A Scandinavian Intermezzo." Everyone should go to her blog and flood her followers box because she deserves our support! Thanks for being a reader and commenter Loes!

Rare Ingrid Films Showing in Berkeley, CA

I'm kind of bumming about this because I'm no where near Berkeley and would have loved to go to this film event(s), but anyway:

The University of California Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive is hosting a series called "A Woman's Face: Ingrid Bergman in Europe." This celebration and discussion of Ingrid's time in Sweden and in Italy. The event kicked off with a lecture from The Swedish Film Institute's Jon Wengström, discussing Ingrid's personal life and work through out her lifetime.

The program will continue with screenings of some of her rare work from the 1930's and her work with

Rossellini in Italy in the 1950's. If you visit the link to "A Woman's Face..." it has a line up of the films including:

Intermezzo (1936), The Count of the Old Town (1935), Walpurgis Night (1935), A Woman's Face (1938),

June Night (1940), Stromboli (1949), Europa '51 (1952), Viaggio in Italia (1953), Autumn Sonata (1978).

If anyone gets a chance to get to any of these screenings, please take pictures of yourself there and write me!

I would have loved to be there, actually it makes me extremely sad and irritated that I cannot just hope in a time

machine/jet and see the lecture that was held on Wednesday. Oh well.

So what I have done to cure my ails is email the BAM/PFA and ask them how to get in touch with JonhWengström.

Here is a copy of what I have sent. Hope you guys don't mind that I threw you into this, but I thought some of you

would like to be included! :)

Hello-

My name is Alexis Morrell and I compose a blog dedicated to the life and work of Ingrid Bergman. I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction as how to get in touch with Jon Wengström from the Swedish Film Institute? I have been trying to follow the film/lecture series that you are hosting at the BAM/PFA from afar (I am in Maryland and therefore was unable to be at the lecture as well as I will be unable to attend the film series), and my readers and I would like to know if there is a possibility to find out more about the lecture as well as the Ingrid Bergman series?

Any information would be much appreciated, we are all devout Ingrid fans and our deepest wishes would have been to attend your film/lecture event.

Thank you for your time,

Alexis Morrell

Ingrid Bergman Life and Films

--
Alexis Morrell

www.alexismorrell.webs.com
http://ingridbergmanfilms.blogspot.com

Now I will go back to researching the history of Casablanca. I'm going to present you with the history of the film because it is truly one of the most interesting happy accident pieces of cinema ever to grace this earth. I'm just now reading about the writing and casting--WOO!- this film is full of drama, not just on the screen but behind the scenes as well! I can't wait to give you all this information.

After the history, I will then do the play-by-play. That will be a little less credible because it will be me shooting off the hip, but hopefully, none-the-less, entertaining.

Thank you for your support and readership,

Alexis :)

MGM Studio Tour

As I'm sitting here watching From Here To Eternity which has little to do with Ingrid or MGM-- it is a classic film and I do fully enjoy it.

I love Donna Reed. I actually almost went to her town to study fine arts for a summer. She's in one of my favorite movies, It's a Wonderful Life, and she was just amazing.

Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Frank Sinatra, and of course, Deborah Kerr. With this group of all stars, how can one not like this film? "Reenlistment bluesssss..."

(This movie is best when watched with my Dad. lol)

Anyway, let me get to my exciting news!

On Monday morning I will be touring Sony Studios a.k.a. the former MGM studios! My Uncle Bob's niece, Cathie, works for Sony and she's setting up a tour for my cousin, Jess, her boyfriend, Matt and ME!

I am totally going to INGRIDLY nerd out!

Here's why:

Ingrid was loaned out to MGM to make Intermezzo, Saratoga Trunk, Goodbye Again and the DVD set that was just released containing her Hitchcock work was released by MGM.

I can't wait to hear what the tour guide has to say. Where people stood, what went on.

I can't wait to see tiny specs of what used to be.

You know that feeling? When you know something's been changed, yet, you can still sense that other people walked the halls before the renovation. I long for that.

I'll keep everyone posted and hopefully be able to take pictures! :)

It's August!

August is here and it's Ingrid's month.This is the month of both the birth and death of my (and hopefully your) favorite film star.

I am currently watching the 1939 version of Intermezzo: A Love Story with Susan my employer/mentor/friend Sarah's mother. We were going to watch Notorious, but the DVD player wouldn't cooperate. Anyway, I am happy to start the month with this film. It was Ingrid's first U.S. film. It is essentially a redo of the 1936 Swedish version just incorporating new actors, producers, directors and remaking in English.

I love this film. The music is fantastic, the acting is wonderful and the story carries and doesn't lose anything over time. Leslie Howard was a fabulous actor and though it's hard to buy that he's Swedish, it isn't hard to think that he would woo Ingrid's character.

The film is the first glimpse of Ingrid in America. She walks into her first scene through the front door of the house. She is a young, beautiful, talented, headstrong pianist who loves the family she works for but falls in love with the man for whom she works.

The film is well shot, using trick techniques to make Leslie Howard into a concert (professional) violinist. Howard wasn't a musician and the close ups of his playing are actually made of 3 parts: Leslie Howard's face and chin, one violinist on the frets and another on the bow.

I am proud to say that Ingrid was an accomplished piano player. She said in her biography that it was perfectly natural for her to play piano because that's just what she did and what was expected of her. Ingrid's father wanted desperately for Ingrid to be a singer so the two just went hand in hand. Little did he know, she would only use these skills to accompany her true love; acting.

Ingrid is passionate and powerful when she plays the piano in this film. Though the sound was dubbed by Norma Boleslawski, her fingering is correct and her technique is pretty darn great.

There are a couple scenes where the P.O.V. is through the piano lid upright. This strange framing is utterly gorgeous. It focuses us on her emotions as well as sets a type of stage for the music. There is no escaping the inevitable love affair as well as the emotions and strength of the music itself.

I hope to fill the month with Ingrid films, though it will be hard due to my summer travels. I will be home on her birthday and I hope we can all pay homage.