Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. Casablanca. by Travis Simpkins

Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. by Travis Simpkins

 Portrait Sketch of

Ingrid Bergman

( 1915 - 1982 )

Swedish Actress

Three-time Academy Award Winner

Best remembered as

Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942)

by Travis Simpkins

 Ingrid Bergman - Interview

For more info, please visit:

imdb.com/IngridBergman 

Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. Casablanca. by Travis Simpkins

Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. Casablanca. by Travis Simpkins

Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. by Travis Simpkins

 Portrait Sketch of

Ingrid Bergman

( 1915 - 1982 )

Swedish Actress

Three-time Academy Award Winner

Best remembered as

Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942)

by Travis Simpkins

 Ingrid Bergman - Interview

For more info, please visit:

imdb.com/IngridBergman 

Ingrid Bergman. Hollywood Actress. Casablanca. by Travis Simpkins

Gaslight (1944): Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotten

     The atmosphere of late-Victorian era London lends itself wonderfully well to mystery films... the long, deep shadows cast on cobblestone streets by lamplight... Those settings make Jack "The Ripper" and Sherlock Holmes stories all the more mysterious. Gaslight (1944), a remake of a similar 1940 film, captures the mood, time and place in compelling fashion. The cinematography is striking in it's tonality and drama. The starring cast of Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Angela Lansbury and Joseph Cotten are impeccable. Dame May Whitty has an entertaining role as well, as a nosy neighbor.

     Following the unsolved murder of her Opera-singer Aunt in a failed burglary of their posh London town house, the niece (Ingrid Bergman) goes off to live on the Continent. There she meets a charming piano player (Charles Boyer) and they are soon wed. His dream, he tells her, is to live in a fashionable London town house. Although she is still traumatized by the crime committed there, she agrees to move back to her deceased Aunt's house with her new husband... 

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

     Things are creepy from the start. Her husband is constantly accusing her of losing things, forgetting things, becoming distant and confusing her. He keeps trying to convince her that she is mentally ill... But why?

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

     Every night when he leaves for work, she sees the gaslights dim in the house and hears footsteps in the attic... 

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

     By way of her husband's systematic accusations and her strange surroundings. She really does believe she is going insane... 

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

     She is about to crack, when a detective (Joseph Cotten) who has been watching her husband, informs her that things are not as they seem...

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

Gaslight. 1944: Ingrid Bergman

Murder on the Orient Express (1974): Albert Finney, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall

     Based on Agatha Christie's 1934 novel, the producers of Murder on the Orient Express (1974) had difficulty, and required diplomatic intervention, in bringing the story to film. Agatha Christie had disliked the previous film adaptations of her works, and by the late 1960's, had decided not to grant any further permissions. However, when the prospective film makers for Murder on the Orient Express convinced British Royal, Lord Mountbatten of Burma, to request permission on their behalf, Christie naturally agreed... and by all accounts, was pleased with the results, and happy that she did. For assembling the ensemble "Old Hollywood" cast, director Sidney Lumet had the theory, "If you get the biggest star, the rest will come along." He asked Sean Connery first, and once confirmed, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Albert Finney, Anthony Perkins, Richard Widmark, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Jaqueline Bisset and Martin Balsam all enthusiastically agreed to participate.

     A group of passengers board the Orient Express train in Istanbul. Renowned Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Albert Finney) is a last-minute passenger, but thanks to his fame, he is accommodated... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Albert Finney

     When the train is halted by a snow drift, one of the passengers, rich American businessman, Mr. Ratchett (Richard Widmark), is murdered. With Poirot on the case, he quickly discovers that Ratchett, was in fact a criminal responsible for the famous kidnapping and death of Daisy Armstrong (inspired by the real-life baby Lindbergh case), five years previous... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Richard Widmark

     The list of suspects is confined to the 12 passengers on the car, but Poirot must deduce who wanted Ratchett dead, and why... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Anthony Perkins

     These suspects include Mrs. Harriet Hubbard (Lauren Bacall)... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Lauren Bacall

     Colonel Arbuthnott (Sean Connery)... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Sean Connery

     and Greta Ohlsson (Ingrid Bergman, in an Oscar-winning role)... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974: Ingrid Bergman

     The murderer was shrewd, but they were not expecting Hercule Poirot to be on the train... 

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974

     He will surely solve the case...

Murder on the Orient Express. 1974

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941): Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner

     There have been many film adaptations of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic 19th Century tale about the duality of man's soul. Most of those treatments relied on one strong principle character to carry the film (John Barrymore, Frederick March...). What sets Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941) apart is the sheer star power involved. Three headliners comprise the lead roles: Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman and Lana Turner. The film is directed by the great Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz...). In 1941, it couldn't get much bigger than that.

     Dr. Jekyll (Spencer Tracy) is involved in his practice, and interested in the dual good/evil nature of man. He is also engaged to a beautiful young lady (Lana Turner)...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941: Lana Turner

     One night, he meets a sexy barmaid (Ingrid Bergman), and is attracted to her as well...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941: Ingrid Bergman

      His experiments lead him to develop a potion that transforms the usually docile Jekyll into a hideous madman named Mr. Hyde...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941

     He prowls through London, wreaking havoc...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941

     While Jekyll is still involved with Lana Turner's character, his other half, Hyde, seduces Ingrid Bergman into a tragically abusive relationship...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941: Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman

     He desires them both. But only one half of the personality can prevail. One must go, and Jekyll is struggling with keeping control of himself...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 1941: Lana Turner and Ingrid Bergman

Notorious (1946): Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     Woody Allen stated that, in his opinion, Notorious (1946) was Hitchcock's greatest work. That is debatable. What is certain is that this film contains some of Hitchcock's greatest imagery and shows off his burgeoning camera techniques. The sweeping long-to-close-up shot at the party scene is still amazing, nearly 70 years later. The chemistry of Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman is genuine. The closing scene, to me, is one of the most tense and memorable in all of film history. Notorious is a remarkable work of Art any way you look at it.

     After her father is convicted of treason, Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) goes on a bender and meets government agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant)... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     They fall in love... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     When approached about spying on her father's Nazi friends in Rio de Janiero, Alicia agrees... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     One suspect of interest is Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains). Alicia soon finds herself getting further involved in the undercover work, so devoted in fact that she marries Alex for the sake of it. She is now on the inside... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     Devlin is forced to play along, but can't seem to shake his feelings for Alicia. Together they work to sneak and find clues as to the no-good intentions of Sebastian's group... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     When Alex and his evil mother discover that Alicia is a spy, and that she has compromised them, they slowly begin to poison her... 

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

     Now Devlin has some difficult decisions to make...

Notorious. 1946. Alfred Hitchcock: Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman

Spellbound (1945): Alfred Hitchcock, Ingrid Bergman, Gregory Peck and Salvador Dali

     Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Spellbound (1945) is a suspenseful mystery that delves into the realm of psychoanalysis. The story centers on a recently hired director of a mental hospital, and the mystery that unfolds as it becomes apparent that the man is not who he claims to be. The cinematography is stark and lovely, with psychological touches added in sets based on designs by Surrealist painter Salvador Dali. Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck are great in the lead roles. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, including Michael Chekhov, Leo G. Carroll and Rhonda Fleming. 

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: set designed by Salvador Dali

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: set designed by Salvador Dali

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock

Spellbound. 1945. Alfred Hitchcock: Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck

Casablanca (1942): Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

     Often cited now as one of the best films ever made, Casablanca (1942), in contrary fashion had a very lackluster origin when it was made. The cast and crew who worked on it just considered it one of the hundreds of films Hollywood rolled off the conveyor belt each year. Casablanca was good, but nothing special. Audiences disagreed. The film won the Best Picture Oscar that year and went on to become one of the most beloved and quoted movies of all time. The screenplay, written by the Epstein Brothers, Julius and Philip, is near-perfect and is now a template, as well as required reading for prospective filmmakers. Put simply, Casablanca is, perhaps, the greatest love story ever captured on film.

     American expatriate Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) is a somewhat sullen guy, living in Casablanca and running a bar called "Rick's Cafe Americain". The area is a hotbed, with both refugees and Nazis in the same vicinity. Transit Papers are required to travel, and are extremely rare. When Rick comes into possession of two blank letters of transit, he knows they will be immensely valuable to the highest bidder...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart

     Meanwhile, the cause for Rick's bitter attitude shows up in the form of his former lover, Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) and her husband, fugitive Resistance leader Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid)...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

     Laszlo has escaped from a concentration camp and is wanted by Nazi Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) as well as Vichy Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains)...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

     Rick still has feelings for Ilsa, despite her leaving him in Paris. She claims to still be in love with him as well...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

     The transit papers Rick possesses mean freedom for just two individuals...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

     Rick has a difficult choice to make. He must decide what the best thing to do is... for all involved...

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

Casablanca. 1942: Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman