| Spring 1999 | Issue 5 |
EDITORIAL by Mary HutchingsWelcome to all our readers, those who have followed earlier editions and new readers. Welcome especially to any new fans of Ingrid Bergman - those who may have seen one or more of her films for the first time and have looked her up on the world wide web. We hope you will remain faithful fans of one of the greatest women of this century and that you will also remain faithful to The Complete Ingrid Bergman Page. Spring!!!!! When I think of spring I think of Ingrid, of course! Spring features in so many of her films. In "Intermezzo" we have just a little of the great "Spring Sonata" by Beethoven and, in the same film, Ingrid hums the opening bars of "The Rustle of Spring" to an enchanted Holger Brandt [Leslie Howard]. In "The Bells of St Mary's" fans were delighted to hear Ingrid singing a song in Swedish and, when surprised and embarrassed at the entrance of Father O'Malley [Bing Crosby], announced that it meant"just 'Spring!' ". And, of course, there's her film "A Walk in the Spring Rain", a visually delightful film and one which has, in my opinion, been underrated. I'd like to thank Matt for such a professionally produced page, and all the friends of Ingrid, who have contributed to the magazine. Thank you also to the friends I have made as a result of this magazine: our exchange of letters with all sorts of new facts and opinions about Ingrid, helps to keep her alive in our hearts - ALWAYS! NEWSMatt has started a Quotations section on the page and will be organising quotations by and about Ingrid into various categories. I started the section off......if you have any favourite quotations, which you would like to see there, please e-mail them to Matt or to me. There is also a new "Favourite Ingrid Film" quizlet - which gives results in the form of a columnar graph. Do contribute! It's great fun. Matt has set up a Forum, for serious discussion and opinions. It is not in opposition to Bergmania and is not intended to clash with it. On Bergmania we can post whatever comes into our heads suddenly - and any items of immediate news. Last year a major new novel about Joan of Arc, "An Army of Angels" by Pamela Marcantel, was published. It had a mixed reception from those who love Jehanne, the saint, and I can understand this. It is more than a novel, for it contains immense historical detail, and hardly a scholarly work of history, because there is atmosphere and dialogue. I read it and attempted an objective assessment, which will shortly appear on the website of The Joan of Arc Centre, Albuquerque. This site was founded by my good friend, Virginia Frohlick, and is extremely interesting and varied - well worth a visit. Finland recently saw a season of Ingrid's Italian films - showing at
a cinema in Helsinki! Mika Raatikainen was lucky enough to see all of
these and reviews by him will be appearing in the Chronicle. Mika said
it was such a thrill to see Ingrid on the "big screen". Well, Mika,
you are young! Some of us saw Ingrid's films on the big screen the first
time around - and it was a mind-blowing experience! A GEM OF INFORMATION by Mika RaatikainenDid you know that Ingrid did more than give the performance MORE than
worthy of her first Oscar in "Gaslight"? She also had a say in the choice
of her hairstyles and costumes, modelling them on those of her beloved
mother. Ingrid was only three years old when her mother died, but she
had photographs and precious home movies; she kept a photo of her parents
with her at all times, even to her own death. [ I was deeply moved when
Mika sent me this information. Ingrid's mother's influence is preserved
for ever in her brilliant film "Gaslight" - Mary] EUROPA 51 by Michelle FryouWith due respect to Donald Spoto and his otherwise superb biography of Ingrid Bergman, I feel his dismissive attitude towards the films she made with Roberto Rossellini was a bit harsh. He's entitled to his opinions, of course, and clearly he didn't like them. I, however, would like to offer another and quite different opinion of one of their collaborations, "Europa 51". The tape I saw was dubbed [ none too well], so you have to make certain allowances. Ingrid's voice is her own, thank Heaven, but poor Giulietta Masina! The voice chosen to dub hers has been described as sounding like Shelley Winters. Personally, I thought it sounded like Mrs Kravitz, from TV's "Bewitched". Either way, it's something you have to get past. The film concerns the behaviour of a well-to-do woman [Ingrid] whose son attempts suicide and subsequently dies. She seeks redemption through "love thy neighbour". Suddenly aware of those who are less fortunate, she sees them for the first time, as individuals instead of only in relation to how they might serve her. Along her quest for some kind of peace, the advantages of Communism are presented to her, which she ultimately rejects for its failure to nurture the soil. She comes to believe it is the power of the human spirit, in all its variations, which unites us. Only in accepting humanity as it is, without trying to change it, can we become a true brotherhood of man. So, what does this enlightenment get her? A one-way ticket to an insane asylum, that's what! Her perplexed family, who cannot fathom why she would seek out, help, and draw comfort from the poor and downtrodden, decide to have her committed. That's the kicker of this movie, the thing that lingers with you after it's over. What does it say about society when we label someone crazy because they've dared to move beyond the prescribed confines of race, class, etc. and embrace all of humanity on its own terms? Occasionally we may allow ourselves to envision a utopian world in which we all exist in harmony, but inevitably we dismiss such notions as wishful thinking. When someone actually subscribes to such idealism, there is a tendency to view them with scepticism and question their grasp of reality. "Sorry, honey, but that's not just the way the world works". Ingrid's performance as an initially not very likeable, self-absorbed woman to a haunted soul, searching for answers, is quite moving and utterly believable. Blessed with a wonderfully expressive face, she uses it to great effect in conveying her character's emotional transformation. The last shot of the film is particularly poignant. Having finally broken free from the prison of society's dictates, she finds herself in a literal prison, separated from the very people she tried to help and with whom she found comfort. It's a heart-breaking ending to a deeply moving film, one which resonates long after the final credits. The tape I saw contains an introduction by Isabella Rossellini, who
neglects to mention this wasn't the only project her parents had going
on at the time - they were also expecting Isabella and her twin sister
Ingrid. She ends her introduction by sweetly saying "I hope you enjoy
Papa and Mama's film". Well, Isabella, I for one, enjoyed it greatly. CONTINUING OUR SERIES.....How I became a fan of Ingrid:My Dicovery of the Great Ingrid Bergman by Yelena Severina When two years ago I watched Anatole Litvak's "Anastasia" with Ingrid
Bergman in it, I was incredibly impressed with her brilliant performance
there. It was when I started discovering for myself different facts
from her movie career and life. Since then I have watched many of her
movies and there are some which I still want to enjoy. I think that
from "Intermezzo" to "A Woman Called Golda" Ingrid Bergman proved her
excellence as the GREAT actress and even today she stands as the best
of all. Certainly not only her beauty captured the hearts of many generations,
but also a great personality inside a lot of us admire. I like reading
about Ingrid Bergman's life, I think it shows us a person who wanted
to make the world better, though was misunderstood for following the
heart. INGRID by Malcolm Bentley How did I become a fan of Ingrid Bergman? There's no single instant or event which I could point and say, that's when she became special to me. She's always been part of my world, always beautiful, from my childhood, but the allure, the magic, has grown slowly over the years. Although I did have a particular shock, I remember, when I learnt how tragic and turbulent her life had been, especially as a young girl; I found it hard to understand how anyone could survive such blows unscathed and I decided to learn more about her. What I discovered was that not only did she survive those misfortunes but she grew into a sensible, humorous, practical, likeable and courageous person, who by the depth and intensity of her performances transformed the standards of acting of female leads in Forties Hollywood. For me, what is uplifting and exemplary about Ingrid Bergman is that without being in any way a domineering or callous individual she refused to be constrained by the conservatism of Swedish society or to be brow-beaten by the men in her life or to seek wealth and acclaim for its own sake or [least of all] to bow to the easy hypocrisy and villification of the Hollywood image makers and breakers. She had more experience than most people of how fragile a person's life can be and however difficult other people were prepared to make hers, she believed it was hers to live as she thought fit. Like the Vikings of old, she lived each day to the full and when the days ran out there were no regrets. It seems that Ingrid used to laugh if people attributed any unusual degree of beauty or goodness or courage to her and thought the only remarkable thing about her was her good luck: she seemed truly to believe herself to be just an ordinary person to whom extraordinary things happened. Just how ordinary is it possible to be?
CHOICE OF POEMWhen in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes [So far I have chosen the poems. For me there is always something in the poem that touches on Ingrid. But I don't want to monopolise this part of the magazine. If you have a poem you would like to see here, please mail it to me - Mary] DON'T MISS THE NEXT ISSUE!!!!!!!!!!
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