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Ingrid: A Personal Biography of Ingrid Bergman
A personal portrait based on firsthand interviews as well as conversations with fellow stars, directors, and friends offers insight into the Hollywood Golden Age icon's professional achievements and scandalous decision to abandon her family for a life in Italy with Roberto Rossellini. 50,000 first printing.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
June 6, 2012
In the book Ingrid Bergman, A Personal Biography, the author, Charlotte Chandler explains Bergman's legacies and personal life. It starts with a brief synopsis of who she is and then flows into her childhood and family in Sweden. Ingrid Bergman was born in Sweden, raised mostly by her father and then she began her career as an actress. She was taught the basics of acting at a school in Sweden, although she was a natural. She then started on movies in Europe and gradually made her way into Hollywood. In Hollywood, with the help of David O. Selznick, she became a huge hit in America with her impressive abilities in language and the innocent, angelic persona she created on screen. Her marriage with her husband Petter Lindstrom was on a downward spiral ever since she moved to America "All that criticism was very hard on romance and passion. I began to feel that he saw me as property to be protected. Petter's interest, when he had finished all his studies to be a doctor, a specialist, was in having another baby, hopefully a boy. Meanwhile, I began to worry that, in bed, he was checking to see if I had put on a few ounces" (Chandler, 116). Although unsuspected by even Bergman herself, she fell in love with Roberto Rossellini in Italy and had a child while still legally married to Lindstrom. In America, this was the scandal of the century and she was harshly scrutinized by many people. She tried to keep up her acting career with husband and director Rossellini but the difference in their techniques were too great to create a truly outstanding film. This lead to many failed films and troubles in their marriage. After three children they as well grew apart, Rossellini finalizing it by starting a new family with a beautiful Indian woman. Her last husband was Lars Schmidt from Sweden and they married with no children except those from Bergman's previous marriages. She did more films and again was beloved by America because of these new films she acted in. She and Schmidt got a divorce because he wanted a family of his own and she already had hers although they stayed good friends. She died on her birthday, August 29th at age 67 with a lasting legend. Her personality on and off screen were praised and permanently recorded throughout many different articles. "I learned a lot from her about acting, but more about being a woman. I used to sit in the studio and watch her, feeling very proud to be a woman. And that was because the way she handled the people around her, the way she listened, the way she wanted to do what was asked from her, but at the same time doing what she felt was right [-Liv Ulmann]" (Chandler, 278). She received dozens of rewards for her acting ability. Her four children, two girls and a boy with Rossellini and one girl with Lindstrom, grew up beautifully with a large sum of money for each to accomplish their life's dream. Ingrid Bergman had a life as interesting as those she played in movies.
This book was very different from most biographies because of the personal aspect. Chandler creates a connection between the reader and Bergman. After reading the book, one feels as though Bergman was a close friend or famous acquaintance. She also told many little stories of Bergman's life that were entertaining. Usually biographies include boring interludes of unneeded detail between important factors in their life. But with this book, all of the interludes are funny, sad, or unbelievable stories. "I even dreamed about ice cream. Those were good dreams, those ice cream dreams, but they were not as enjoyable as the real thing"(Chandler, 114) A quote by Bergman with a topic she talked about often. This was the main point of a personal aspect of Bergman that not many know about but that is entertaining to read and very easy to connect with. Most people see a biography and think that it will be boring so pass by it, but this biography is just as good as any action, romance, or mystery novel I have ever read. Her life includes tragedy, suspense, and romance. So many people can enjoy this book; those who like books with those three topics or any books with a good story line will love this biography.
I rate this biography a five out of five because it is well written, entertaining, and a book that one can really get into. It makes you retain the important information because of the intensity Chandler creates. The story line is clear and organized without being boring or repetitive. Chandler also gets many different perspectives and quotes from different people in Bergman's life. This makes every page fresh and unique, capturing the readers attention.
This book was very different from most biographies because of the personal aspect. Chandler creates a connection between the reader and Bergman. After reading the book, one feels as though Bergman was a close friend or famous acquaintance. She also told many little stories of Bergman's life that were entertaining. Usually biographies include boring interludes of unneeded detail between important factors in their life. But with this book, all of the interludes are funny, sad, or unbelievable stories. "I even dreamed about ice cream. Those were good dreams, those ice cream dreams, but they were not as enjoyable as the real thing"(Chandler, 114) A quote by Bergman with a topic she talked about often. This was the main point of a personal aspect of Bergman that not many know about but that is entertaining to read and very easy to connect with. Most people see a biography and think that it will be boring so pass by it, but this biography is just as good as any action, romance, or mystery novel I have ever read. Her life includes tragedy, suspense, and romance. So many people can enjoy this book; those who like books with those three topics or any books with a good story line will love this biography.
I rate this biography a five out of five because it is well written, entertaining, and a book that one can really get into. It makes you retain the important information because of the intensity Chandler creates. The story line is clear and organized without being boring or repetitive. Chandler also gets many different perspectives and quotes from different people in Bergman's life. This makes every page fresh and unique, capturing the readers attention.
March 22, 2017
I have always loved Ingrid Bergman, but reading this made her even more endearing! She is my favorite acress of the 20th century!
June 24, 2015
Public library copy.
The book gave me a glimpse of some of the salacious things I’d wanted to know about my all-time favorite old time actress and one of the prettiest faces to ever grace the silver screen. As an aside, it cannot be a coincidence that I’m attracted to another famous, but deceased Hollywood Scandinavian, namely Audrey Hepburn, because I’m happily married a beautiful gal with roots from there like myself. Ingrid looked especially fine through the 1940s, which I think was in her prime. Unfortunately her hard drinking, chain smoking, motherhood (she bore 4 in all; 2 were twins), and some personal life controversy did not allow her to age as gracefully as she might have. The fact she neglected to get proper treatment for breast cancer, especially early on, aged her looks considerably and probably cut her life by at least a score. In the book her beautiful daughter Isabella noted how aged her mother looked on her deathbed. Ingrid’s beauty was so powerful her good looks passed down to her modeling daughter Isabella and her daughter Elettra. I found Ingrid to be an egotist and quite a progressive thinker for her time as an independent woman especially toward her attitude about sex and racism. I discovered outside the book via an interview dated in the 80’s how she picketed a play she starred in because blacks were not allowed to be audience members.
Obviously, as most folks are aware, word of mouth and Wikipedia aren’t always great places to find personal life details. Whodatedwho.com sited some sexual encounters that may simply be untrue. She made a movie with Gregory Peck and he, before he died, mentioned how he had had an affair with her during Hitchcock’s Spellbound saying they were both naïve and young. His pickup line made her blush and simply said to her that movies didn’t properly reflect her true, natural beauty. She made no mention of this affair in the book, nor much else of the actor. I wanted to learn more about what drove her to leave her first husband and abandon her first child she made with her first husband. I would have to doubt and take her at her word that she didn’t fool around on her first husband until she met Robert Capa because she mentions how she was married and while she had an attraction and temptation toward the likes of Gary Cooper she would not act out. According to her, she was attracted to Cooper, but it stopped at that, so the whodatedwho website is wrong saying they hooked up. [adding an note here on 7/18/14 to add that after reading much more online about Gary Cooper, particularly as his story relates to Patricia Neal, I have little doubt in my mind about Ingrid possibly hooking up with Cooper as he was a serial cheater and had many sexual conquests.] At the time, her marriage was not going smooth and I think her husband failed to see how his role—his ill, critical treatment of her—pushed her into the arms of another man, or other men, how many ever there were. Since she was a drinker I have to assume she put herself into many situations where her judgment was clouded and a manipulative man could easily have made his move.
The book has many faults. The time line is wonky throughout. In one part, her third husband is brought up many times and then after many pages the writer details who he (finally) was in a too-late fashion.
What I wanted to know:
What led her to leave Peter Lindstrum?
I came away with perfect understanding of how he was a control freak toward her and he did many things that would hurt her feelings, like suggest maybe she should not eat too many cookies. Common sense dictates that married men ought not to be critical of their wives’ weight and he was. I learned how they grew apart and how her drive to her career topped everything and came first. Since she became the biggest female movie star of her day at one time, I think it would be impossible to keep a marriage going well with so many opportunities to advance her career and with so many men competing around the world seeking to mark a notch on their sexual conquests. One of Ingrid’s best moves was her admission of being keenly aware of Howard Hughes’ womanizing ways so she stayed clear of him as he tried very hard to date and bed her, despite her being married.
What I am still puzzled by:
I still cannot imagine how someone as beautiful as her would settle for Roberto Rossellini. But then again, I often wonder about this phenomenon with beautiful women with ugly boyfriends/husbands. From former model Paulina Porizkovato with her ugly rock star husband Ric Ocasek to, oh, say Charlize Theron with Sean Penn, an odd couple that exists currently as I type this. Anyway, Rossellini was older, fat, and bald, a philanderer, which I don’t mean to state those in bits and pieces are reason enough to not be attracted to someone, except the philanderer part, but she could have had any man she wanted! I have no appreciation for the man and I’ve no desire to see any of his movies, even one’s that feature her. The Criterion Blu-rays are mighty tempting, however. Roberto Rossellini seemed the most wretched person, owing lots of unpaid debts and leaving nothing to his children. The story goes that Rossellini made a personal bet with a friend that he could bed (a married) Ingrid in 2-weeks. He won the bet. I think she was a complete fool to work under his womanizing spell. But she got what she deserved; any woman who would welcome a relationship from a man who was already a reputable cheat should not expect that he, in turn, wouldn’t cheat again.
I think one of her unresolved, personal life issues was that she remained a student to men she thought were teachers and even though that was the role with her first husband she continued to exhibit this throughout the rest of her life, as if she was constantly seeking a father figure. She mentions her affair with Robert Capa opened up a new world to her sexually (mind you, this was after she already bore a child with another man) and she admitted to being aware of his considerable experience with other woman (which would also be true of Rossellini) so I have to assume Capa in all likely hood was either a better lover than Lindstrum in terms of emotionally connecting sexually or perhaps he committed to doing things like oral sex on her or he was enough of an attentive lover to pleasure her to the point to allow her to experience an orgasm because whatever the case she was receiving something different than that of what Lindstrum offered. Capa, in my opinion, was ugly compared to Lindstrum.
Even upon finishing the book, I haven’t a better understanding of how one of Hollywood’s biggest actors left cinema to work with a terrible man with considerable debt. In his children’s eyes they may look past his fault, but the creep intentionally left nothing to his kids. He screwed around with women before Ingrid, had a child before her, and then would eventually knock up another lady during his marriage to Ingrid. As it turns out, this would happen yet again during her third marriage so I detect there was a pattern here. Maybe she shut down sexually or got bored with her men. In some ways, I think karma got the best of her, but I wish that weren’t the case. Even Alfred Hitchcock scorned her by saying she had let Rossellini ruin her career and that Hitchcock himself would have made more great movies with her. Ever the codependent type, she stood up for Rossellini and said no, it was she who ruined his career. HIS career, are you kidding me? She was the biggest box office draw for 3 years and ruled cinema for a decade! I do envy that Ingrid could take the high road about affairs of the heart. Instead of being angry with her cheating husbands she always had the attitude life was too short to regret or be angry about it. She’d wave goodbye and say, “Thank you for the memories.” I thank her for the memories and wonderful legacy of cinema.
The book gave me a glimpse of some of the salacious things I’d wanted to know about my all-time favorite old time actress and one of the prettiest faces to ever grace the silver screen. As an aside, it cannot be a coincidence that I’m attracted to another famous, but deceased Hollywood Scandinavian, namely Audrey Hepburn, because I’m happily married a beautiful gal with roots from there like myself. Ingrid looked especially fine through the 1940s, which I think was in her prime. Unfortunately her hard drinking, chain smoking, motherhood (she bore 4 in all; 2 were twins), and some personal life controversy did not allow her to age as gracefully as she might have. The fact she neglected to get proper treatment for breast cancer, especially early on, aged her looks considerably and probably cut her life by at least a score. In the book her beautiful daughter Isabella noted how aged her mother looked on her deathbed. Ingrid’s beauty was so powerful her good looks passed down to her modeling daughter Isabella and her daughter Elettra. I found Ingrid to be an egotist and quite a progressive thinker for her time as an independent woman especially toward her attitude about sex and racism. I discovered outside the book via an interview dated in the 80’s how she picketed a play she starred in because blacks were not allowed to be audience members.
Obviously, as most folks are aware, word of mouth and Wikipedia aren’t always great places to find personal life details. Whodatedwho.com sited some sexual encounters that may simply be untrue. She made a movie with Gregory Peck and he, before he died, mentioned how he had had an affair with her during Hitchcock’s Spellbound saying they were both naïve and young. His pickup line made her blush and simply said to her that movies didn’t properly reflect her true, natural beauty. She made no mention of this affair in the book, nor much else of the actor. I wanted to learn more about what drove her to leave her first husband and abandon her first child she made with her first husband. I would have to doubt and take her at her word that she didn’t fool around on her first husband until she met Robert Capa because she mentions how she was married and while she had an attraction and temptation toward the likes of Gary Cooper she would not act out. According to her, she was attracted to Cooper, but it stopped at that, so the whodatedwho website is wrong saying they hooked up. [adding an note here on 7/18/14 to add that after reading much more online about Gary Cooper, particularly as his story relates to Patricia Neal, I have little doubt in my mind about Ingrid possibly hooking up with Cooper as he was a serial cheater and had many sexual conquests.] At the time, her marriage was not going smooth and I think her husband failed to see how his role—his ill, critical treatment of her—pushed her into the arms of another man, or other men, how many ever there were. Since she was a drinker I have to assume she put herself into many situations where her judgment was clouded and a manipulative man could easily have made his move.
The book has many faults. The time line is wonky throughout. In one part, her third husband is brought up many times and then after many pages the writer details who he (finally) was in a too-late fashion.
What I wanted to know:
What led her to leave Peter Lindstrum?
I came away with perfect understanding of how he was a control freak toward her and he did many things that would hurt her feelings, like suggest maybe she should not eat too many cookies. Common sense dictates that married men ought not to be critical of their wives’ weight and he was. I learned how they grew apart and how her drive to her career topped everything and came first. Since she became the biggest female movie star of her day at one time, I think it would be impossible to keep a marriage going well with so many opportunities to advance her career and with so many men competing around the world seeking to mark a notch on their sexual conquests. One of Ingrid’s best moves was her admission of being keenly aware of Howard Hughes’ womanizing ways so she stayed clear of him as he tried very hard to date and bed her, despite her being married.
What I am still puzzled by:
I still cannot imagine how someone as beautiful as her would settle for Roberto Rossellini. But then again, I often wonder about this phenomenon with beautiful women with ugly boyfriends/husbands. From former model Paulina Porizkovato with her ugly rock star husband Ric Ocasek to, oh, say Charlize Theron with Sean Penn, an odd couple that exists currently as I type this. Anyway, Rossellini was older, fat, and bald, a philanderer, which I don’t mean to state those in bits and pieces are reason enough to not be attracted to someone, except the philanderer part, but she could have had any man she wanted! I have no appreciation for the man and I’ve no desire to see any of his movies, even one’s that feature her. The Criterion Blu-rays are mighty tempting, however. Roberto Rossellini seemed the most wretched person, owing lots of unpaid debts and leaving nothing to his children. The story goes that Rossellini made a personal bet with a friend that he could bed (a married) Ingrid in 2-weeks. He won the bet. I think she was a complete fool to work under his womanizing spell. But she got what she deserved; any woman who would welcome a relationship from a man who was already a reputable cheat should not expect that he, in turn, wouldn’t cheat again.
I think one of her unresolved, personal life issues was that she remained a student to men she thought were teachers and even though that was the role with her first husband she continued to exhibit this throughout the rest of her life, as if she was constantly seeking a father figure. She mentions her affair with Robert Capa opened up a new world to her sexually (mind you, this was after she already bore a child with another man) and she admitted to being aware of his considerable experience with other woman (which would also be true of Rossellini) so I have to assume Capa in all likely hood was either a better lover than Lindstrum in terms of emotionally connecting sexually or perhaps he committed to doing things like oral sex on her or he was enough of an attentive lover to pleasure her to the point to allow her to experience an orgasm because whatever the case she was receiving something different than that of what Lindstrum offered. Capa, in my opinion, was ugly compared to Lindstrum.
Even upon finishing the book, I haven’t a better understanding of how one of Hollywood’s biggest actors left cinema to work with a terrible man with considerable debt. In his children’s eyes they may look past his fault, but the creep intentionally left nothing to his kids. He screwed around with women before Ingrid, had a child before her, and then would eventually knock up another lady during his marriage to Ingrid. As it turns out, this would happen yet again during her third marriage so I detect there was a pattern here. Maybe she shut down sexually or got bored with her men. In some ways, I think karma got the best of her, but I wish that weren’t the case. Even Alfred Hitchcock scorned her by saying she had let Rossellini ruin her career and that Hitchcock himself would have made more great movies with her. Ever the codependent type, she stood up for Rossellini and said no, it was she who ruined his career. HIS career, are you kidding me? She was the biggest box office draw for 3 years and ruled cinema for a decade! I do envy that Ingrid could take the high road about affairs of the heart. Instead of being angry with her cheating husbands she always had the attitude life was too short to regret or be angry about it. She’d wave goodbye and say, “Thank you for the memories.” I thank her for the memories and wonderful legacy of cinema.
June 1, 2024
I love books about the Classic Hollywood era, and this one did not disappoint. The great thing about this work on Ingrid, who many know from Casablanca (and a favorite of mine Notorious), is that the author has access to her and many of those mentioned in her life, from co workers to her family.
The text gives a great look at who she was and her thoughts on not only some of the on-set actors and directors, but when she was part of a scandal that she felt America would never accept her again over. Tales of her friendship with Alfred Hitchcock are enjoyable, and the pranks she would pull on him. A great tale involves the key that was used in Notorious.
The strength she shows towards the end of her life fighting cancer, and her views on her marriages and some of the things she did in life where others may be filled with regret, she handles it with class.
I found this at a library book sale and this is well worth the full price of the book. I just happened to get a gem at a wonderful price. A great book on a wonderful actress.
The text gives a great look at who she was and her thoughts on not only some of the on-set actors and directors, but when she was part of a scandal that she felt America would never accept her again over. Tales of her friendship with Alfred Hitchcock are enjoyable, and the pranks she would pull on him. A great tale involves the key that was used in Notorious.
The strength she shows towards the end of her life fighting cancer, and her views on her marriages and some of the things she did in life where others may be filled with regret, she handles it with class.
I found this at a library book sale and this is well worth the full price of the book. I just happened to get a gem at a wonderful price. A great book on a wonderful actress.
March 3, 2025
I love the way the author organized this highly captivating and well-written account about the life of Ingrid Bergman. The kaleidoscopic arrangement of Ms. Bergman's movies were accorded special and specific placement throughout the book, not in an invasive or annoying way but in ways that fit right into with the general story. When Ms. Bergman's life took a lurid turn, she had a ready explanation which, for the time period (even today) was misunderstood and with good reason. However as was the case in the 1950's there were moral clauses (wish this was the same today) and so the subject was basically black balled for some years. This is general knowledge for most everyone over the age of 60. Though I was not even born when the subject was at her peak in Hollywood, still the ramifications of her choices were still being felt.
October 26, 2021
I really enjoyed this book about one of the most talented actress from the Gold time of Hollywood era.
May 14, 2022
What a lovely portrait of the extraordinary human Ingrid Bergman was.
January 11, 2014
It's okay… It's easy to read, and you'll defiantly know the life of the beautiful Ingrid Bergman. Although there have been some speculation about the author just making this whole thing up… That she never really had met Ingrid Bergman - and why is it that she has only written biographies about deceased stars?
But this book does show the life, the ups and downs in one of the most loveliest person, who ever lived, and if your only interested in a somewhat shallow overview, then this book is okay, but if you really want to know the person, then I would personally recommend the biography written by Alan Burgess, and co. written by Ingrid herself - you won't be disappointed.
But this book does show the life, the ups and downs in one of the most loveliest person, who ever lived, and if your only interested in a somewhat shallow overview, then this book is okay, but if you really want to know the person, then I would personally recommend the biography written by Alan Burgess, and co. written by Ingrid herself - you won't be disappointed.
July 21, 2009
Okay, so it's no secret that I love biographies and classic Hollywood. The combination is irresistible to me. Charlotte Chandler manages to write a biography that reads like a memoir, due to her extensive interviews with Bergman herself as well as all those close to her. She has also written biographies on Groucho, Billy Wilder, Hitchcock, Bette Davis, and Crawford.
February 8, 2012
I can't help but love Ingrid Bergman and reading this book made me fall even deeper in love. She was such an amazing woman. I found myself giggling at her quirky antics and tearing up with her sadness. How I wish I could have met the woman who has proven to be such an amazing inspiration to so many people, even many years after her death. <3
October 22, 2007
I really love Ingrid Bergman, and this is a wonderfully honest biography that reveals her without sensationalism or judging, neither putting her down nor idolizing her. Which makes me like her even more.
January 22, 2009
I loved it! I was surprised at how many funny stories there were, and there were quite a few "Holy crap, I had no idea about that!" moments. I'd recommend it.
January 12, 2021
like ingrid, i also love ice cream
January 29, 2019
Love Ingrid Bergman but this book reminded me how few of her films (particularly the European films) i haven't seen, so need to remedy that! She comes across as a really decent, warm, loving woman who frankly didn't deserve the hypocritically hard time she got from Hollywood (or the US Senate!) when she left for Italy.
One of her daughters, Ingrid, is quoted in the book about loving both her parents (Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid) by saying they 'Lived a Big Life'. They certainly did and Ingrid, to the end of her life, seemed such a courageous, brave woman, in her work and life choices. This book (though clumsily written in parts with some jumping about and repetition) made me appreciate her even more.
One of her daughters, Ingrid, is quoted in the book about loving both her parents (Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid) by saying they 'Lived a Big Life'. They certainly did and Ingrid, to the end of her life, seemed such a courageous, brave woman, in her work and life choices. This book (though clumsily written in parts with some jumping about and repetition) made me appreciate her even more.
June 1, 2022
Very insightful book! I loved how personal the book was, especially when incorporating much of Ingrid Bergman’s own words. However, I do wish that the author had gone into more detail about Ingrid’s relationships (other than her husbands and the Hitchcocks) to various people in her life, such as Cary Grant and other co-stars. I feel like some aspects of Ingrid Bergman’s life were merely skimmed over, but other than that, I really enjoyed learning about Ingrid and getting a glimpse into who she was as a person.
March 10, 2024
This is my first time reading one of Charlotte Chandler's biographies, so I wasn't prepared for how informal it was. The book is roughly chronological, but talks about Ingrid's life mostly through long quotes of interviews with Ingrid herself and the people around her. It was fun to learn more about Ingrid's life and career, and the book was a relatively quick read, if not a little disorganized at times. But it was still very enjoyable, and I liked spending the time to get to know Ingrid Bergman.
March 30, 2025
i'd probably give it around a 3.5! it's an okay book, but i really agree with the people saying they were left with even more questions about ingrid after reading this. i don't necessarily feel like i know all that much more about her, it was almost like being at an arms length throughout the book. i don't know. loveee ingrid though AND ISABELLAAAA i did find it interesting hearing a lot from her perspective. though i also would've liked hearing a bit more from pia's perspective than we got to
November 21, 2022
This book reads like an unedited tape recorded interview. Chandler quotes sources for paragraphs on end, in a book written 25 years after the subject's death. Bergman offers little defense for abandoning her 11-year-old daughter Pia to run off with Roberto Rossellini in Italy at the height of her American career. Her last two marriages failed because her husbands ran off with other women.
April 18, 2018
It's unbelievable to realize just how many conversations this author had that contributed to her understanding of Bergman 's life. In interviews going back to the mid 1970s, Chandler recreates pivotal moments and inner feelings of the characters that contributed to the life of this famous actress.
May 21, 2023
I enjoyed this book, Ingrid Bergman was my namesake. It was a basic biography, slow but steady read and a little too dry, therfore the 3 star and not 4. I now know why Ingrid was so loved and yet scorned in the US. She seemed to have been beautiful inside and out.
February 11, 2024
I didn’t know anything about her life so was interesting to read. The book was personal without being too much intrusive. It reads easily although sometimes repeated the quotes and can’t tell who’s talking.
February 23, 2018
Ingrid was just as nice a person as my grandmum! Kul att få lära sig mer om Ingrid - jag visste inte så mycket om henne tidigare. Rosselliniaffären och hennes förhållande till sin far osv.
September 6, 2018
Good book, but slow reading
September 21, 2022
She’s a sweet character, I felt like I got to know her. A little long towards the end, it felt like things were dragging out.
February 24, 2023
Een tijd geleden was ik naar The Inn of the Sixth Happiness aan het kijken en daar viel me (opnieuw) op wat voor een geweldige actrice Ingrid Bergman eigenlijk was. Het deed me er meteen ook aan denken dat ik nog altijd een biografie over haar had liggen aan de hand van Charlotte Chandler. Chandler is geen onbekende in het biografie wereldje van filmsterren aangezien ze boeken schreef over Alfred Hitchcock, Bette Davis, Mae West, Federico Fellini, Billy Wilder en ga zo nog maar even door. Het is wel de eerste keer dat ik zelf iets van haar hand lees maar ik ben aangenaam verrast.
Vooral omdat ze zelf een aantal gesprekken heeft gehad met Bergman en daardoor veel zaken uit eerste hand kan vertellen. Daar komt dan ook nog eens bij dat ze diezelfde tactiek blijkbaar bij al haar biografieën heeft uitgevoerd waardoor ze kon terugvallen op overlappende thema's. Naar aanleiding van een boek over (en met) George Cukor heeft ze het over Gaslight gehad - een film uit 1944 die geregisseerd werd door Cukor en met Bergman in de hoofdrol - maar ook met Fellini had Bergman een goede band aangezien haar tweede man (regisseur Roberto Rossellini) de mentor van Fellini is geweest en die elkander dus logischerwijs ook goed kenden. Wat volgt is een biografie die zowat het vertrouwde pad volgt van geboorte, jeugd, het grote succes en de dood maar het leven van Bergman is fascinerend genoeg in al die aspecten. Hoe ze als Zweedse naar Hollywood trok en nadien bijna (onbewust) alle bruggen verbrandde door naar Italië te trekken met Rosselini en daar films te maken om dan nadien terug naar Hollywood te komen. Ze had geen gemakkelijk leven met maar liefst 3 huwelijken en een flink aantal kinderen maar ze klinkt nergens bitter en het lijkt gewoon een erg aimabele vrouw.
Het is vooral ook mooi dat dit geen eenzijdig beeld is geworden. De goede aspecten van Bergman worden benadrukt maar de slechte aspecten of de fouten die ze heeft gemaakt worden niet verzwegen of opzij gezet. Het voelt alsof je een compleet beeld krijgt van Bergman en dan is het eigenlijk vooral jammer dat dit zo weinig pagina's bevat. Met een carrière als die van Bergman kun je echt wel meer pagina's vullen, zelfs zonder een volledige samenvatting te geven van elke film die ze ooit heeft gemaakt. Dat is dan ook een serieuze smet op het boek naar mijn gevoel.
Vooral omdat ze zelf een aantal gesprekken heeft gehad met Bergman en daardoor veel zaken uit eerste hand kan vertellen. Daar komt dan ook nog eens bij dat ze diezelfde tactiek blijkbaar bij al haar biografieën heeft uitgevoerd waardoor ze kon terugvallen op overlappende thema's. Naar aanleiding van een boek over (en met) George Cukor heeft ze het over Gaslight gehad - een film uit 1944 die geregisseerd werd door Cukor en met Bergman in de hoofdrol - maar ook met Fellini had Bergman een goede band aangezien haar tweede man (regisseur Roberto Rossellini) de mentor van Fellini is geweest en die elkander dus logischerwijs ook goed kenden. Wat volgt is een biografie die zowat het vertrouwde pad volgt van geboorte, jeugd, het grote succes en de dood maar het leven van Bergman is fascinerend genoeg in al die aspecten. Hoe ze als Zweedse naar Hollywood trok en nadien bijna (onbewust) alle bruggen verbrandde door naar Italië te trekken met Rosselini en daar films te maken om dan nadien terug naar Hollywood te komen. Ze had geen gemakkelijk leven met maar liefst 3 huwelijken en een flink aantal kinderen maar ze klinkt nergens bitter en het lijkt gewoon een erg aimabele vrouw.
Het is vooral ook mooi dat dit geen eenzijdig beeld is geworden. De goede aspecten van Bergman worden benadrukt maar de slechte aspecten of de fouten die ze heeft gemaakt worden niet verzwegen of opzij gezet. Het voelt alsof je een compleet beeld krijgt van Bergman en dan is het eigenlijk vooral jammer dat dit zo weinig pagina's bevat. Met een carrière als die van Bergman kun je echt wel meer pagina's vullen, zelfs zonder een volledige samenvatting te geven van elke film die ze ooit heeft gemaakt. Dat is dan ook een serieuze smet op het boek naar mijn gevoel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 20, 2011
– I loved Ingrid from the moment I first saw her in Casablanca. Not only was she beautiful, but she was smart and kind and completely human. This memoir details her life from childhood, through stardom and out the other side, revealing the truth of the scandal that made it almost impossible for her to return to the big screen. I learned from this nonfiction work that the truth will always prevail, which is an essential lesson for someone like me who wants to become a writer of nonfiction.
May 31, 2016
A great read, with lots of input from Ms. Bergman herself, as well a numerous friends and colleagues. She seemed such a good person that the book left me just a bit underwhelmed. Which is sad really, when you realize that you've become used to scandalous celebrities that anything other is too tame. In any case, she was beloved by all who met her and did her best to be a good person. Well worth the read.
April 1, 2009
A very enjoyable read about one of the msot fascinating Hollywood stars who gave up Hollywood after a scandalous love affair and marriage to Roberto Rossellini, the Italian director. In many ways she was a very lonely figure who led a somewhat tragic life. Very interesting information about Hollywood in the 40s.
July 25, 2011
Interesting biography of one of Hollywood (and Europe's) biggest stars, Ingrid Bergman. A shy but very strong woman born in Sweden, I learned of her life and her loves - her children, husbands, her work and American ice cream!
Such a passionate and fascinating woman. A life-long friend to those who knew her well.
Such a passionate and fascinating woman. A life-long friend to those who knew her well.
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