Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words Page #5

Then you go on stage,

a very boring play for a child.

And at the end,

they burn your mother on stage,

with all the public enthusiastic of that.

It was kind of a shock for me. I screamed.

During my 16 years abroad,

I never stopped hoping I'd return

to the stage in Sweden.

THE FALL OF A STAR

That hope evaporated.

APPEARING FOR MONEY

BLAZING SPEECH BY INGRID BERGMAN

Of course an actress

must put up with criticism.

I'm not saying the contrary.

Is it because I came back

after all those years?

I have known success, fame...

I have won awards,

not for my character,

not as a human,

not because I'm a nice Swedish person.

I don't think the awards

I won were for that,

but for the films I made

in America and Italy.

No man is a prophet in his own country.

I've come back to Sweden.

It's not the first time someone returns

and discovers that criticism in

their own country is harsher than abroad.

Dearest Ruth,

It's so beautiful here.

Lots and lots of snow.

Once they got used to it,

the children loved it.

I have found all my friends.

Fiorella, Roberto's niece,

is here with us.

I like her so much. She's like Pia to me.

Roberto isn't here much in Stockholm.

He's planning to shoot in Spain

and then in France.

I'd love to work in France.

I hope someone will ask me one day.

I've recently had four offers

from America.

A film by Billy Wilder with Gary Cooper.

I'd love to accept,

but... not in Hollywood.

Elena and Her Men... It's Ingrid Bergman.

It is Ingrid Bergman acting in a

different way than we're used to seeing.

I wanted to film her in a comedy.

I felt she needed it.

I thought it was the right time

in her career for her to play comedy.

Jean and I became

very great friends,

and I always wanted

to make a movie for him.

And he said,

"No, you're too big of a star," he said.

So he said, "But one day you will

come down, and I'll be there with a net."

After the movies with Roberto

all those movies that in those days

were not successful and didn't work out,

um, our relationship was

naturally strained through that,

and other people came in

and wanted to work with me.

And Roberto wouldn't let me work

for anybody else.

But then Jean Renoir,

whom he had great respect for, came,

my net, and he said,

"Could I make a picture with Ingrid?"

He wanted a tragic love story.

One day he said, "I want you to

have fun and make people laugh"

And he created Elena

Jean likes to laugh.

Yes, yes!

So do you!

- Yes, I do.

Was it easy

to work with him as director?

Yes, it's easy,

because he loves his actors so much,

and he's so enthusiastic and present.

When he watches us play a scene,

he plays it out too.

He's really with us.

Tonight the drinks are on the house!

It's not very strong. I'm used to vodka.

It's much stronger!

- What does vodka smell of?

- Nothing!

I prefer red wine! You can drink more!

I think Renoir, um,

taught her about film in general.

About the role of films in society.

Does film have a social responsibility?

Does it have an impact in our society?

Is it there only to distract?

Or even that is a very big social impact.

And I think she never thought about it.

She'd always liked just simply acting,

being someone else.

So she didn't feel this shyness.

So I think it was with Renoir that she

started to think in a different dimension.

And Renoir opened the door

to understand my father's film,

or other directors more of that tradition.

Um, of course she was very close

to my father.

But I don't think at the end liked so much

to work with him

because Father never worked

with other actors.

So it was very difficult

to work with father, of course.

Papa went to India in 1956,

so he wasn't around.

So we all went to Paris with Mama.

We lived in an enormous suite

in the famous Raphael hotel.

Everything was perfect, very luxurious.

The hotel's concierge looked after me.

It was probably unusual,

not quite the norm, but still...

It was fun. It was a good time.

You don't complain

when you're living in luxury.

Dear Mollie,

I'm acting on stage here in Paris.

It's a funny play.

Roberto is still filming in India.

My friend Kay Brown has decided

to find me a role in an American film.

She has sent me the play Anastasia.

The director Anatole Litvak

wants to make it into a film.

Roberto wasn't pleased.

He made a terrible scene and threatened

to drive his Ferrari into a tree.

But I've made up my mind.

I must do the kind of films

I feel comfortable with.

Once the cameraman's in position,

the stars, Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner,

receive final instructions

from the director, Anatole Litvak.

My director, Anatole Litvak.

He wanted me for the part.

And then came the big struggle

with an American company

who were terribly worried.

And Litvak just said, "If I don't get her,

I won't do the picture."

Good evening, ladies and

gentlemen, The Ed Sullivan Show.

Named America's number one

TV variety show,

starring the nationally

syndicated columnist

at the New York Daily News, Ed Sullivan.

I know that she's a controversial figure.

So it's entirely up to you.

If you want her on our show,

drop me a note and let me know.

And if you don't,

if you think it shouldn't be done,

you also let me know that too.

Because I say, it is your decision.

And I'd like to get your verdict on it.

I think, as a lot of you think,

that this woman has had

seven and a half years.

You know, she's had seven and a half

years of time for penance.

Others might not think so,

but whatever you think

The envelope, please.

The winner, Ingrid Bergman, in Anastasia.

Feeling it.

Well, it's a privilege

to have been asked to be here

in case Ingrid won this award.

And now that she has, it's

a privilege to try to thank you for her.

But alas, I have no way of knowing

the exact depth and degree of her emotion

when she finally hears the news

that she's received it.

So dear Ingrid, if you can hear me now,

or if you see this televised film,

I want you to know that each of

the other nominees

and all the people with whom

you worked on Anastasia,

and dear Hitch and Leo McCarey,

and every one of us here tonight

and in New York

send you our congratulations, our love,

our admiration

and every affectionate thought.

Thank you.

How do you feel, Ms. Bergman,

about winning your second Academy Award?

I am happy, happy, happy.

Who wouldn't be?

And it was such an unusually

pleasant picture to work on.

Everybody was so helpful,

and in every way,

it couldn't have been better

So I'm very grateful.

How are the children feeling about this?

Oh, they were very exited about it.

I don't think they understand

what it is all about,

but I couldn't help but mention yesterday

that I was hoping to get a statue.

So they came rushing in this morning,

asking me if I had received the statue.

They think it's a big one

we can put in the garden.

When the moment came,

when I had to face America again,

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