Throughout time humanity’s attitudes towards sex and sexuality have moved in waves; sometimes openly embracing it, other times repressing it entirely. This is reflected in Hollywood, in addition to overimposing intrigue in the sex lives of the stars which is a timeless practice with patriarchal undertones. The rise of purity culture in the aftermath of World War II poured over into Hollywood further catalyzing the following dynamic. Men sleep around and revel in infidelity; Marlon Brando, Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster took on a number of lovers, and notorious sexual escapades with no career repercussions. This is the story of a time a woman took on that role except it resulted in disaster before she rose like a phoenix out of the ashes. This is the story of Ingrid Bergman.
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who was born on August 29th, 1915 in Stockholm. Her career began abroad in her native Sweden, and she came out with her first English-language film, a remake of Intermezzo in which she was the lead in 1939. In the 1930s, she married a fellow Swede, Petter Lindström and had a daughter with him named Pia. The three immigrated to the United States together. Her true rise to stardom came about three years after the release of Intermezzo when she played Ilsa Lund alongside the renowned actor Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine in the film Casablanca (1942). You may have heard some of these iconic lines of dialogue from it such as “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walked into mine” and “We’ll always have Paris.”
Ingrid Bergman and co-star Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. The film made her an overnight sensation, and further cemented his starpower.
From then on Ingrid became the next it girl of the silver screen. Her beauty, her grace, and her charm captured the attention of audiences worldwide. The characters she played like Dr. Peterson or Alicia Huberman exuded a high-spirited, charismatic, driven disposition that defied the social expectations of the 1940s for women. Following her success in Casablanca, she was cast in For Whom The Bell Tolls, and Gaslight the latter of which won her her first Best Actress Oscar. The film, which told the story of a woman who’s tricked into thinking the paranormal happenings in her home are figments of her imagination is the very origin of the term gaslight. She too became a darling leading lady of Alfred Hitchcock as she starred in Notorious, Spellbound, and Under Capricorn. As the 1940s began to draw to a close, Ingrid Bergman was at the peak of her powers. A turning point then occurred when she fatefully appeared in Stromboli which was directed by Roberto Rosselini, one of the most famous Italian directors. In spite of her marriage to Linström, Ingrid began an affair with Rosselini which resulted in a pregnancy. It wasn’t Ingrid’s first rodeo, as she had an affair with her For Whom The Bell Tolls costar Gary Cooper, and her subsequent affair with Gregory Peck allowed him to escape his abusive first marriage.
Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman on set for their film Spellbound (1945).
Having been one of the most famous women in the world, society placed her on an even higher pedestal of perfection than her male counterparts. The fact that she went through with having Rosselini’s child was cause for a scandal that took America by storm, even reaching the senate floor. Senator Edwin C. Johnson of Colorado led a flaming tirade against Ingrid Bergman, a once favorite of his, saying she was “a powerful influence for evil”. The declamation was so disastrous for Ingrid’s career that she relocated to Europe where she wasn’t as scrutinized. Lindström granted her a divorce, and she married Roberto Rosselini. Italy, as well as Europe in general, is where she spent most of the 1950s.
Ingrid Bergman and her family.
Double standards, hypocrisy, call it what you want, was on full display. The practice of slutshaming in the entertainment industry is a mainstay even today. It really takes two to tango. Through it all, Ingrid refused to cease her passion for acting. Performance was her lifeline. Her career was far from over, even in exile. Ingrid Bergman returned to the United States in 1956 where she starred in the film Anastasia. Against the odds, the film was a great success as she received her second Academy Award for Best Actress. Though she wasn’t entirely out of the woods, so she tasked her old friend Cary Grant, her co-star in Notorious with accepting the award on her behalf.
Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant in Notorious (1945).
Ingrid winning her third Oscar.
The two collaborated again in the film Indiscreet. Surely enough, she found her way back into the graces of Hollywood albeit never reaching her same level of stardom as back in the 1940s. Ingrid famously said “I’ve gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime.” She won her third and final Oscar, this time for Best Supporting Actress in 1975 for the film Murder On The Orient Express. She lived for herself, as a beacon of self-determination. She was one of Grace Kelly’s great idols, she was revered by Patricia Neal for her bravery at having her son, and was the heart of Hollywood’s Golden Age. When the AFI composed their list of the 25 greatest actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Ingrid Bergman was ranked #4, below Audrey Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Katharine Hepburn. Here’s looking at you, kid!
About Evelyn Young
Evelyn Young is a writer for the Sex and the Crescent City and Entertainment columns of the Crescent. She is a sophomore majoring in Digital Media Practices and French with a minor in Jewish Studies. A resident history buff, Evelyn enjoys frequenting art museums and exploring New Orleans. She also likes traveling, cinema, the theater, sushi, trips to the beach as well as going to Audubon Park with friends. Her love for writing takes her all over the world.
Evelyn Young is a writer for the Sex and the Crescent City and Entertainment columns of the Crescent. She is a sophomore majoring in Digital Media Practices and French with a minor in Jewish Studies. A resident history buff, Evelyn enjoys frequenting art museums and exploring New Orleans. She also likes traveling, cinema, the theater, sushi, trips to the beach as well as going to Audubon Park with friends. Her love for writing takes her all over the world.
