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Review by Clay Stafford
Somewhere between a media-created saint and a political world-class tramp lies the truth in the legend of actress Ingrid Bergman.
Written as an analogy of Bergman's life and career, within the context of world and industry changes, "Notorious: The Life of Ingrid Bergman" is more than a biography. It is a time capsule. It is a political recounting of Sweden's relationship with Nazi Germany, America's love/hate affair with the film industry, and Joseph McCarthy's search for a communist scapegoat. It is about Hollywood where "all people ever talk about (is) box office and money." It is about glamorous legends, and less-sequined realities. It covers David O. Selznick's Benzedrine affinity, Hemingway's attraction to androgynous women, and Anthony Perkins' interest in young males. It profiles a henpecked Bogart, a lovesick Hitchcock, the effects of World War II on the film industry, and the influence of censors on art. It is a documentation of how others' subjective perception of morals can entangle an artist's work. And it is about Ingrid Bergman. From her tragic beginning in Sweden, beyond her movies in Nazi Germany, to her role as Hollywood superstar, her life story becomes as plot-heavy and complicated as any of the parts she played.
Best-selling biographer Donald Spoto knew Bergman personally for the last seven years of her life. His biographical insights come directly from Bergman's husbands, her four children, close friends and former colleagues. He was allowed access to never-before-published documents, letters, memories, and photographs (of which 56 are included in this book). This is not a rehashed, graduate school-style biography, nor a fanzine; this is a collective memoir of those who really knew Bergman beyond the hype of Hollywood and the politics of Washington.
"A movie star is a ridiculous commercial product," Bergman once stated. She never sought to be one. A self-proclaimed actress only, the star of such films as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," "Gaslight," "The Bells of St. Mary's," "Murder on the Orient Express," "A Woman Called Golda," and of course, "Casablanca" performed impressively in seven countries, five languages, 46 movies, 11 theatrical productions, five television projects, not to mention untold radio programs and audio recordings. She won three Academy Awards, a Tony and an Emmy.
And while she sought only to express herself, the world changed around her, acceptable morals became erratically redefined, and the studio system became bottom-line corporate. But she never changed regardless of rumors or trends. And she never compromised her art. It is Bergman's consistency that makes this book remarkable. What makes a star? The fans, the myth, the hype. Who made Bergman? In the words of one of her directors: nobody. "Nobody discovered her . . . She discovered herself." And now readers can discover Bergman, her search for love, and her indefatigable passion for work. In the filmic words of Humphrey Bogart "Here's looking at you, kid." And what a glorious view it is.
Clay Stafford is a writer and filmmaker living in Franklin, Tennessee.
©1997, ProMotion, inc.
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