Celebrating the Life & Cinema of Ingrid Bergman

Mark your calendars for a special cinema event: on Sept 12, BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) is presenting a unique program with famous actors, Isabella Rossellini and Jeremy Irons for The Ingrid Bergman Tribute—a theatrical event celebrating one of the greatest international actresses of the 20th century.

 A scene from Hitchcock's movie with Ingrid Bergman

 Isabella Rossellini

Commemorating the centennial of her birth (born Aug 29, 1915), the evening features commemorative readings, letters, memories, and never-before- seen footage from Bergman’s personal archives.

Rossellini, one of Bergman's two twin daughters (her sister is Isotta Ingrid Rossellini) and Irons are scheduled to perform live on stage portraying Bergman and various characters from her eventful life, guiding the audience through her personal and professional experiences while original film footage and images from her private archive are projected on screen.

The production was created and written by Ludovica Damiani and Guido Torlonia, the latter is also directing, in collaboration with Isabella Rossellini.

Woven throughout the unique performance are testimonies and stories from friends and artists Bergman knew and worked with, such as husband and director Roberto Rossellini, director Alfred Hitchcock, photographer Robert Capa and writer Ernest Hemingway.
 

But there is more Bergman on BAM'S calendar: from Sunday, September 13 through Thursday, September 29, they present Ingrid Bergman, A film retrospective, a series of representative films starring the international leading lady.

“Surveying a career that took her from ingénue to superstar, the series will showcase major works such as Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942) and Roberto Rossellini’s Journey to Italy (1954), as well as Swedish rarities like Per Lindberg’s June Night (1940) and late-career highlights like Vincente Minnelli’s A Matter of Time (1976). Bergman’s radiant screen presence brought an unaffected naturalness, innate intelligence, and genuine human warmth to her iconic roles, and her singular mix of dignity and vulnerability remains as fresh and affecting as ever,” BAM's Publicity Department has stated.
 

Among the films presented in the retrospective a few favorites:
Casablanca (1942) directed by Michael Curtiz, with Humphrey Bogart and Paul Henreid. The film is one of Hollywood's all time classics, the story of an international intrigue and an old love affair. Screening on Sunday, September 13 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm.
 

Journey to Italy (1954) directed by Roberto Rossellini, with George Sanders.  This is the story of a British couple whose marriage falls apart during a trip to Italy. “Their growing estrangement is played out against the richly symbolic ruins and desolate landscapes of the countryside.” Screening on Saturday, September 19 at 4:30, 9pm & Sunday, September 20 at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10pm.
 

Notorius (1946) directed by Alfred Hitchcok, with Cary Grant. A classic by the master of thriller, Notorius is a romantic thriller that features and espionage operation and censor-defying, two-and-a-half-minute kissing sequence. Screening on Friday, September 18 at 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30pm & Saturday, September 19 at 2, 6:30pm.
 

And a few lesser known gems:

A Woman's Face (1938) directed by Gustaf Molander, with Tore Svennberg and Anders Henrikson. In one of her earliest roles, Bergman plays a disfigured woman exacting revenge on society. Screening on Monday, September 21 at 4:30, 7, 9:30pm.
 

June Night (1940) directed by Per Lindberg, with Gunnar Sjöberg and Marianne Löfgren. Bergman's last Swedish film before she became a Hollywood sensation, portrays what a young woman does in order to start a new life in Stockholm due to an affair that has scandalized her small town. Screening on Tuesday, September 22 at 4:30, 7:15, 9:15pm.
 

For a complete list of films go to www.BAM.org

The retrospective is presented in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art’s Ingrid Bergman: A Centennial Celebration, running August 29 through September 10.

The Ingrid Bergman Tribute is taking place on September 12 at 8pm at the Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave) while the Ingrid Bergman, A film retrospective is scheduled from Sep 13—29 at the Rose Cinemas.