Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words

Ingrid Bergman took film more seriously than she did life, a fact that becomes apparent in this intimate portrait of her. Using home movies, diaries and letters, sketches the personal and professional life of this great actress and long-distance mother. According to her own diary, if she isn’t filming, she’s only living half a life. Her four children explain that they often didn’t get to see much of her when she was on the set for an extended period of time or off in a foreign country with a new love. Years later, Bergman described herself as more of a friend than a mother to them. Her unorthodox ideas about family life garnered her considerable criticism in the media. Her relationship with Italian director Roberto Rossellini caused a huge scandal because it caused her to leave her daughter Pia behind in the United States – Bergman informed the teenager of her plans in a heartbreaking letter. Pia justifies her mother’s great love for the camera with the fact that young Ingrid’s own father filmed her frequently and fondly; later, Bergman hoped to find love through the camera. After his untimely death she led a sad and lonely existence that was only rendered tolerable by creating characters that would talk back to her. This is how Ingrid Bergman explains her exceptional film career.