Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982) had an amazing career that spanned five decades. Born in Stockholm, Sweden, her first introduction to American audiences came with the 1939 film, Intermezzo, an American remake of a Swedish film of the same name that Bergman starred in three years prior. From the on, Ingrid Bergman would carve out a place as one of the greatest screen legends of all time, with the American Film Institute naming her the fourth most iconic female screen legend in history, behind only Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Audrey Hepburn. With three Academy Awards to her name from seven nominations, Ingrid Bergman’s acting talent cannot be denied. Let’s take a look at some of the best movies starring the legendary Swedish actress.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

5 Autumn Sonata (1978)

     Constantin Film

This 1978 film is notable for several reasons. It was Ingrid Bergman’s last film acting role before her death, and it was her only collaboration with legendary Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman. Yes, two of cinema’s most notable Swedes both have the same last name and the same first initial. Both director and actress were nominated for Academy Awards; her for Best Actress; him for Best Original Screenplay. Ingrid Bergman plays Charlotte, a past-her-prime concert pianist reconnecting with her daughters. One of the daughters, played by Liv Ullmann, holds a lot of resentment towards her mother. The other daughter is disabled, paralyzed, and has trouble forming coherent words. Both Ullmann and Bergman give incredible performances, verbally sparring with each other throughout the entirety of the film (it all takes place in one house), revealing deep and damaging truths to one another. Ingrid Bergman’s Oscar nomination was well deserved. Most actors would kill to have a final performance as good as this one.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

4 Spellbound (1945)

     Distributed by United Artists

This 1945 Alfred Hitchcock film sees Bergman playing Dr. Constance Petersen, a psychoanalyst at a mental hospital in Vermont. The old director of the hospital is retiring, and his replacement is the very young Dr. Anthony Edwardes (Gregory Peck), whom Petersen instantly falls for. The problem? Edwardes is not who he says he is, suffers from amnesia, and may or may not be a murderer. Triggered any time he sees a certain set of parallel lines, Edwardes needs Petersen’s help to discover who he truly is. The chemistry between Bergman and Peck is wonderful and both give great performances. The film is most remembered for a sequence where Edwardes describes one of his dreams. Who did Hitchcock recruit to help bring this dream sequence to life? Why none other than noted surrealist artist, Salvador Dali. The film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. It won only one, for Best Original Score. Bergman was not nominated for her performance in this film. She was nominated instead for The Bells of St. Mary’s, the sequel to 1944’s Best Picture winner, Going My Way.

3 Notorious (1946)

     Distributed by RKO Pictures

Bergman’s second collaboration with Hitchcock came just a year after her first. This time, she plays Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a Nazi war criminal who is convinced by American agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a Nazi organization that has set up operations in Brazil. While in Brazil, Huberman is told to seduce Alex Sebastian (Claude Rains, who was Oscar-nominated for his performance). Things get complicated when Huberman and Devlin start falling in love for real. The film is one of Hitchcock’s best. His only daughter considered it her favorite of her father’s works. Bergman and Grant are so good together, and Claude Rains is his usual magnificent self. The romance between the leads is done well and, as usual, Hitchcock’s mastery of suspense is on full display, especially in the film’s final fifteen minutes. It’s a must-see Ingrid Bergman movie.

2 Gaslight (1944)

     Distributed by Loew's, Inc.

This 1944 film, based on a 1938 play of the same name, is actually where the term “gaslighting” comes from, so three guesses what happens to Paula Alquist Anton, Ingrid Bergman’s character. The film was directed by George Cukor and won Bergman the first of her three acting Oscars. Safe to say, Bergman deserved it. Bergman’s Paula witnessed her aunt getting murdered at age 14, and to make matters worse, she marries the murderer (an Oscar-nominated Charles Boyer) years later, unaware that he is continuing his search from some valuable jewels he believes are stored in an attic with the rest of the aunt’s belongings. The actual gaslighting incidents are played perfectly. Paula somehow loses a brooch she knows for sure she placed in her handbag. A picture disappears, with her husband insisting she must have removed it despite her having no memory of doing so. The self-doubt that creeps in is played to perfection by Bergman, who gets a great moment at the end once the deception is revealed. With a powerful performance by Ingrid Bergman to lead the way, Gaslight is one of the actresses most notable films. Definitely check it out.

1 Casablanca (1942)

     Warner Bros.

When you star in one of the most iconic films ever made, one of the best romance films ever made, and one of the most quotable films ever made, that film is pretty much guaranteed to be number one on any list of any actor’s best movies. Ingrid Bergman plays Ilsa Lund, the other half of the famous romantic coupling, alongside Humphrey Bogart’s Rick Blaine. An old flame of Rick’s, she seeks two letters of transport for herself and her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a notable figure in the Czech Resistance during World War II. Bergman is impossible to take your eyes off of every second she’s onscreen. She gets several iconic moments in this film, with the most memorable probably being her asking pianist Sam to play and sing “As Time Goes By.” Even though Bogart does most of the talking in the iconic “Here’s looking at you, kid” scene, Bergman’s face and eyes tell so much in it. Very few films can rightfully claim the label of “flawless,” but Casablanca is one of them.