Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Bergman and Romero

Ingrid Bergman, "Spellbound," 1945.
 My favorite Ingrid Bergman film is Hitchcock's "Notorious," but "Spellbound" is right up there.  I love the scene where she and Gregory Peck are on a picnic, before she knows he's really an amnesiac, and he offers her a sandwich.  "Ham or liverwurst," he asks.  "Liverwurst," she answers.  She was never lovelier!
This image is from later in the film where she and Peck are skiing towards the cliff; Peck is about to remember accidentally killing his brother.  She keeps turning from the cliff to look back at Peck.  It's a very intense scene and I hope I captured a little of Ingrid's anxiety.
Cesar Romero, "Orchestra Wives," 1942.




Before he was the Joker on "Batman" in the 1960s, Romero had a long film career, often playing "latin lovers" or other ethnic stereotypes.  In "Orchestra Wives" he plays a supporting role as a bachelor piano player in Glenn Miller's orchestra, most of whose members are married, and the wives travel with them on the road.  Hilarity and hijinks ensue.  He's divorced and is working to pay his alimony.  He has a great line where, when asked why he isn't married anymore, answers "What for? I got a lot of girls that are just pulling their hair waiting for me to call them."  Why not call one of them, he's asked?  "Are you kidding? I'm sick of running around with bald dames." 
It's a silly film but has some great Glenn Miller songs, including "(I've Got a Gal in) Kalamazoo" and "Moonlight Serenade." 

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