On Aug. 29, 1915, Ingrid Bergman was born in Stockholm, and this legendary actress certainly made worldwide impact in the movies during her long, fruitful career. The Academy nominated her six times for a Best Actress Oscar and once for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar from 1944 to 1979, and she won three times, including Best Actress for “Anastasia” (1956).
Set in 1928 Paris, Bergman plays the title role as Anastasia, a mental-shaken woman with bouts of amnesia, but with claims that she is the long lost daughter of the fallen Russian tsar, she attracts the attention of General Sergei Pavlovich Bounine (Yul Brynner). Whether she is the real Grand Duchess Anastasia, Gen. Bounine trains her to act like royalty, not terribly unlike Professor Henry Higgins schooling Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” (1964).
Bergman shows her wide range, as Anastasia battles her faulty memory while also – at times – grows into her self-belief that she is who she – sometimes – claims to be. She delivers a most satisfying and complicated performance, and Brynner offers a grounded foundation for Bergman to launch.
Bergman would be 102 years-old on Aug. 29, and a perfect way to celebrate is to watch “Anastasia” (Amazon Streaming)
⭐⭐⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Image credits: IMDB; Trailer credits: 20th Century Fox
