Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 11, 2016

Winner of Golden Eye Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Stig Bjorkman's "Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words" a.k.a. "Jag är Ingrid" (2015) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; deleted and extended scenes with unseen footage from recent interviews; exclusive new video interview with director Stig Bjorkman; and a lot more. In Swedish, English Italian, and French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

"It takes courage to take all the make-up off..."

Watching Stig Bjorkman’s film feels like going through an old family album that has been lost for decades. You recognize the faces, even some of the locations, but everything else is new. You can hardly wait to go through it and you already know that you will keep revisiting it for years to come.

The most valuable information about Ingrid Bergman’s personal life comes from old diaries and an extensive collection of letters she wrote to friends and relatives after she left her native Sweden. Bergman frequently felt lonely and when she did the only thing that could make her feel better was writing. It literally had a therapeutic effect on her. It calmed her down and made her refocus on what mattered the most in her life -- her acting career.

In America Bergman realized how difficult it was to be successful. She saw the stars, met many of them, and understood how easy it was to remain unnoticed. Looks and talent were important but they were not everything. She was determined to work hard and not give up, but she frequently wondered if it will be enough.

Then a lot happened very quickly. Bergman impressed a lot of important people and job offers started coming in. She also fell in love and quickly discovered that her work was leaving her little time to enjoy herself. She did not complain. In one of her letters she confesses that she wanted to live life to the fullest and at the time it felt like she was.

Perhaps the most interesting revelations come from a series of letters in which Bergman explains how the media tried to destroy her career after her affair with Italian director Roberto Rossellini was exposed. The attacks were relentless, vile and full of lies. Bergman decides to stay in Europe where she eventually gave birth to her daughter, Isabella.

A good portion of the film is comprised of new interviews with Isabella, Pia Lindström, Ingrid Rossellini, and Roberto Rossellini (son) in which they remember how their parents balanced their personal and professional lives. They had different experiences but agree that there was never a moment when they felt ignored or unloved.

There is also a small segment in which Ingmar Bergman’s most famous muse, Liv Ullmann, and Sigourney Weaver discuss Bergman’s impact on their careers and cinema in general. (Bergman worked with Ulmann in Autumn Sonata, and with Weaver in the play The Constant Wife).

*The film incorporates archival materials from a variety of different sources. As clarified in the technical section of our review, some of it was shot in 8mm (personal films shot by Bergman) and some in 16mm, while the original footage (new interviews) was shot in Super35mm HD. Additional archival materials (footage from testing sessions, special events, films, stills, etc.) was also used. These archival materials were scanned in 2K and 4K before they were incorporated in the final version of Bjorkman’s film.

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stig Björkman's Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"The film's new footage was shot in Super35mm HD with a Canon V300 digital camera and on Super 8mm film. The majority of the archival 8mm and 16mm film footage was obtained from the Wesleyan Cinema Archives in Middletown, Connecticut. This material was sent to Prasad Corporation in Burbank, California, and scanned in 4K resolution. Other materials, archived at the Cineteca Nazionale in Rome, were scanned in 2K resolution. Ingrid Bergman's 8mm home movies were obtained from her daughter Pia Lindstrom, having previously been transferred from film to video. The location of the original reels for this material is unknown. The production was completed in fully digital workflow. This film features a fully digital soundtrack. The 5.1 surround audio for this release was mastered from the original digital audio files using Pro Tools HD.

Colorist: Mats Holmgren/Chimney Pot, Stockholm."

What is important to remember when evaluating documentary films featuring archival footage from various sources is the fact that we are not grading the quality of the used footage but the manner in which the final product -- in this case Stig Björkman's documentary film -- is transferred to Blu-ray. In other words, we focus on the technical strength and qualities of the transfer and specifically whether there are any issues that might have been introduced while the finished documentary transitioned to Blu-ray. (Similarly, when grading feature films, we do not evaluate the unique choices the director and his/her cinematographer have made, but how accurately the film they shot is transferred to Blu-ray).

The obvious source limitations have produced various fluctuations in terms of density and depth, with the footage from the early home films in particular showing some obvious signs of aging. Elsewhere stills and clips from various feature films also convey signs of some fading. On the other hand, the original footage looks terrific (screencapture #4). Obviously, in terms of detail, clarity and stability this is vastly superior material. All of this material is wonderfully assembled and edited and transferred to high-definition. There are no post-production or other encoding anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefor, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Swedish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with large portions of English, some Italian and French). Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film has a wonderful soundtrack that helps tremendously the desired by Stig Björkman atmosphere. However, the film's original sound design is quite delicate. There are various clips from archival and recent interviews, original footage from feature films, and raw footage from high-profile events (receptions, screenings). Clarity is always very good and, rather surprisingly, there are no serious balance issues. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original U.S. trailer for Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words. In Swedish and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (2 min, 1080p).

• Stig Bjorkman - in this exclusive new video interview, Stig Bjorkman explains how the idea for Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words came to exist and his interactions with the star's children during the pre-production process. The director also discusses the type of archival material and personal films he was able to access. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080p).

• Home Movies - presented here is the original 8mm footage/'home movies' which Ingrid Bergman shot during the 1930s and dierctor Stig Bjorkman accessed while working on his film. Silent. (8 min, 1080i).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are two deleted scenes.
  
  1. "How I Would Raise My Daughter" - Ingrid Bergman's daughters Pia Lindstrom, Ingrid Rossellini, and Isabella Rossellini read an essay their mother wrote at the age of seventeen as part of a school assignment. The essay is titles "How I Would Raise My Daughter". In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Rosario Tronnolone - presented here is footage from an interview with Italian film historian Rosario Tronnolone, who is the owner of the world's largest private collection of Ingrid Bergman archival materials. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, 1080p).

• Extended Scenes - the two extended scenes presented here feature additional footage from interviews that are included in the final version of the film.
  
  1. Shubert Theatre - additional footage with Sigourney Weaver, Isabella Rossellini, and Liv Ullmann shot at the Shubert Theatre in New York City. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Rossellini Siblings - additional footage featuring Isabella Rossellini, Roberto Rossellini, and Ingrid Rossellini. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Landskamp - a short clip from Gunnar Skoglund's film Landskamp (1932). Ingrid Bergman's first acting role was in this film. Music only. (1 min, 1080p).

• "On the Sunny Side" Outtakes - presented here are outtakes from Gustaf Molander's film On the Sunny Side (1936), starring Ingrid Bergman and Lars Hanson. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• "The Movie About Us" - presented here is a music video for Swedish singer Eva Dahlberg's song "The Movie About Us", which is used in the soundtrack of Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles. (5 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring film scholar Jeanine Basinger's essay "A Full Picture of a Life".

Ingrid Bergman: In Her Own Words Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I really enjoyed Stig Bjorkman's film. It feels very personal but it makes it easy for the viewer to understand what an incredibly rich and at the same time remarkably polarizing life Ingrid Bergman had. Admirers of the iconic Swedish actress and her work should not miss it. Criterion's technical presentation of the film excellent. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.