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Kino Releases Three Swedish Films Starring Young Ingrid Bergman on DVD

Written by: FFT Webmaster | March 4th, 2011

Kino InternationalKINO INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES THE DVD RELEASE OF THREE EARLY, SWEDISH INGRID BERGMAN FILMS THAT MADE HER A STAR

Eastern Mystics

New York, NY – Kino International is proud to announce the DVD release of Ingrid Bergman in Sweden, a collection of three films Bergman made in Sweden before she became a Hollywood star: Intermezzo (1936), A Woman’s Face (1938), and June Night (1940).

These films come from the Svensk Film Vaults and showcase the work of Ingrid Bergman during her time as one of the reigning stars of Swedish cinema, before going to even greater success during her long career in Hollywood. These remastered editions featuring new subtitles come to DVD in a thin pack box set priced at $39.95. The prebook date for the collection is March 22, 2011, and the street date is April 19.

Today Ingrid Bergman’s name is synonymous with Hollywood’s golden age as a three-time Oscar winner and the star of such classics as CASABLANCA, GASLIGHT and NOTORIOUS. However, before she became a Hollywood legend, Bergman was the star of a series of Swedish films in the 1930s which are being rediscovered as a vital, if long-overlooked period in her singular career.

Intermezzo

 

Intermezzo (1936) is the original, Swedish version of the classic love story that would become Bergman’s first Hollywood success. A brilliant concert violinist (Gösta Eckman) leaves behind his family when he falls in love with Anita Hoffman (Bergman) and convinces her to travel the world with him. Intermezzo was Sweden’s most celebrated film of the 1930s and it brought Bergman to the attention of Hollywood producer David O. Selznick. Indeed, when Selznick saw the film he ordered his representative “to take the next boat to Sweden and not come home without a contract with Miss Bergman.” Three years later she would remake the film for him in her American debut and its great success would set her on the path to become a Hollywood legend.

A Woman's Face

A Woman’s Face (1938) is the story of Anna Holm (Bergman), a woman whose face is horribly scarred in a childhood accident, turning her into a bitter and hateful blackmailer. One of her blackmail victims turns out to be a plastic surgeon, who offers to transform her into a beautiful woman. Directed by Gustaf Molander (Intermezzo), Sweden’s premier director of the 1930s and Bergman’s mentor, A Woman’s Face is a daring and frequently shocking psychological drama. It also contains a climactic, fast-paced chase across the ice involving a runaway sleigh, which the New York Times dubbed “wildly beautiful” in its original review. Just three years later, A Woman’s Face would be remade by Hollywood as a vehicle for Joan Crawford. But now the original version can be seen as both a key early performance by Ingrid Bergman and as a significant rediscovery of Swedish cinema.

June Night

June Night (1940) tells the exciting story of Kerstin (Bergman), who is injured after being shot during a fight with her lover, but because of the scandalous nature of their relationship, changes her name and flees to Stockholm. Complications arise when she is recognized by a reporter, and finds out that the man who shot her wants her back! This was Bergman’s final film in Sweden. June Night is remarkably prescient in its view of a tabloid press and its insatiable need for scandal.  As for Bergman, the role provided her with an opportunity to give a bravura performance, and she was praised by Swedish critics, including one who declared that she “establishes herself as an actress belonging to the world elite.”

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Each of these films (two of them directed by noted Swedish filmmaker Gustaf Molander) presents a rare chance to see Ingrid Bergman in the great roles that brought her to the attention of Hollywood.

INGRID BERGMAN IN HOLLYWOOD: 3-FILM COLLECTION:

Intermezzo (1936)
Director: Gustaf Molander
Country: Sweden
Genre: Romance
1936 / 91 min. / B&W / Swedish w/English subtitles / 1.33:1

A Woman’s Face (1938)
Director: Gustaf Molander
Country: Sweden
Genre: Drama
1938 / 97 min. / B&W / Swedish w/English subtitles / 1.33:1

June Night (1940)
Director: Per Lindberg
Country: Sweden
Genre: Drama
1940 / 90 min. / B&W / Swedish w/English subtitles / 1.33:1

Contact Information:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rodrigo Brandão
Director of Publicity
Kino Lorber Inc.
rodrigo@kinolorber.com
phone: 212-629-6880ext. 12
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About Kino Lorber
Kino Lorber is the newly formed company that combines the resources, staffs and libraries of Lorber Films, Alive Mind and Kino International, bringing together industry pioneers Richard Lorber and Donald Krim to create a new leader in independent film distribution.

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