Aleksandra
Ziolkowska-Boehm
INGRID BERGMAN AND
HER AMERICAN RELATIVES
Lanham, MD: Hamilton Books. The Rowman and
Littlefield Publishing Group (2013),
Lanham. Boulder. New
York. Toronto. Plymouth, UK
ISBN 978-0-7618-6150-8
E: book 978-0-7618-6151-5
124 pages
*In Polish: Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm,''Ingrid Bergman
prywatnie'', Warszawa: Prószyński i S-ka (2013), ISBN 978-83-7839-518-8
Contents
List of
Photographs: from the Archives of Norman Boehm v
Foreword vii
Acknowledgments
ix
Introduction
xi
1 American Relatives 1
2 Childhood: Ingrid’s Swedish and German Family 11
3 Early Years 17
4 First Two Visits to America: Ingrid Visits Her
American Relatives 21
5 Her Beauty, Her Height 27
6 Casablanca 29
7 Hollywood 31
8 Petter Lindstrom 33
9 Leading Men Actors 37
10 Roberto Rossellini 39
11 Anastasia and the End
of the Second Marriage 55
12 Lars Schmidt 67
13 Her America 73
14 Italians, Swedish 79
15 Pia and the Rossellini Children 83
16 Love for Acting 89
17 Illness 93
Contents
Epilogue:
For Love and Glory 99
Annex: A Few
Selected Scanned Letters to Aunt Blenda, Carl
Norman, and
Norman 101
References
113
About the Author 115
“Ingrid will best remembered for her part in “Casablanca”,
staring with Humphrey Bogart in 1942. It was one of the many films, plays and
TV documentaries she acted in during her lifetime. She lived to act, saying she
left her shyness behind when she stepped on the stage. As a tall, sensuous and
beautiful Swedish woman, she began acting early in life, in London, Paris,
America and Sweden. She won many awards, including three Oscars, during her
lifetime. The book describes the relationship with her American relatives, the
Boehm. Cousin Norman Boehm visited with her during her lifetime. Correspondence
between Aunt Blenda Boehm, her son Carl and grandson Norman reveal the nature
of the actress. The author, Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm did not meet, but
research and family contacts with Ingrid bring her to life.
Ingrid’s first marriage to Peter Lindstrom ended in bitter
divorce over the child, Pia, all this happening while Ingrid was pregnant with
Roberto Rossellini’s child. (After her divorce she married Rossellini and later
had three more children with him.) This caused a huge scandal, with Senator
Edwin C. Johnson denouncing her on the floor of the Senate. She was finally
forgiven 22 years later, in 1975. The Rossellini marriage ended in 1957 when
Rossellini became involved with another woman. Later Ingrid marries Lars
Schmidt, a marriage which lasted for 17 years.
Ingrid maintained close contact with her children (they did
not live with her as Rossellini had custody of the children), stopping work for
18 months to stay with her daughter Isabella when she had serious surgery. She
also maintained contact with the Boehms and other family members; much of the
correspondence is provided here.
Bergman was diagnosed with cancer in 1974 and struggled with
it, continuing to act until she became too weak. She died on August 30, 12982,
at the age of 67. She will be remembered as a beautiful actress, and a warm,
generous, kind and compassionate person”
Florence Waszkelewicz Clowes, Books in Review,
POLISH AMERICAN JOURNAL, October 2013, pg. 23
*
“What a nice
book written by Aleksandra Ziółkowska-Boehm, a well known scholar of literature, the author of numerous biographies and contemporary history. Ingrid
was a kin of Norman
Boehm, the author’s husband. The book
presents correspondence between
Ingrid Bergman and her relatives residing in the United States.Z iolkowska has cleverly interwoven family
letters with the biography of the
actress. Ingrid Bergman had a
life fulfilled. Her
roles in films and theatrical creations provided audiences with joy and pleasure.
Bergman is probably one of the few
actresses who inspired
a spontaneous acceptance.
Readers of Ziolkowska’s book will be rewarded with generally warm feelings."
Maja Cybulska, Ex Libris, Tydzien Polski, London, April 27, 2014
Maja Cybulska, Ex Libris, Tydzien Polski, London, April 27, 2014
*
Ingrid Bergman was loved by critics, directors,
writers, and above all by audiences, not only of cinema, but the theater as
well.
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm was able to tell all that should be said about the actress but also about her artistry that grew as much from native talent as from her extraordinary personality.
Bergman’s adventures in acting helped her become someone else, someone who did not feel fear. As a girl, she was kind to others, and so it remained for the rest of her life. The book by Ziółkowska - Boehm recalls not only the history of Ingrid Bergman and her family, but also what happened to her three husbands and four children.
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm was able to tell all that should be said about the actress but also about her artistry that grew as much from native talent as from her extraordinary personality.
Bergman’s adventures in acting helped her become someone else, someone who did not feel fear. As a girl, she was kind to others, and so it remained for the rest of her life. The book by Ziółkowska - Boehm recalls not only the history of Ingrid Bergman and her family, but also what happened to her three husbands and four children.
From the letters cited by the author, Bergman is
shown as one oriented in the fate of her loved ones. Always interested in their
lives, she was appreciative of any sign of feelings for her from them.
Hardly surprising is the fact that the documents
provided by the author’s husband were interpreted with a great culture by
Ziolkowska-Boehm. The reader will find a beautiful portrait of a woman and an
artist, one that anyone would like to be near or in her presence.
Andrzej
Józef Dabrowski, Play it again, Ingrid! PRZEGLAD POLSKI, NOWY
DZIENNIK,. New York, May 2014
*
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm
includes many tales, and much more in her book. After Norman visited his famous
cousin Ingrid Bergman and her husband Roberto Rossellini in Paris on his first
company vacation, he wrote that he was "treated royally in France":
"a high speed spin around Paris late at night in a Ferrari"; a party
in the home of the painter Jean Renoir. On his next holiday, he spent a weekend
with Bergman and others, including Yul Brynner, in Deauville, France one time
dancing with the Swedish actress and Rita Hayworth. He continued to meet Ingrid
Bergman over the years (she died in 1982). He is clearly entranced with his
cousin, writing in the foreword of Aleksandra's book that, aside from having
the talent to win three Oscars, Bergman "was blessed with warmth,
generosity, compassion, devotion, dedication and enthusiasm".
Al-Ayyam Al-Jamilah,
Spring 2014
*
"Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm’s “Ingrid Bergman and Her
American Relatives” states that in fact, Bergman had no Jewish ancestry. A
careful genealogical investigation was made of a maternal cousin in the 1950s
before he could be granted a work visa for Saudi Arabia, which formally banned
Jews from entering the country."
Benjamin Ivry, Ingrid Bergman's Lifelong Love Affair With the Jews, Forward, Sept. 1, 2015
Benjamin Ivry, Ingrid Bergman's Lifelong Love Affair With the Jews, Forward, Sept. 1, 2015
*
I found it a great pleasure to learn that the famous star of
stage and screen had time for her American relatives. Being an extremely busy
person, she found and allocated time to stay in contact, if only briefly, with
them. Here is a true tribute to the woman’s character. Ingrid Bergman was and
is still loved and respected by her many loyal fans. Similarly,
Ziolkowska-Boehm’s book clearly discloses the same feelings for her by the
American relatives.
(Beverly Martin. Google.com)
By reading the enjoyable book by Aleksandra
Ziolkowka-Boehm, I learned that there were Americans related to Ingrid Bergman.
Throughout her career, she was always portrayed as the Swedish actress and as
being totally European. For me, another revelation was her German ancestry that
was never disclosed by the media. Why should such a fact be “covered up” when
the largest ethnic part of America’s population was of German ancestry? (Klaus Schneider)
http://www.bookdepository.com/Ingrid-Bergman-Her-American-Relatives-Aleksandra-Ziolkowska-Boehm/9780761861508?b=-3&t=-21#Reviews-21
http://www.bookdepository.com/Ingrid-Bergman-Her-American-Relatives-Aleksandra-Ziolkowska-Boehm/9780761861508?b=-3&t=-21#Reviews-21
*
Being of
Italian ancestry, I very much admire and appreciate how delicately the author
Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm was able to bring about respect and understanding
for Roberto Rossellini, the husband of Ingrid Bergman. As a director,
Rossellini achieved great respect and recognition for his talents. The author
led me to have empathy for him as well as Bergman over the stigmas of their
relationship and the failure of marriage. (Anthony Perlosi)
http://www.kalahari.com/Books/Ingrid-Bergman-and-Her-American-Relatives_p_47355443
http://www.kalahari.com/Books/Ingrid-Bergman-and-Her-American-Relatives_p_47355443
*
The author has cleverly interwoven the career of Ingrid
Bergman with the relationship the actress had with American relatives. Over a
time span of nearly forty years, Bergman maintained contact with these relatives.
The warmth and gratuitousness of the famous actress is beautifully portrayed by
Ziolkowska-Boehm from Bergman’s letters to and personal contacts individually
described. Here we learn of a very famous woman caring for, and treating
accordingly, her not so famous relatives. (Virginia Degiorgio)
http://www.easons.com/p-1394151-ingrid-bergman-and-her-american-relatives.aspx
http://www.easons.com/p-1394151-ingrid-bergman-and-her-american-relatives.aspx
*
I do admire your writing a great deal – it is as if you are
speaking to the reader. And I do review
a great many any books
Florence Clowes, Vero Beach, Florida, 11/22/2013
*
“What a wonderful tribute to a special lady”.
Jean Wahl, Wilmington, Delaware, January 2014
Sembra impossibile
poter pubblicare qualcosa di nuovo su un'attrice famosa e celebrata come Ingrid
Bergman, eppure questo piccolo libro c'e' riuscito: il suo maggior pregio e' la
riproduzione di diverse lettere e fotografie inedite di Ingrid Bergman. Un ritratto
affettuoso e rispettoso di una grande attrice e di una donna gentile e
coraggiosa.
Rosario Tronnolone, March
23, 2014, Amazon.com
I read your book ….whenever I read about mamma I get very sad and miss her
a lot.
I sent the copy of your book to mamma's archive at the Wesleyan University
in Connecticut where all paper concurring her is kept.
Isabella Rossellini, August 3, 2015
*
.The book was so
interesting I could hardly put it down. Ingrid was indeed a very beautiful
woman, and a strong one with what she had to go through.
Ruth Grabner, Washington, NJ, August 28, 2015
*
