Vintage Dames Pt. 1

The most attractive women of the pre-80's Silver Screen. This 5 part tribute starts off with my #1: Ingrid Bergman.
Goodbye Again (Anatole Litvak, 1961)

I have to admit, with the exception of a lot of Exploitation Films, I haven't really seen a lot of the popular vintage films. Or at least, not enough with actresses like Ingrid Bergman. And, pardon me for being so frank, that's a damn shame. 30 minutes in to Goodbye Again and I could already tell that this was going to be one of my favorite films ever made.

Set in France (my favorite country on earth), a highly successful 40 year old businesswoman, Paula (Ingrid Bergman (Casablanca, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Spellbound)), is in love with a womanizer, Rodger (Yves Montand (Le Cercle Rouge, Z, The Wages of Fear)).He loves her too, but Rodger enjoys his promiscuous lifestyle too much to be tied down to just one woman (even if it is Ingrid Bergman. What a dolt). Then, Paula meets Philip (Anthony Perkins (Psycho, The Trial, The Matchmaker), a 24 year old lawyer, who becomes infatuated with her and works desperately to win her affection.

I find it hard to put into words how incredible this film was. That said, it was incredibly hard to find. I spent at least an hour searching for a copy that didn't even work. When I finally got around to seeing a good copy, it was worth all of that frustration.

This picture pretty much sums up my thoughts on the film. It's a wonderfully loving and heartwarming picture. Anthony Perkins is so incredibly charming. His on-screen chemistry with Ingrid Bergman is absolutely flawless. The best line in this film comes from a little back and forth twixt the two of them:
Perkins: I don't know you, if I did, I'd tell you how happy I was to see you again.
That should give pretty good insight as to how awesome Anthony Perkins is.

Remember how with Eat, Pray, Love I said that it doesn't capture the heart of the city at all? Well, Goodbye Again does an incredible job of completely subtly capturing the romance of France.

★★★★★ - If you have the chance to see this (maybe on Turner Classic Movies or something), DO NOT miss it. There isn't a solid thing wrong with this film and Ingrid Bergman is an absolute fox. Seriously, the best film I have seen in months.



Note: I sent the Criterion Collection an email about it, so maybe they'll pick it up :D Then, everyone can see it!
EDIT: As of 9/15/2010, this film is streaming on Netflix. Watch it right now, if you have an account. Please. Just do it.




Roll credits.