During the summer of 1934, while her classmates at the Swedish
Royal Dramatic Academy were touring Russia, a unique opportunity presented
itself to the nineteen-year-old Ingrid Bergman. Actor/director
Edvin Adolphson offered her a role
in The Count of the Old Town, a
light-hearted romantic comedy.
Bergman was ideally suited for the only young female
character in the screenplay written by Gösta
Stevens. The title The Count of the
Old Town refers to the picturesque older portion of Stockholm. Bergman
plays Elsa, the niece of the owner of a hotel frequented by unemployed locals
and petty criminals. One day a mysterious stranger, Åke (Edvin Adolphson), arrives
at the hotel. Because he reveals nothing about his background, the locals,
including the police, begin to suspect that he’s the fugitive thief who has
recently struck the city. Elsa doesn’t believe he’s a criminal and soon
becomes infatuated with him.
The Count of the Old Town is a mixture of various
genres: comedy, crime, romance and thriller. It might have worked had
the individual characters been strong enough, but the film is never funny and never
exciting. The only thing that makes it remotely watchable is the romantic
chemistry between Bergman and Adolphson, who were having an off-screen romance during
filming. The other actors are guilty of slapstick and overacting,
betraying their history of acting in silent films. The Swedish press was
unanimous in its praise of Bergman in her first significant role, lauding her
dazzling beauty and her singing talent as well as her acting ability and her
overwhelming natural charm.
Labels: comedy, crime, Ingrid Bergman, romance, thriller
No comments:
Post a Comment