MANILA, Philippines?Ingrid Bergman created an uproar in 1949 when the Academy Award-winning star of ?Joan of Arc? was found to be pregnant out of wedlock. The world was shocked.

A few months before the scandal broke out, the actress who had tired of Hollywood?s formulaic films opted to fly to Italy to make a film with trendsetting director, Roberto Rossellini, who had attracted international attention with movies like ?Open City,? which starred the filmmaker?s then lover, Anna Magnani.

The earthy Italian actress possessed a distinctly dramatic face, but she didn?t have the ethereal beauty of the Swedish actress. When Ingrid flew to Italy to shoot on the volcanic island of Stromboli, it was with the consent of her physician-husband, Peter Lindstrom.

Hollywood?s publicists painted a happy picture of the couple?s married life. But, it was only much later when the world discovered that Ingrid freely ?shared? her love with her leading men, like Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck.

Sacrifices

However, the world saw Ingrid in the mold of the admirable characters she portrayed in ?Casablanca,? ?Gaslight? and ?For Whom the Bell Tolls??those women were willing to make sacrifices for love! Filipino viewers were especially enamored with Ingrid because of ?Joan of Arc,? in which she portrayed the courageous French saint. In that memorable epic, Bergman looked as saintly as she was beautiful.

Pinoy fans couldn?t separate the character from the woman?and neither was the rest of the world prepared for her affair while shooting ?Stromboli.? The actress fell passionately in love with her director.

The Vatican ordered viewers never to see the actress? films again. A US senator likewise in wanted her expelled from the face of humanity! And, Bergman fans around the world were disappointed to find out that their ?saint? turned out to be a sinner, after all! As a result, the actress could not return to Hollywood for two decades.

So, she made forgettable films in Europe?and even the publicity-laden ?Stromboli? became a box-office and critical disaster. Her career appeared to be doomed!

It wasn?t until she starred in ?Anastasia? that Ingrid won moviegoers? favor again. Like the Romanov princess, she arose from veritable death to resurrect her illustrious past!

Her impressive comeback won back a lot of hearts. After all, who in Hollywood had the right to cast the first stone?

The actress? sentimental return resuscitated a brilliant, but stunted career. The statuesque Swede again starred opposite some of that era?s most popular actors, from Yul Brynner to Cary Grant. Then, she won her third Academy Award for her supporting performance in ?Murder on the Orient Express.?

Character roles

When Bergman lost her physical beauty, she took on character roles in films like ?Golda Meir.? By then, her ?Stromboli? episode was all but forgotten. These days, Ingrid Bergman is best remembered for her incandescent beauty and brilliant career!