Indiscreet is one of the most tender, sophisticated, funny, surprising, stylish and elegant romances that I have ever seen from the classic film era. It was directed and produced by Stanley Donen(Singin’ In The Rain, Funny Face). The screenplay was written by Norman Krasna, and was based upon his own 1953 stage play, Kind Sir, which had starred Charles Boyer and Mary Martin. The film’s lovely costumes were by legendary French designers Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior.
This was the second of three films that Stanley Donen made with Cary Grant – the other two were Charade and The Grass Is Greener – and it reunited friends Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant on screen twelve years on from their performances in Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious(1946). Cary and Ingrid’s friendship helped their performances enormously here. The affection and warmth between them is both obvious and so very lovely to watch. Cary later stated that Indiscreet was his personal favourite out of all the films he had made.
I first discovered this gem thanks to a trailer at the beginning of a classic film that I was watching on video(those were the days). The trailer showed full scenes from five classic films that were new on video. One scene was from Indiscreet. The scene featured was the one where Anna and Phillip return from the United Nations dinner and sit and talk in her living room. I was hooked due to Ingrid and Cary. I was so excited because I didn’t know until then that they had worked together again after Notorious. I was drawn in by the conversation they were having, and I also really loved the brightly coloured cushions and picture frames dotted around the room. It unfortunately took me a few years before I was able to find a copy to watch, but that scene lingered in my memory for years.
Indiscreet begins with internationally famous stage actress Anna Kalman(Ingrid Bergman) returning home early from a trip to Mallorca. The first thing she does is sit down in the kitchen to enjoy a late night snack of a glass of milk and some Dairylea Cheese Slices(I couldn’t get enough of these when I was younger). Anna shares her home with her live-in staff, Carl and Doris Banks(David Kossoff and the fabulous Megs Jenkins). Anna’s sister Margaret(Phyllis Calvert), and brother -in-law Alfred(the terrific Cecil Parker)arrive to change at her apartment ahead of attending a U.N dinner. They often use her apartment for this purpose because they don’t live in the city. They have invited American banker Phillip Adams(Cary Grant)to meet them there before they escort him to the dinner, at which he will be delivering a lecture. Alfred is trying to persuade Phillip to accept a position with NATO in Paris. From the first moment that Anna and Philip set eyes on each other(Anna’s face covered in cold cream)their mutual attraction to one another is instant and undeniable.
The others persuade Anna to join them at the dinner. Later that night, Anna and Phillip return to her apartment for a drink and a chat. Phillip, who is well aware of what is likely to quickly develop between them, informs her that he is married and is unable to get a divorce. They decide to keep seeing each other as friends. As they spend more time together they fall in love and end up sleeping together. My favourite scene in the whole film is when they have breakfast together the morning after they’ve slept together. This scene is so beautiful and tender and makes me feel as though I have intruded on a real private moment between them. The way Cary looks at Ingrid during this scene gets me swooning every time. Things become complicated when Anna is shocked to discover that Phillip has never been married and is actually single. This leads to her hilarious line, “How dare he make love to me and not be a married man!” Anna decides to turn the tables on him and mess him around and prank him in order to get her own back on his deception. This leads to a series of hilarious misunderstandings as the pair try and figure out who is telling the truth and what exactly is going on between them.
The film is a delight from start to finish. It’s become a favourite comfort film for me because it’s so cosy and gentle. I also really appreciate how unpredictable and surprising it becomes in the second half. Ingrid and Cary each do some of their best work here and are a joy to watch. Cary dancing at the party will never not be hilarious. I always think that her performance as Anna may well have been the closest that Ingrid came to playing herself on screen. I love that she was afforded the rare opportunity here to use both her comedic and dramatic talents. One of my favourite things about the film is the inclusion of split screen sequences in which Ingrid and Cary appear to be sharing a bed. This ingenious technique(which had been around since the silent era) would be widely acclaimed and commented on the following year when it was featured in Pillow Talk. I love that its use in Indiscreet isn’t merely to be provocative, daring, playful and sexy, but to also be tender, warm and emotionally intimate. Any other fans here? I highly recommend it if you’ve never seen it before. It’s available on DVD and YouTube.
This is my entry for the 8th Wonderful Ingrid Bergman Blogathon being hosted by Virginie over at The Wonderful World Of Cinema. Be sure to visit her site to read all the other entries celebrating Ingrid’s life and career.