5 Timeless Ingrid Bergman Films That Remain Enjoyable to View

      Ingrid Bergman's career serves as a reminder that not all classic films endure — particularly when measured against the lasting impact of her own movies.

      Famous for starring in Casablanca, Notorious, and other iconic films, along with being a three-time Oscar winner, she was born in 1915 in Stockholm to a Swedish father and a German mother. Bergman rose to become one of the most legendary actors in cinematic history, featuring in numerous films that continue to resonate today as much as they did decades ago.

      Let’s revisit just five of those films.

      Casablanca (1942)

      Screenshot – Credit: Warner Bros

      Released during the peak of World War II, Casablanca remarkably remains timeless — thanks to its themes of freedom and resistance, as well as its vibrant dialogue and the unmatched chemistry between its stars, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.

      Bergman portrays Ilsa Lund, who one night walks into Rick's Cafe in Casablanca, owned by her former lover Rick Blaine. The complication? She is now with Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a Czech Resistance leader fighting against the Nazis.

      Rick and Ilsa share deep feelings for one another, but are ultimately faced with the dilemma of whether to act on them or suppress them for a greater cause. Bergman and Bogart make this choice feel painfully difficult, enhancing the film’s heroic conclusion.

      As a Best Picture winner, Casablanca's acclaim has only grown among film enthusiasts over the years.

      Notorious (1946)

      Credit: RKO Radio Pictures

      Also set against the backdrop of World War II, Notorious features Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Huberman, the daughter of a German war criminal recruited by U.S. agent T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) to infiltrate a group of Nazis who escaped to Brazil post-war.

      The plot thickens when she is tasked with seducing one of her targets — even as her feelings for Devlin seem to develop.

      Throughout much of the film, Alicia — and by extension, Bergman — keeps her loyalties ambiguous. Bergman and director Alfred Hitchcock masterfully navigate this complex narrative in an elegant thriller showcasing one of cinema’s most intricate female protagonists. Notorious marks one of her three collaborations with Hitchcock, joined by Spellbound (1945) and Under Capricorn (1949).

      Gaslight (1944)

      A still from Gaslight. – Credit: MGM

      Based on Patrick Hamilton's 1938 play Gas Light — and adapted from the earlier British film Gaslight — this American version features Bergman as Paula Alquist Anton, whose husband (Charles Boyer) manipulates her into questioning her sanity.

      This role demands much from Bergman, as she must maintain the audience's empathy amidst her character's manipulated confusion, earning her the first of her two Academy Awards for Best Actress. (She won again in 1956 for Anastasia and received her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1974 for Murder on the Orient Express.)

      Much like Casablanca — which continues to surface in contemporary memes — Gaslight remains significantly influential today, with “gaslight” now used as a term for those accused of distorting reality.

      Stromboli (1950)

      The neorealist drama Stromboli captivates viewers on a surface level: it follows a Lithuanian woman (Bergman) who meets an Italian man (Mario Vitale) in an internment camp and journeys with him to his home island, which proves to be quite different from her expectations.

      Stromboli becomes even more intriguing when considering the film's backstory. Ingrid Bergman reached out to director Roberto Rossellini, expressing her desire to collaborate. They formed a production company and secured funding via RKO and its owner, Howard Hughes.

      However, their partnership blossomed into a romance during the film's production, leading to the birth of their daughter, actress Isabella Rossellini.

      Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

      Credit: Anglo-EMI Film Distributors

      The adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express is already captivating due to its impressive cast, with Bergman shining brightly among them. She won her third Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

      The ensemble also included Lauren Bacall, who had famously starred opposite Bogart, as well as a plethora of distinguished actors, including Sean Connery, fresh off his James Bond success; Jacqueline Bissett, Michael York, Albert Finney, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, and many others. It's fascinating to witness so many cinematic legends sharing the screen.

      Bergman passed away from breast cancer on her 67th birthday in 1982, eight years later. Still, she continued to work and excel right up to the end.

      If you enjoyed this list, you might be interested in our selection of Classic 1940s Movies That Remain Enjoyable to Watch.

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      Main image: Ingrid Bergman