Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman on the set of ‘Spellbound’ (1945)
The maestro of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock was praised for what has deemed his greatest casting lead selections for any of his films in the thriller Spellbound. However, from Gregory Peck and Ingrid, In an era when mental illness was seldom spoken or examined, the producer of Spellbound hoped to use the film to start a conversation about the advantages of psychoanalysis.
Ingrid Bergman promo for Casablanca (1942)
Ingrid Bergman and her performance in Casablanca were the final great hits in her career before she was unfairly wrecked by a random, nobody-asked-you Colorado senator, in yet another sigh-inducing example of a woman taking all the negative criticism for something that was no one’s business in the first place. Ingrid had an affair with a married director (who was also married), became pregnant, and the two decided to divorce their marriages and marry. The senator, who was previously a friend of Ingrid, publicly criticized her as “an assault on the institution of marriage.” So much hate mail poured in for Ingrid that an American comedian performed an exposé on it.
Charlie Chaplin and His Last Wife, Oona O’Neill
Charlie Chaplin is generally remembered for his contributions to cinema, and he is seldom chastised for his pervasive and frightening fondness for juvenile brides. But, except for his final marriage, Oona O’Neil, he never married or had children with anybody who wasn’t a kid herself. She was the oldest wife Chaplin had ever had, from the age of 18 to his 55. Despite Chaplin being in his 40s and beyond when he married them, Chaplin’s four prior wives were all approximately 16 years old on average.
Brigitte Bardot, Cannes (1950)
Brigitte Bardot is shown as a youthful, fresh face before her celebrity made her THE sex symbol of the 1960s. On the other hand, Brigitte is and will be much more than a gorgeous actress and trendsetter. Brigitte is one of the world’s most prominent animal rights advocates and supporters, putting her reputation and riches to good use. In reality, she left Hollywood sooner than she needed to in the 1970s to retire early on a St. Tropez estate and undertake what she calls her “true life’s work and love for animal rights.”