Vintage Photos of Ingrid Bergman in Hitchcock´s Under Capricorn (1949)

Under Capricorn is, a 1949 British historical thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, about a man who is in love with a woman who turns out to be an alcoholic. Hitchcock considered it to be one of his worst films. It was based on the novel Under Capricorn (1937) by Australian novelist and politician Helen Simpson.

The film is a mystery involving a love triangle, set in colonial Sydney, New South Wales, Australia during the 1830s. The new Governor, Sir Richard (Cecil Parker), arrives with his cheery but indolent nephew, the Honorable Charles Adare (Michael Wilding), who is invited to dinner by a local business man (Joseph Cotten) and discovers that he already knows his wife, Lady Henrietta (Ingrid Bergman). She is now a hopeless alcoholic who is socially shunned, but she used to be a good friend of Charles’ sister when they were children in Ireland.

The title “Under Capricorn” references the Tropic of Capricorn, which bisects Australia. Capricornus is a constellation; Capricorn is an astrological sign dominated by the goat, which is a symbol of sexual desire.

Publicity shot of Ingrid Bergman and Michael Wilding in “Under Capricorn”, 1949 via

Publicity shot of Ingrid Bergman and Michael Wilding in “Under Capricorn”, 1949 via

Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding in “Under Capricorn”, 1949 via

Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding in “Under Capricorn”, 1949 via

Ingrid Bergman, Joseph Cotten, Michael Wilding in “Under Capricorn”, 1949 via

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1946)

Notorious is a 1946 American spy film noir directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains as three people whose lives become intimately entangled during an espionage operation. It was shot in late 1945 and early 1946, and was released by RKO Radio Pictures in August 1946.

Notorious is considered by critics and scholars to mark a watershed for Hitchcock artistically, and to represent a heightened thematic maturity. His biographer, Donald Spoto, writes that:

 “Notorious is in fact Alfred Hitchcock’s first attempt—at the age of forty-six—to bring his talents to the creation of a serious love story, and its story of two men in love with Ingrid Bergman could only have been made at this stage of his life.”

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1946 via

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1946 via

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1946 via

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1946 via

Ingrid Bergman for Notorious directed by Alfred Hitchcock, 1946 via

 

Alma Reville and Alfred Hitchcock on their Wedding Day (1926)

Photograph of Alma Reville and Alfred Hitchcock on their wedding day, 1926 via

Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock on the set of The Birds (1963)

1963 horror thriller “The Birds” features the screen debut of Tippi Hedren. Hitchcock told a reporter, after a few weeks of filming, that she was remarkable, and said:

“She’s already reaching the lows and highs of terror”.

The film is loosely based on the 1952 story by Daphne du Maurier. It is set primarily in Bodega Bay, California which is, suddenly and for unexplained reasons, the subject of a series of widespread and violent bird attacks over the course of a few days.

The film was written by author and screenwriter Evan Hunter. Hitchcock told him to develop new characters and a more elaborate plot, keeping du Maurier’s title and concept of unexplained bird attacks.

Alfred Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren filming The Birds. Photograph: Ronald Grant Archive via

Tippi Hedren with Hitchcock filming The Birds via

Tippi Hedren talks to director Alfred Hitchcock while sitting on his chair on the set of The Birds via