Hedda Gabler
Bergman produced a near replica of his 1964 Royal Dramatic Theatre staging in London, with an unfortunate Maggie Smith in the leading role.
'Hedda in London was not a good production. All the rehearsals were plagued. I despise London.'Ingmar Bergman
About the production
This was Bergman's first production outside Scandinavia. In England, Bergman met actors with a different rehearsal routine than in Scandinavia. 'Their professionalism and speed frightened me a little. [ ...] They had learned their lines by the first rehearsal. As soon as they had the scenery, they started acting at a fast tempo. I asked to slow down a little and they loyally tried to, but it bewildered them'.
A number of reviews sensed a mismatch between director and actress, and complained about the icy coldness of Bergman's vision of Hedda's surrounding.
Sources
- The Ingmar Bergman Archives.
- Birgitta Steene, Ingmar Bergman: A Reference Guide, (Amsterdam University Press, 2005).
Collaborators
- Maggie Smith, Hedda Gabler
- Jeremy Brett, Jörgen Tesman
- Robert Stephens, Eilert Lövborg
- Jeanne Watts, Juliane Tesman
- Sheila Reid, Thea Elvsted
- John Moffatt, assessor Brack
- Julia McCarthy, Berte
- Henrik Ibsen, Author
- Richard Hamer, Stage manager
- Ingmar Bergman, Director
- Michael Meyer, Translation