Intermezzo. 1936. Sweden. Directed by Gustaf Molander. In Swedish; English subtitles. 93 min.
With Gösta Ekman, Inga Tidblad, Ingrid Bergman, and Hasse Ekman. The legendary Swedish stage star Gösta Ekman was top billed in this classic melodrama about a concert violinist who becomes passionately involved with his daughter’s piano teacher—though it was the young actress who played his lover, the 21-year-old Ingrid Bergman, who caught the eye of the producer David O. Selznick. Selznick would bring Bergman to Hollywood to star in a remake three years later, launching her international career. Ekman’s son, Hasse, appears in a supporting role as the violinist’s son; a gifted filmmaker in his own right, the younger Ekman is the subject of a MoMA retrospective this month. Digital restoration courtesy the Swedish Film Institute. Selected by Roberto Rossellini, Jr.