Customer Reviews

Saratoga Trunk

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ingrid is more beautiful than ever; Gary is perfect as "that Texas" out for revenge and fortune by hook or crook. As Clio and "Cleent", in her restored French Quarter house, when they stroll in her small garden and the lovely Steiner love theme plays, it is a romantics dream. ...if you love beautiful costumes, sets, and the romantic films from the golden era, you will like this movie.
When the little lawyer sent by her fathers aristocratic family comes to her house to buy her off and get her out of town, she bests him in the negotiations. A Magic Movie Moment comes when he looks at her with a small smile and says "may I say - you are very -- beautiful?" And she says with a beautiful, wicked smile "Yes, isn't it lucky?" You want to say YES!! You go girl!
Florence Bates as the grand dame in Saratoga steals every scene she is in. Jerry Austin as the dwarf "Pepito" jack-of-all-trades, is fun and I think brings dignity to the role. Flora Robson is quite good as the maid/companion and received an academy award nomination.
But it is the romantic French Quarter, the wide veranda at the Saratoga hotel, with all the old biddies rocking and gossiping; and Clio and Clint, two rogues, and their love story that make this so much fun to watch. Just relax and enjoy.

This movie is fun and entertaining, with Ingrid Bergman giving a wonderful performance as Clio, showing just how talented and versatile she is. Gary Cooper is also good in a very typical Cooper role as a Texas cowboy. The movie has some very witty and sparkling dialogue, with Bergman having some of the best lines, and the best scenes are between her and Cooper. A must-see for Bergman fans.

I absolutely love this film,if you have not seen it,you are in for a real treat. The acting is supurb by all,and the theme music is positively beautiful. Wish it would soon be available on DVD.

I would rate this film high on my list of Ingrid Bergman films. Ingrid's beauty aside, her talent is evident in scene afer scene. She was sad, mean, witty, snobbish, flirtatious, delightfully funny, loving, tender, sorrowful, distressed, happy, etc. You name it, she was all those things and more. -And so convincing. She made her character come alive! What an actress! The electricity in this film between Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman is evident in every scene they are together. I have watched Saratoga Trunk many times. Each time I have come away with the feeling of deep satisfaction and enjoyment.

This, in my opinion, is a wonderful movie. Ingrid Bergman is glorious and simply ravishing and Gary Cooper as handsome as ever. A must see in my book.

"Saratoga Trunk" is one of Ferber's finest novels. She captures the essence of New Orleans and Saratoga in the late 19th century.

The movie is remarkably true to the novel..what's more, given the war-time deprivations when the film was made, the sets are outstanding.

Just wish the movie had stayed on course with the novel at the end..but still very much worth your while to view.

Saratoga Trunk is such a unique story. The performances by Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman are playful and seriously indepth by turns. I have loved watching this movie many times over and see something new in the filming each time.

Forget the reviews that say miscast, Ingrid Bergman is perfect in this movie; she has never been more beautiful and gives a most amusing performance.

Ingrid Bergman really shines in this offbeat romantic epic from Edna Ferber. The story is a simplification of Ferber's massive novel about the early days of the famous Saratoga Springs spa and the "railroad war" in upstate New York just after the Civil War. The title refers to the Saratoga Trunk Line, a vital and lucrative railway between the coal mines and the New England markets, which was fought over by several robber barons. If you want to know more about the railway battles and the spa, read the book Saratoga Trunk (Perennial Classics). But if you are a fan of Bergman and her co-star, Gary Cooper, sit back and enjoy the fireworks between them in their second film together (after For Whom the Bell Tolls).

Clio Dulaine and Clint Maroon--only Edna Ferber could come up with names like that for her larger-than-life protagonists. Bergman is Clio, a raven-haired(!) Creole(!) beauty whose constant companions are Dame Flora Robson (in blackface!) as her mulatto nanny and the wonderful small actor Jerry Austin as her faithful dwarf manservant. Bergman schemes and lies her way into Saratoga's high society to exact revenge against her father's family for dishonoring her late mother, and along the way she falls for Cooper, a Texas gambler with a revenge plan of his own (involving the railroad). Needless to say, sparks fly, trains crash, and Max Steiner music pounds in the background (the score is highlighted by Steiner's lovely theme song, "As Long As I Live"). Director Sam Wood manages to bring a light touch to the sprawling plot, and that's a big compliment.

This film is fascinating for several reasons. Clio is Bergman's least typical role--a ruthless, scheming, charming vixen (did I mention the raven hair?). Robson's cross-racial performance is a real triumph--she hits all the "mammy" stereotypes while maintaining the character's dignity and humanity. (Yes, they should have cast an actress of color, but Robson received the film's only Academy Award nomination for her performance.) Austin has a field day as the clever manservant--one of the best roles ever given to a small person in old Hollywood--and he, like Robson, emerges as a dignified, noble character. There are even powerful moments for both of them, when they each chastise Cooper for his disrespectful treatment of them. Edna Ferber was passionate about equality for all people (see Show Boat, Giant (Two-Disc Special Edition), and Ice Palace for more on this), and these are two of her best characters. And Gary Cooper is--well, Gary Cooper, a man among men and a superstar among actors. All in all, SARATOGA TRUNK is a lot of fun. Recommended.

I love this movie! Both Gary Cooper and Ingrid Bergman are superb! I hope it will soon be released as a DVD.