Elena and Her Men (1956)

I've loved Ingrid Bergman for a long time. I first saw her in Notorious, and back then, I couldn't tell one musty old Hitchcock leading lady from the next. Yet, when I saw Casablanca, when she walked into Rick's Cafe Americane, I was floored. In an instant, her beautiful face and great performance in Notorious all came back to me. I've seen around 12 of her films now, give or take, and she's probably my personal favorite actress of all-time. However, seeing some of her early, lesser-quality Swedish films and reading in Ingmar Bergman's autobiography how difficult and ignorant she was to work with, my interest has waned. But maybe I need some Ilsa Lund to rekindle my spirits?

Elena and Her Men is a huge misstep for Renoir and Bergman, or My Ingie as I used to refer to her (only in the company of my ex, I assure you). It's not a bad film, but it's not a good one either. It has a few good, funny moments, such as her husband's horny son who hits on everyone but the girl he's to be married to, and some great character beats between Elena and, surprise surprise, her men. But, mostly, it's just a formulaic, muddled hodgepodge of lackluster plotting and poor political intrigue. Bergman plays Elena with a great depth, surprisingly, but it's unfortunate that her character isn't written with half of the personality that she brings to the table.