Saratoga Trunk [VHS]
by Sam Wood
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Flora Robson, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Jerry Austin, John WarburtonDirector: Sam Wood
Cinematographer: Ernest Haller
Editor: Ralph Dawson
Producer: Hal B. Wallis
Producer: Jack L. Warner
Writer: Casey Robinson
Writer: Edna Ferber
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Digital Video Transfer, HiFi Sound, NTSC
Running Time: 135 minutes
Release Date: 1996-06-25
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: MGM (Warner)
Studio: MGM (Warner)
VHS Movie Reviews of Saratoga Trunk [VHS]
Movie Review: Bergman+Cooper=Fun
Summary: 4 Stars
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.
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