Main Cast: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Cecil Parker, Phyllis Calvert, David Kossoff
Release Year: 1958
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Adapted by Norman Krasna from his play Kind Sir, Indiscreet stars Ingrid Bergman as a wealthy actress and Cary Grant as an international financial wizard. While Grant is visiting London, Bergman's sister Phyllis Calvert and brother-in-law Cecil Parker introduce Grant to Bergman. Because he feels he has no time for marriage, Grant pretends to be married to avoid romantic tangles. Bergman, however, finds the prospect of an affair with a married man to be quite exhilarating. When she discovers the truth, Bergman gets even with the now-smitten Grant by faking a romance with an ex-boy friend--ordering luckless chauffeur David Kossoff to pose as her beau. A comedy by grownups, about grownups and for grownups (at least by 1958 standards), Indiscreet proved to be far more successful as a film than as a stage play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Known at the time almost exclusively for directing and choreographing musicals, Stanley Donen did a fine job bringing 1958's Indiscreet to the screen. The tone and the scenario would have fit a musical quite well, but when you have Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant -- two of the most talented, attractive, and intelligent movie stars ever -- you don't bother with production numbers. Adapted by Norman Krasna from his own play, the material is clever and edgy (especially for the time) but pretty standard romantic comedy fare. Grant and Bergman, who had previously starred together in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious, elevate the film to particularly satisfying fun. Playing in the slightly risqué Indiscreet was a risky choice for Bergman, who had just recently (with 1956's Anastasia) been accepted back into American films following her affair with, marriage to, and then divorce from filmmaker Roberto Rossellini. Grant had begun to show his age a bit, as had Bergman, but he was still working steadily as the archetypal leading man. Indiscreet was the second of four movies that he made with Donen in a six-year period: Kiss Them For Me preceded it, while The Grass is Greener and the lovable Charade followed. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
Megs Jenkins - Doris Banks; Oliver Johnston - Mr. Finleigh; Middleton Woods - Finleigh's Clerk; Michael Anthony - Oscar; Diane Clare; Frank Hawkins; Richard Vernon; Eric Francis
Anna Kalman (Bergman) is an accomplished actress who has given up hope at finding the man of her dreams. By chance she meets a handsome diplomat, Philip Adams (Grant). The plot thickens as they begin a love at first sight relationship and she finds out that he has been keeping a secret from her. When she learns of his lie, she becomes furious and works out a plan to trick him into revealing the secret.
The movie was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy at the Golden Globes and BAFTA Film Awards. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman were also nominated for Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture Actor - Comedy/Musical and Best Motion Picture Actress - Comedy/Musical.
