Isabella Rossellini’s parents are, as is well known, the Italian director Roberto Rossellini and the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman. The two had been married for seven years, then Rossellini fell in love with another, and it was all over. Nevertheless, the divorce must have been borne by lasting sympathy, if one believes the memories of the daughter, who is known to have become an actress herself and was a sought-after model for a long time.
Her book “In the Name of the Father, the Daughter and the Holy Spirit” was published in 2006 on the occasion of the 100th birthday of her father (who died in 1977). There are some great stories in it. For example one about the end of the love affair between Roberto Rossellini and the Italian actress Anna Magnani. At some point the two of them went to the Hotel Luna in Amalfi for a weekend. Rossellini was waiting for a telegram from Ingrid Bergman, whom he had already met secretly. To be on the safe side, he told the concierge that if a telegram came from Los Angeles, he should give it to him in secret. But when he came through the reception with Magnani on the way to the restaurant, the porter proudly waved it around. Magnani took it, read it, knew about it. They sat down to eat, ordered spaghetti, and when the meal came she asked if he wanted a little more sauce for his pasta. She touched some for him, olive oil, Parmesan, mixed everything up lovingly – and poured the contents of the plate over his head.
Another beautiful story is about Martin Scorsese, the director Isabella Rossellini was married to from 1979 to 1982. Every morning when he woke up he said “Fuck it”, over and over again, in quick succession. She didn’t understand. What was her husband swearing before he got up? It wasn’t until much later that she realized it wasn’t a curse, but a mantra. It gave him the energy he needed to get out of bed and face a new day. (The story gets a lot nicer if you picture Martin Scorsese correctly.)