‘Battleship Femininity’ deconstructed: Unmasking the myth of Eva Dahlbeck and Ingmar Bergman

What is it about?

The Swedish film actress Eva Dahlbeck (1920–2008) is now remembered mainly for her contributions to Ingmar Bergman’s comedies in the 1950s and for the epithet ‘Pansarskeppet Kvinnligheten’ (‘Battleship Femininity’), allegedly given to her by the director. However, she had been an established star already in her pre-Bergman career. This paper examines her stardom from 1946 to 1956 and analyse three characters she plays in Bergman's films to elucidates their historical and cultural context while also providing a case study of film stardom in post-war Sweden.

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Photo by Daria Volkova on Unsplash

Photo by Daria Volkova on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Dahlbeck and her epithet ‘Battleship Femininity’ has integrated her stardom into the myth-making process driven by Bergman and the press. This can erroneously give him sole credit for Dahlbeck’s fame despite. My paper reconsiders such an auteurist misconception by analysing star image of Dahlbeck and its relationship to the three characters she plays in Bergman’s films.