Sommarnattens leende (1955)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

23 December 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

A Sexy Frolic About the Sport of Love

Plot:

A small town at the turn of the century. Lawer Fredrik EGerman has an ingenue-wife, Anne, and a grown-up son...

Plot Keywords:

Mistress | Country House | Maid | Sweden | Incest

Awards:

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Ulla Jacobsson	...	Anne Egerman
Eva Dahlbeck	...	Desiree Armfeldt
Harriet Andersson	...	Petra the Maid
Margit Carlqvist	...	Countess Charlotte Malcolm (as Margit Carlquist)
Gunnar Björnstrand	...	Fredrik Egerman
Jarl Kulle	...	Count Carl Magnus Malcolm
Åke Fridell	...	Frid the Groom
Björn Bjelfvenstam	...	Henrik Egerman (as Björn Bjelvenstam)
Naima Wifstrand	...	Mrs. Armfeldt
Jullan Kindahl	...	Beata, cook
Gull Natorp	...	Malla
Birgitta Valberg	...	Actress
Bibi Andersson	...	Actress

Also Known As:

Smiles of a Summer Night (USA)

Runtime:

108 min | Argentina:110 min | France:105 min (2001 DVD release)

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-11 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Portugal:17 (censored version) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG (video rating) (1995) | UK:X (original rating) (1956) (cut) | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Anderslöv, Skåne län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

On Time magazine's 100 greatest films list.

Quotes:

Mrs. Armfeldt: Why is youth so terribly unmerciful? And who has given it permission to be that way?

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Zomergasten: (#18.1)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

FREUT EUCH DES LEBENS

Sometimes a deadpan comedy, sometimes a dark introspective epic

Sardonic morality story about four couples who represent the different aspects of love. Sometimes a deadpan comedy, sometimes a dark introspective epic. I loved the scenes between the Count and Fredrik, showing off the different faces of arrogance. In some places it can get overly melodramatic - the orchestra hits, for example, no longer have the same meaning.

The visual metaphors are the most subtle, and most interesting, that I have ever seen (many are laughably overt and cleverly overshadow the more subtle ones). If you don't speak Swedish and have to read subtitles, try as much as you can to read the faces of the women as they speak, especially Charlotte and Desiree as they try and overcome their phallic universe.