Juninatten (1940)

Director:

Per Lindberg

Writers:

Tora Nordström-Bonnier (novel)
Ragnar Hyltén-Cavallius (writer)

Release Date:

3 April 1940 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Young Karin Nordbäck lives in a small town. She has a relationship with a sailor, but when she tries to leave him...

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper | Judge | Trial | Stockholm Sweden | Journalism

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ingrid Bergman	...	Kerstin Norbäc - aka Sara Nordanå
Marianne Löfgren	...	Åsa
Lill-Tollie Zellman	...	Jane Jacobs
Marianne Aminoff	...	Nickan Dahlin
Olof Widgren	...	Stefan von Bremen
Gunnar Sjöberg	...	Nils Asklund
Gabriel Alw	...	Professor Tillberg
Olof Winnerstrand	...	Count
Sigurd Wallén	...	Editor J:son-Eld - aka 'Röken'
Hasse Ekman	...	Willy Wilson - Journalist
Maritta Marke	...	Miss Vanja - Journalist
Gudrun Brost	...	Mrs. Nilsson, telephone operator
John Botvid	...	Gurkan
Karin Swanström	...	Mrs. Cronsiöö
Carl Ström	...	Doctor Berggren

Also Known As:

A Night in June
June Night

Runtime:

88 min | USA:89 min (subtitled release) (TV version)

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Peterson Poulsen/AGA Baltic)

Certification:

USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

This was the final movie for 'Ingrid Bergman' before she moved to the United States.

Soundtrack:

Bagatelle No.25 in A minor 'Für Elise', WoO.59

an okay flick that badly falters at the end

This is a decent film that probably could have been a lot better if it had maintained its focus. Ingrid Bergman plays a woman who is shot by her angry boyfriend when she breaks up with him (she does narrowly survive). She is then hounded by the press and made into a sensationalistic case against her will. The movie implies that she had behaved a bit "trampy" but exactly how is never clear. Ultimately, she decides to change her ways and leaves town-- changing her name and beginning life anew. But, in the big city of Stockholm, she is once again recognized and the problems appear ready to begin once again.

So far, this is good film making and this would have been the basis for a good movie. However, when an inexplicable romance was tacked on to the end, the movie badly falters for two reasons. First, it just didn't make sense--the man had seen her from afar but had never even talked to her. BUT, as soon as they talk, he agrees to leave his steady girlfriend and run away with Ingrid! Second, you are led by the script to feel sorry for Ingrid and see that she is a decent girl but then she steals her best friend's steady boyfriend! Both conspire to pull this movie into mediocrity. If Bergman's career hadn't taken off at about the same time this movie was released, this film would have probably been forgotten.

FYI--The sensibilities of this film are very ANTI-Hollywood at times. Because it is a Swedish film, the characters are a lot more frank about sex (particularly pre-marital) than Hollywood films of the same era. The difference is very interesting.