Sommaren med Monika (1953)

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writers:

Per Anders Fogelström (novel)
Per Anders Fogelström (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 February 1953 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

A Picture for Wide Screens and Broad Minds

Plot:

Harry Lund is a nineteen years old young man who meets Monika, a romantic, reckless and rebel seventeen...

Plot Keywords:

Summer | Love | Archipelago | Island | Female Nudity

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Harriet Andersson	...	Monika
Lars Ekborg	...	Harry
Dagmar Ebbesen	...	Harry's aunt
Åke Fridell	...	Monika's father
Naemi Briese	...	Monika's mother
Åke Grönberg	...	Harry's friend at work
Sigge Fürst	...	Porcelain warehouse worker
John Harryson	...	Lelle
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gert Fylking	...	The Boy - statist

Also Known As:

Monika, the Story of a Bad Girl (USA)
Summer with Monika

Runtime:

96 min | USA:62 min (re-edited version)

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (video rating) (1994)

Filming Locations:

Ornö, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

Jerald Intrator was hired by U.S. distributor, Kroger Babb, to shoot a few additional nude inserts and supervise the U.S. dub and re-scoring by Les Baxter.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Horrible Honeys (1988) (V)

Soundtrack:

HELAN GAAR

Not so eternal love story

This is a 'boy meets girl' film which continues beyond the meeting. It revolves mainly around Harry Lund , a shy, not so confident, nineteen year old, who catches the fancy of the spirited, carefree, seventeen year old Monika. Harry is a helper boy in a crockery store who goes home to a quiet uneventful middle class house which he shares with his aging and not so well father; while Monika comes from a rather poor background sharing a tiny noisy room with her mother, younger brothers and a drunk father. While Harry is lonely, Monika is claustrophobic. They both meet at a bar and the forthcoming Monika asks Harry out for a movie. Thus begins their love story. One day out of sheer frustration Monika leaves her home and comes to Harry; who quits his job as well and leaves with Monika on his father's boat. His father meanwhile is in hospital being tended to by Harry's Aunt.Harry and Monika leave the city and travel to an island; the boat being their home for the summer.Here we enjoy the companionship that grows between them, their beautiful life as a couple, the joy of togetherness they share, basking free in Nature. Monika, especially seen through the eyes of Harry,who has rebelled, maybe for the first time in his life and sensing everything anew.Its so enchanting to watch Hariet Anderson as Monika, dressed in her underwear hopping along so carefree and teaching Harry to dance .We admire her as Harry does.One day Monika reveals that she is pregnant, and the couple dream about the baby and happy days ahead.However paradise does not seem perfect.Trouble starts with an altercation with Lenny, Monikas ex-flame who happens to be on the same island and tries to sabotage their boat. Together they manage to fight him, however with having lost a lot of essentials that were keeping them comfortable so far. The next frustration comes in the form of Monika getting really annoyed at the monotony of eating mushrooms and they decide to steal food from a farm. Monika manages a narrow escape and steals some meat. From here onwards we see Monika getting cranky and frustrated and Harry having to bow down to her demands. They decide to return to the city and get married, with the help of Harry's Aunt, an ever efficient older woman. Harry soon takes up a job and studies at night to provide for the family which now has a baby girl, while Monika does not enjoy the responsibilities of being a wife and mother. In her rebellious streak , she starts dating Lenny again, whilst Harry is away on duty. Harry , on returning early from work is devastated to find that Monika has been cheating on him and they decide to separate in a beautiful scene showing the maturity of Harry, who is still in love with Monika but realises that the summer of life is long over and there is no hope left in the relationship. Harry is left with the baby girl.There is hope that Monika lives on in the baby.

Bergmans undisputed skill with the medium of cinema comes through with this film. Shot brilliantly in Black and white, there are some memorable scenes in the film, like the time the boat recedes in a single shot into the background of clear waters and Monikas tiny figure stands up midway, breaking the monotony of the shot and another powerful shot of Monika just staring at the camera in a close up,for a long time,breaking what is called 'the fourth wall of cinema' and acknowledging our involvement as an audience which makes us uncomfortable.Such close ups being a trademark of Bergman.There are beautiful scenes , where Bergman indulges us with the picturesque visuals of nature complimenting the harmony of the relationship. One is also amazed at the brevity of characters and the crispness of the screenplay used in this film and the simple story which gets layers of richness due to the detailing involved in their mannerisms. The evolution of the Monika's escapist character from someone whose young spirit we love to someone who refuses to grow older and mature, happens so gradually and naturally through the film, making us feel we know her really well.And Harry's endearing character, who is at the heart of hearts a very responsible boy.The heartbreaking scene of separation,of love gone sour, the possibility of being in love forever, maybe, but impossibility of being compatible goes to show that Bergamn did not believe in the Eternal love stories and happily ever afters.May be we just have to grow up and accept it.

If you have enjoyed this film, I strongly suggest you watch L'Infant by Dardenne brothers. A story of a teenage juvenille couple with a baby.The dynamics of Harry and Monika's situation seen in contemporary cinema and handled with a skill on par with Bergman.