Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
"Sommarnattens leende" (original title)

A small town at the turn of the century. Lawer Fredrik Egerman has an ingénue-wife, Anne, and a grown-up son, Henrik, from an earlier marriage. His wife is still untouched, and instead he ... See full summary »

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson

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

Cast

Complete credited 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

Storyline

A small town at the turn of the century. Lawer Fredrik Egerman has an ingénue-wife, Anne, and a grown-up son, Henrik, from an earlier marriage. His wife is still untouched, and instead he meets his former mistress Desiree after her performance at the theatre. They leave the theatre together and Egerman falls in one of the puddles. Desiree takes him to her home and Egerman changes into a night-shirt, owned by count Malcolm, Desirees present lover. Suddenly the count comes for a visit and throws Egerman out.

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Plot Keywords:

mistress | country house | societal hypocrisy | nobleman | young wife | 

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Taglines:

A Sexy Frolic About the Sport of Love

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

23 December 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Smiles of a Summer Night

Filming Locations:

Anderslöv, Skåne län, Sweden

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 105 min (2001 DVD release)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Ingmar Bergman, Svensk Filmindustri submitted the film to that year's Cannes Film Festival without informing him. Bergman claims he found out when he was reading the newspaper, saw the headline "Swedish Success at Cannes," and soon realized they were talking about his film.

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Goofs

When Egerman looks in the mirror at Desiree's, his nightcap is bent forwards over his face. In the next shots after he has moved away from the mirror, the nightcap is now bent towards his right shoulder.

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Quotes

Frid the Groom: We invoke love, call out to it, beg for it, cry for it, try to mimic it. We think we own it and tell lies about it.
Petra the Maid: But we don't have it.
Frid the Groom: No my sugar pie. We are denied the love of loving. We don't have the gift.
Petra the Maid: Nor the punishment.

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Connections

Spoofed in Love and Death (1975)

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Soundtracks

"LIEBESTRAUM OPUS 62 NR 3"
Music by Franz Liszt

User Reviews

Deft comedy, more playful and lighter than its sisters.

I approached Smiles of a Summer Night as a fan of Sondheim's score for A Little Night Music. (I'd never seen the show.) Smiles served as a good beginning to Bergman films: it's got some very dry humour, some very physical comedy, and the trademark panorama of morality that accompanies a Bergman character set. Overall, the film expresses a rather subtle message wrapped in both lighthearted comedy and heavy family relations (not unlike the Sondheim score). It's a message worth hearing, and Bergman's handiwork make its rather deep aspects more approachable. Let's not also forget the beautiful cast and settings, which are appreciated in ANY language. :)