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

At the end of the shoot, Ingmar Bergman weighed 57kg.

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Goofs

While everyone is at the supper, Henrik collapses on the table. Anna puts her hand on his right shoulder but after a cutaway to Fredrik's face, her hand is now on the left shoulder. She is also much closer to the table, and Fredrik is looking the wrong way.

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Quotes

[Carl Magnus' wife has just told him that his mistress may be involved with someone else - he says to his wife]
Carl Magnus: I can tolerate my wife's infidelity, but if anyone touches my mistress, I become a tiger.

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Connections

Referenced in Scorsese on Scorsese (2004)

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Soundtracks

"LIEBESTRAUM OPUS 62 NR 3"
Music by Franz Liszt

User Reviews

One of the most literate and satisfying of all romantic comedies

Ingmar Bergman's dramatic forays capture what is very essential to great dramas- the key emotions should be expressed like poetry, flowing to a rhythm even if it's somber and tragic. He uses this emotional logic with his actors for this comedy of manners and the heart (pre-Seventh Seal), where he has his screenplay wonderfully unfold the character's amusing feelings on love, sex, and dealing with the opposite gender, all the while making sure his players know the words and the music. Here he has Gunnar Bjornstrand, a regular later on, as a lawyer who has a son and mistress, but also pines for an actress who may not fancy him as much as she used to. Harriet Andersson, also a regular in other Bergman films (a key one being Cries and Whispers where she played the dying woman), appears as a young, joyful woman, who even gives the lawyer's son, a priest, a bit of lust here and there.

In fact, Smiles of a Summer Night is Bergman's most joyous film, though that's not to say there can't be grand moments of joy in his dramas and reflections on god. But in this film, he shows how he is a filmmaker quite competent to skillfully accomplish a story of real people in real romantic whimsies, and at times (such as a quick scene on a bed with two giggling, laughing girls) reveals his views on humanity are truly not as bleak as some might think. Assuredly a must watch for fans of the director, yet one may want to watch a couple of his dramas if they're just starting out on his films (depending on the mood- personally, this would serve as a great pick-me-up as opposed to the stark Cries and Whispers).