Sommarnattens leende (1955)

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

  (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

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:

Filmed in 55 days in the midst of a heatwave.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

Charlotte: Men are horrible, vain and conceited. They have hair all over their bodies.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ingmar Bergman: Om liv och arbete (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

BORT MED SORG OCH BITTERHET

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).