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

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

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 ingénue-wife, Anne, and a grown-up son...

Plot Keywords:

Mistress | Country House | Societal Hypocrisy | Nobleman | Young Wife

Awards:

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

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georg Adelly	...	Legal clerk (uncredited)
David Erikson	...	Tobacconist (uncredited)
Sigge Fürst	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Sten Gester	...	Servant (uncredited)
Viveca Heister	...	(uncredited)
Birgitta Hellerstedt	...	(uncredited)
Svea Holst	...	Dresser (uncredited)
Ulf Johansson	...	Legal Clerk (uncredited)
Arne Lindblad	...	Actor (uncredited)
Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt	...	Legal clerk (uncredited)
Lisa Lundholm	...	Mrs. Almgren (uncredited)
Mona Malm	...	Maid (uncredited)
John Melin	...	Mrs Armfeldt's servant (uncredited)
Börje Mellvig	...	Legal clerk (uncredited)
Gunnar Nielsen	...	Niklas, Malcolm's servant (uncredited)
Yngve Nordwall	...	Ferdinand (uncredited)
Josef Norman	...	Elderly dinner guest (uncredited)
Gösta Prüzelius	...	Servant (uncredited)
Mille Schmidt	...	Servant (uncredited)
Georg Skarstedt	...	Legal clerk (uncredited)
Hans Strååt	...	Adolf Almgren, photographer (uncredited)
Lena Söderblom	...	Maid (uncredited)
Einar Söderbäck	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Anders Wulff	...	Fredrik, Desirée's son (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman

Produced by
Allan Ekelund	....	producer

Original Music by
Erik Nordgren

Cinematography by
Gunnar Fischer

Film Editing by
Oscar Rosander

Production Design by
P.A. Lundgren

Costume Design by
Mago

Makeup Department
Carl M. Lundh	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lennart Olsson	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Per-Olof Pettersson	....	sound (as P.O. Pettersson)
Lennart Wallin	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Huch	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Åke Nilsson	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department
Eskil Eckert-Lundin	....	conductor (as E. Eckert-Lundin)
Erik Nordgren	....	music arranger (uncredited)

Other crew
Gustav Roger	....	supervisor
Katinka Faragó	....	continuity clerk (uncredited)
Ove Kant	....	technical assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (as A.B. Svensk Filmindustri Productions)

Distributors

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1955) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Arthaus Filmverleih (1955) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Filmitalus (1956) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Les Films Marceau (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Rank Film Distributors of America (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Embassy Home Entertainment (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Opening Distribution (2001) (France) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Veneza Filmes (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Sommarnattens leende" - Sweden (original title)

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:

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 | USA:Approved | USA:Passed (National Board of Review)

Filming Locations:

Anderslöv, Skåne län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Trivia:

To add to his woes, Bergman's producer at Svensk Filmindustri informed him that he would not be able to finance his next film if this one didn't perform at the box office.

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:

Mrs. Armfeldt:[holding a cup of wine at a dinner table] My dear children and friends. According to legend, the wine is pressed from grapes whose juice gushes out like drops of blood against the pale grape skin. It is also said that to each cask filled with this wine was added a drop of milk from a young mother's breast and a drop of seed from a young stallion. These lend to the wine secret seductive powers. Whoever drinks hereof does so at his own risk and must answer for himself.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Desperate Housewives: Smiles of a Summer Night (#4.2)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

FREUT EUCH DES LEBENS

One of Bergmans's best

I have seen just about all of Bergman's available films and Smiles of a Summer Night is among my favorites. The humor derives from the situations, cleverness of the dialogue and foibles of the characters, rather than from Woody Allen-type punch lines. (Bergman has funnier lines in Seventh Seal coming from the squire in his scenes with the church painter and blacksmith). Much of the humor comes from the changeability of the characters. At one point, Jarl Kulle's character says he doesn't mind if someone has an affair with his wife, but they better not fool around with his mistress, and later on says just the opposite. Like Renoir's Rules of the Game or Carne's Children of Paradise, the ensemble cast grows on you with each viewing. Along with Wild Strawberries, a good place to start with Bergman.