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 ingenue-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:

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:

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.

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:I am tired of people. But that doesn't stop me from loving them.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ingmar Bergman on Life and Work (1998) (TV)

Soundtrack:

LIEBESTRAUM OPUS 62 NR 3

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).