Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)

In Sweden at the turn of the century, members of the upper class and their servants find themselves in a romantic tangle that they try to work out amidst jealousy and heartbreak.

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writer:

Ingmar Bergman

Stars:

Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson

Nominated for 3 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

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

It's late nineteenth century Sweden. Middle aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman and his nineteen year old current wife Anne Egerman's two-year marriage has not yet been consummated. Fredrik wants to give Anne as much time as she needs to feel comfortable before losing her virginity. Although she loved Fredrik when they got married, Anne realizes she is attracted to Fredrik's adult son, Henrik Egerman, a brooding seminary student who is home following his most recent exams. Also a virgin, Henrik has been in an awkward flirtation with the Egermans' sexually experienced maid, Petra, in an effort to lose his virginity. When she first sees actress Desirée Armfeldt, Anne, without Fredrik telling her, knows that Desirée and Fredrik used to be lovers, the two who still have feelings for each other. Desirée currently is having an affair with married Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm. While he is jealous of any man who Desirée shows any attention to such as Fredrik, he is not the same with his young wife, the ...

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Plot Keywords:

master maid relationship | talking in one's sleep | theater | theater actress | breaking a vow of chastity | 

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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:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Release Date:

23 December 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Smiles of a Summer Night

Filming Locations:

Ystad, Skåne län, Sweden

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,329

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 55 days in the midst of a heatwave.

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Goofs

When Fredrik smashes his wine glass on a table he's reprimanded by his father and in the reaction shot, he's still holding the glass of wine, unbroken.

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Quotes

Desiree Armfeldt: We all know that each man has his dignity. We women have the right to commit manifold sins against husbands, lovers and sons, excepting one: to offend their dignity. If we do so, we are foolish and must bear the consequences. Rather, we should make of a man's dignity our foremost ally and caress it, soothe it, speak fondly to it and handle it as our dearest toy. Only then do we have a man in our hands, at our feet, or wherever else we want him at that particular moment.

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Alternate Versions

Originally, the UK theatrical version had the words "lust" changed to "passion" and "lecherous fantasies" changed to "unspeakable dreams". The lines "Nearly everything that's fun is a sin. Then I say three cheers for sin" were completely cut.

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Connections

Featured in Trespassing Bergman (2013)

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Soundtracks

Liebestraum, Opus 62, Nr. 3
Music by Franz Liszt

User Reviews

Beautiful title

A rare comedy from director Ingmar Bergman.

It takes place at the turn of the century. Fredrik Egerman is an old, cynical man who is married to beautiful, young (20) Anne. She can't have sex with him--she's too afraid. He knows and agrees to be patient. He also has a son from a previous marriage (Henrik) who is attracted to Anne. He's also attracted to the maid Petra. Then there's Desiree, a former mistress of Fredrik who is now sleeping with Malcolm (who's also married) and still attracted to Fredrik. Got all that? They all end up spending a summer weekend at a beautiful house in the woods. Things come to a head.

I've always wanted to see this--the title alone is beautiful. I did see it in a revival theatre in the 1980s--I hated it. The print was lousy and edited! During a fairly explicit (for 1955) talk about sex the subtitles disappeared! Just saw it again--unedited and in pretty good shape. While I don't think this is a masterpiece (I'm not a Bergman fan) I did like this.

It is funny--but pretty subtle. The relationships are all complicated but you do have them straight by the end. What's really good about this film is how Bergman treats (and shows) his female characters. Except for Anne (but she changes) they're strong, stand up for themselves and find men and their ways amusing--some of Desirre's looks were very funny. Also, in the form of Petra, they want sex and have no problem letting men know. For 1955 audiences this must have been shocking--Petra (almost) bares her breast and the sexual talk between women is very frank.

The acting is good by everybody...but the film is lacking in romance. I never believed any of these characters loved each other. Also it's slow-moving but it all ends happily. So I did like it--I give it an 8.

Later musicalized by Stephen Sondheim as "A Little Night Music" and disastrously remade (sort of) in Woody Allen's "A Midsummers Night Sex Comedy". Avoid that one at all costs.