1955 ‘Sommarnattens leende’ Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Early in the 20th century, middle-aged lawyer Fredrik Egerman and his young wife, Anne, have still not consummated their marriage, while Fredrik's son finds himself increasingly attracted to his new stepmother. To make matters worse, Fredrik's old flame Desiree makes a public bet that she can seduce him at a romantic weekend retreat where four couples convene, swapping partners and pairing off in unexpected ways.
Gunnar Björnstrand Ulla Jacobsson Eva Dahlbeck Harriet Andersson Margit Carlqvist Jarl Kulle Åke Fridell Björn Bjelfvenstam Naima Wifstrand Jullan Kindahl Gull Natorp Birgitta Valberg Bibi Andersson Gunnar Nielsen Gösta Prüzelius Svea Holst Mona Malm Lena Söderblom Josef Norman Yngve Nordwall Hans Strååt Lisa Lundholm Börje Mellvig David Erikson Arne Lindblad Einar Söderbäck Sten Gester Mille Schmidt John Melin Show All…
Glimlach van een Zomernacht, Sonrisas de una noche de verano, Усмивки от една лятна нощ, Úsměvy letní noci, Sommernattens smil, Das Lächeln einer Sommernacht, Kesäyön hymyilyä, Sourires d'une nuit d'été, Egy nyári éj mosolya, Sorrisi di una notte d'estate, 한여름 밤의 미소, Uśmiech nocy, Sorrisos de uma Noite de Amor, Улыбки летней ночи, Bir Yaz Gecesi Tebessümleri, Усмішки літньої ночі, 夏夜的微笑
Sweden15
Denmark
FinlandK-16
USANR
South Korea15
Netherlands12
Denmark
Finland
Netherlands
South Korea
Sweden
USA
90/100
O, for an alternate universe in which Bergman made two dozen effortlessly effervescent movies like this one and only maybe three or four somber angstfests about God's silence or whatever. Kehr's Reader capsule complains that "the light touch doesn't come naturally to the Brooding Swede," but I submit that Dave is exhibiting hindsight confirmation bias, because I see nothing even remotely labored here—the fast pace, dry wit, deft plotting, and rueful optimism all seem as natural as breathing (whereas most of Bergman's downers might as well be set in an iron lung). A dark side is still present, but as jolting counterpoint; when, for example, Desirée's mother says "One can never protect a single human being from any kind…
“Smiles of a Summer Night” has all the folly and lacks all the sense of the most blissful infatuations in love and lust.
This is a film for the fools.
Ingmar Bergman’s “Smiles” is pastiche of the chamber drama, and also - somewhat, of his own oeuvre of work.
There are heartbreaks and betrayals, duels and attempted suicides. All are played off with the sound of trumpets, and the bang of another door slamming open on another momentary tragedy.
All the grim consequence of relationships disappears with the coming of the dawn.
“Smiles” might be best known in some circles for being the basis of Stephen Sondheim’s musical, “A Little Night Music.” Of all the movie to stage adaptions -…
A Bergman movie that doesn’t make me question everything?
I liked lighter Bergman. It reminded me a lot of a Shakespearean comedy, with all the intersecting plot lines, and everything coming together in the end. I particularly liked the character of the maid, who I thought deserved more respect from the story.
Lots of little laughs and fun moments, with some darkness lurking under the surface, it strikes a very nice tone.
“How could a woman ever love a man?”
“A woman’s view is seldom based on aesthetics. Anyone can always turn out the light.”
"One can never protect a single human being from any kind of suffering."
Criterion programming their colossal Bergman boxset out of chronological order and placing this as the "opening night" of their home festival program serves two clear purposes. One, it offers an accessible entry point into an imposing director and his severe reputation. Two, it shreds that reputation into tatters, presenting a sex farce that approaches Shakespearean romantic comedy with chessmaster game plotting. Bergman's script is as dense as so many of his most lauded screenplays are spartan, lacing intersecting conversations and nonstop eavesdropping into a…
Ingmar Bergman's comedy about different people experiencing love in their own way. Lawyer Fredrik Egerman (Gunnar Björnstrand) is married to a beautiful young girl named Anne. He has a twenty-something son Henrik from his first marriage who is secretly in love with Anne. Fredrik also has a relationship with actress Desiree Armfeldt (Eva Dahlbeck), with whom he had an affair before marrying Anne. Desiree has a lover named Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Jarl Kulle), who is an army officer. His wife Charlotte is friends with Anne. Quite a web here.
The film has many strengths, probably the most important its richly developed characters and the interactions between them, the acting being great across the board. It's at times serious, at times…
I recently bought the Ingmar Bergman’s Cinema box set as my first criterion collection and I started with disc 1 containing this movie “Smiles of a Summer Night”.
The movie was great and very close to a 4.5 star rating but the at times slow pacing and my wish for it to explore some characters further made me land on a big 4 instead.
The movie was an interesting story about love portrayed through 3 couples and some young people. The husbands are all cheating with each other’s wives, the wives know it and are disgusted but still in love, one of the wives is a virgin, the young girl is open about her sexuality and the son is split…
I have been deceived! There was no existential dread, no religious turmoil, no broken people facing their past mistakes. I wanted depression! Bergman has led me astray!
Bergman does sex comedy - and the result is a deep, delicate, just about perfect movie, like the best of Lubitsch and Ophüls mixed with Partie de campagne. And while it's influenced everyone from New York-based Jewish songwriter Stephen Sondheim to New York-based Jewish filmmaker Woody Allen, the original remains by far the best.
A lawyer, his young wife, his mistress, her lover, her lover's wife, the mistress's mother, the lawyer's son and a couple of horny servants flirt, argue and try to cop off with each other (except the mum), the whole group ultimately coming together for a sunlit weekend in the country.
Beautifully written, acted and photographed, it's equal parts sentiment, melancholia, absurdism, witty badinage, and timeless, mind-expanding…
Despite Smiles of a Summer Night commencing production while Ingmar Bergman was in the depths of one of the most depressing portions of his life, this is a delightful romantic comedy. It's an immensely assured movie, created two years before his international breakthrough The Seventh Seal, with Bergman flawlessly conjuring humorous dialogue with prepossessing visual sequences, and it's also the film which inspired Stephen Sondheim to make the musical A Little Night Music.
Sommarnattens leende was, after a series of local successes to be Ingmar Bergman's international breakthrough. A film of beautifully presented dry wit and sun drenched philandering.
Packed with terrifically engaging performances from a host of early career favourites including Gunnar Björnstrand, Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck and the totally perfect Harriet Andersson as the coquettish Petra. Ah Harriet... swoon.
Smiles of a Summer Night is set in the early 20th century and is gorgeous to look at. The costumes and set design are fabulously rich and paired with the eccentricities of the performers make for a really fun time.
In a 1955, Swedish wife-swapping comedy kind of way.
This is great fun.
This is Bergman.
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The Criterion Challenge 2022
51. Featured in any of the Essential Art House box sets
Alphabetical April 2022 - 22. A movie whose title starts with S
☆"Men never know what's best for them. We have to set them on the right track."☆
My Journey into the Films of Ingmar Bergman -- Part 13 of 62
The reviews here keep mentioning this as "Bergman's first full-fledged comedy" parroting one another over and over, but those people must not have seen the screwball-ish A Lesson in Love, from less than two years earlier. Don't watch it. It kinda stinks.
However, those who describe Sommarnattens leende ["Smiles of a Summer Night"] as the picture which first brought Bergman international acclaim and recognition are certainly correct, as the sixteenth time was the charm. Returning to Svensk Filmindustri again, this breakthrough success after a decade of filmmaking was a hit at…
