Sommarnattens leende (1955)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

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

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)
Einar Söderbäck	...	Stagehand (uncredited)
Lena Söderblom	...	Maid (uncredited)
Hans Strååt	...	Adolf Almgren, photographer (uncredited)
Anders Wulff	...	Fredrik, Desirée's son (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman		writer

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)
• Les Films Marceau (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Filmitalus (1956) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Rank Film Distributors of America (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• 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:

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:

This light, frothy piece (in terms of Ingmar Bergman's general oeuvre) was made whilst the director was undergoing financial troubles, stomach pains (he weighed only 125 pounds at the time) and a romance with Harriet Andersson that was on the rocks. Bergman later said that if he hadn't made this film when he did, he probably would have attempted suicide.

Quotes:

Mrs. Armfeldt: Beware of good deeds. They cost far too much and leave a nasty smell.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

DU SKALL EJ FRUKTAN BAERA / LA CI DAREM LA MANO

Eternal Smile

"Smiles of a Summer Night" is one of the most elegant and charming carnal comedies ever filmed. It is clever, witty, and incredibly sexy. Did I mention that it was written and directed by The Ingmar Bergman whose name would not usually be associated with the comedies?

"Smiles of a Summer Night" was a great success with both the critics and the audiences and was submitted for the Cannes film festival…without its creator's knowledge. The film was nominated for the Golden Palm and won the Award for Best Poetic Humor. Bergman describes how he found out about his movie's international recognition, "I was sitting on the toilet reading a morning newspaper. One of the articles was entitled, The Great Victory for a Swedish Cinema at Cannes. I thought, what a wonderful news, what is the movie? And then I read the title, "Smiles of a Summer Night" by Ingmar Bergman." He recalls how poor he was then and he borrowed the money for a ticket to Cannes from Bibi Anderson whom he dated at the time.

I did not laugh a lot but I don't think I was supposed to - "Smiles... is a different kind of comedy, sensual and subtle, with the characters often weak but not ridiculous. The beauty of it is in the dialogs, ironic looks, the charming struggle of wits, and in the realization that not everyone will be blessed with the true and passionate love but the life goes on, anyway. The actresses (Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson, and Margit Carlqvist) were incredibly sexy, especially Eva Dahlbeck smoking a cigar and Harriett Andersson as a chambermaid talking to her mistress about the virginity – delightful!

There are no words to describe the beauty, splendor, charm, humor, and sensuality of this film. The best I can do - to paraphrase Woody Allen's line -"that was the most fun I've ever had without sex."