Smiles of a Summer Night

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Alec B It's charming and a lot more insightful than it's plot suggests. Proof that Bergman should have made more romantic comedies. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Matthew B Ingmar Bergman faced the threat that he would not be allowed to make another movie if his next one was not a success. He wrote a comedy based loosely on Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. The film had the right result. It went down well internationally as well as nationally. Even the title of the film – Smiles of a Summer Night – suggests something happy and light-hearted. With such a background, one might be forgiven for thinking that Bergman had given in to commercial pressures and made a potboiler to salvage his career. However this is not the case. The tone of Smiles of a Summer Night is lighter than many Bergman films, even down to the light-hearted music that seems to belong in a good-natured farce. However this is a ‘serious comedy', one that is less happy when viewed up close. Even the movie's happy ending is possibly not the end of the story, and may not offer the final resolution to the problems facing the eight central characters. The film is about relationships, but it is really about unsatisfactory relationships and infidelity. The main characters begin the film in the wrong place. They are with the wrong partner; they are chasing the wrong partner; or they are failing to appreciate the virtues of the right partner. The other reason why the action seems unreal is that it contains much artifice. There is a theatre performance in one scene. A character breaks into a song at one point, perhaps causing some expectation that this turn into a musical, but there are no other music numbers in the film. The period setting (at the end of the nineteenth century) adds to the sense that the action is far-removed from our own plane of reality. An important plot point hinges on an entirely fantastical device – a lever that moves a bed from one room to another while playing soft music. That this device is accidentally operated during an abortive suicide attempt is typical of the blend of light and dark shades in the movie. Nonetheless the problems facing the characters are familiar ones. The movie's leading theme is infidelity, a subject about which Bergman knew a lot. He had affairs while he was married, and he felt bad about them. As with many serial cheaters who make works of art, Bergman's treatment of the subject is a strange mixture of guilt and self-justification. Somewhere at the heart of Egerman's womanising is a man who feels lonely and dissatisfied with his life. His humorous sufferings have a melancholic tinge to them. Perhaps the reason why Bergman wishes to mute our condemnation of Egerman's behaviour is because he sees a lot of himself in Egerman – a man with a strong public reputation who seeks comfort in affairs with women to distract him from his own unhappy thoughts. There is something of Bergman in all the men in the film. Henrik is depressed and guilty, and wishes to end his life, the same feelings that Bergman was experiencing when he made Smiles of a Summer Night. Henrik is struggling with religious doubts and his own sinful nature, issues dealt with in a more serious and tragic way in other Bergman films. Count Malcolm is a more satirical version of Bergman – the dominant movie director who seeks to control those around him. Frid is partly what Bergman would like to be – his naked desires uninhibitedly expressed, and without guilt or pain. However Bergman needs his pain, and would not be happy just being Frid. I will leave the last word with Desiree's elderly mother, Mrs Armfeldt (Naima Wifstrand). She tenderly says: "One can never protect a single human being from any kind of suffering. That's what makes me so tremendously weary." I wrote a longer appreciation of Smiles of a Summer Night (with spoilers) on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2019/09/08/smiles-of-a-summer-night-1955/ Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/18/23 Full Review júlio a Filme muito bom, divertido na medida da certa e com temas subjetivos mais profundos para analisar. Adorei mesmo. E Bergman sabe é lidar com cenas sexys sem ser vulgar...caramba. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review dave s Smiles of a Summer Night is Ingmar Bergman's comedy (hey, there's an oxymoron) about the boundaries that define relationships. The film revolves around Fredrik Egermon, a middle-aged lawyer, and his physically strained relationship with his nineteen year-old wife Anne. The film feels a bit slight at times by Bergman standards – there is no existential angst or much in the way of philosophical musings. However, the relationships in the film are interesting and there is some crisp dialogue. It's not the most memorable of Bergman films, but it's pleasant enough to hold some interest. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review William L I never had any education in film and only started watching international classics a couple of years ago, so it shouldn't be too surprising that most of my perception of Ingmar Bergman hinged on his more well-known heavily introspective or philosophical pieces. That misnderstanding made it all the more surprising and enjoyable when I stumbled across Smiles of a Summer Night, proof positive that the acclaimed Swedish director was a master of more than one domain of film. A genuinely funny commentary on sexuality, romance, class, gender, and even religion (featuring a sexually repressed, suicidal, romantic young clergyman-in-training who ends up eloping with his stepmother; pairing that with the Seventh Seal is a trip), the film is a masterclass in character development for the sake of a combination of comedy and drama. There is still plenty of the director's dry cynicism, but it is told in such a cheerful and bawdy way. The performances are each well-executed and paired well to the peculiarities of their character, and the script is sharp, biting, and entertaining in equal measure. A complete surprise and a great film. (4.5/5) Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/21/21 Full Review Audience Member Pure wonder and joy. One of the finest movies ever made! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Smiles of a Summer Night

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