Summer Interlude

Released Oct 26, 1954

1h 34m

Drama

List

100%

Tomatometer

11 Reviews

81%

Audience Score

500+ Ratings

Ballerina Marie (Maj-Britt Nilsson), spending the summer with her unsettling Uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist) at his quiet island home near Stockholm, meets the kindhearted Henrik (Birger Malmsten) and falls into a carefree summer romance with him that ends suddenly and tragically. Years later, after rediscovering her old diary from that fateful summer, melancholy Marie returns to her uncle's home in an attempt to quiet the demons that have haunted her ever since.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

The sense of fate that descends over the drama is very much Bergman's own -- cruel, distant, ultimately imponderable.

Jul 30, 2007

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Alternate Ending

The confidence of imagination and execution demonstrated here make it easy, for the first time, to believe that this filmmaker had medium-defining masterpieces in his future.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 2, 2020

Full Review

Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

Bergman's grasp of the cinematic language is clear, and was honing his craft into something that would soon develop into something legendary.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 6, 2019

Full Review

Jesús Fernández Santos

El Pais (Spain)

This film -- of seemingly modest ambitions -- lays the groundwork for Ingmar Bergman's subsequent films. [Full Review in Spanish]

Jul 19, 2019

Full Review

Isabel Quigly

The Spectator

The moustached crone; the strap- ping youngsters; the movement of water and clouds; clowns and clerics ; all strung together in a flash-back story that gives meaning to an empty life.

Jul 13, 2018

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Seanax.com

...a breakthrough for Bergman: his first film built around a strong, assertive, sure woman and the first shot extensively on location, where the natural world becomes a defining reflection of the lives of his characters.

Apr 10, 2016

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A R

This movie is spectacular in two regards - the visually stunning shots throughout, and the lead actress' incredible performance. The visuals are consistently beautiful, but they go beyond that and really transport you to the feeling of a place. Meanwhile, the lead actress is completely mesmerizing - I could not take my eyes off her from the first scene. She is charming and believable all the way through. The dialogue is also delightfully strange and poetic at times (though it's hard to know how much is lost in translation). That said, the overall narrative and pacing made it hard for me to be invested in the plot. Additionally, with the exception of the uncle, Marie is the only fleshed out character - everyone else, even Henrik, felt like part of a set. Perhaps that can be explained away by the POV nature of it all, but still, it's hard to care about a romance when half does not feel like a complete character.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/23/23

Full Review

Christopher B

Criterion have released another top notch transfer of a Bergman film that is beautiful to see on blu-ray! The film is classic Bergman, full of utterly depressing and bleak visuals and messages and at the same time very touching moments full of happiness are also seen throughout the film. A beautiful setting really sets the mood of the film and the landscapes and cinematography are so beautiful they really transport you there! The characters are immersed in this natural beauty and themselves beautifully brought to life through both the actors playing them as well as the writing. Their dialog is razor sharp and features Bergman's thoughts and beliefs dealing in life, death and of course religious overtones. This is a profound work that is as touching and happy as it is devastating and isolating. Another essential watch from the master of Swedish film, Ingmar Bergman! Highly Recommended!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/03/22

Full Review

Audience Member

"Summer Interlude" is characterized by a perfect balance between idyllic minimalism and impending melodrama; through the construction and maintenance of such a tone the film succeeds exquisitely at depicting the tender purity of a first romance. The seasons shimmer and fade in relation to the arc of innocence cherished and then lost, bringing us all back to that time in our lives when the approach of adulthood briefly glistened with the simple optimism of childhood. Rightly regarded as Bergman's first mature work, we are captivated by the quiet elegance and somber foreknowledge inherent in his vision. Although less spellbinding than Bergman's greatest works, "Summer Interlude" is refreshingly free of his characteristic cynicism, leaving us moved by a drama evoked through compassion rather than anger.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Fra B

We all have that moment in time and space where we would want to go back.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/06/21

Full Review

andrey k

Yet another masterpiece from Bergmann, extremely well-crafted and beautifully shot. It's very melancholic, it's about fleeting moments of carefree joy and happiness, which we might call green youth, and about an eternity of sorrows and regrets following it, which we might call growing up.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

rob k

Ballerina Marie (Maj-Britt Nilsson), spending the summer with her unsettling Uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist) at his quiet island home near Stockholm, meets the kindhearted Henrik (Birger Malmsten) and falls into a carefree summer romance with him that ends suddenly and tragically. Years later, after rediscovering her old diary from that fateful summer, melancholy Marie returns to her uncle's home in an attempt to quiet the demons that have haunted her ever since. All strung together in a flash-back story that gives meaning to an empty life. A beautiful setting really sets the mood of the film and the landscapes and cinematography are so beautiful. The film is classic Bergman, full of depressing and bleak visuals and messages however Bergman's trademarked brooding is tinged with a surprising hopefulness. His first film built around a strong, assertive, sure woman showcased by the lovely (Maj-Britt Nilsson). She did not act in many films despite being very talented actress. Rare indeed to spot a dark-haired Swede on film but the delicately beautiful Maj-Britt Nilsson was certainly one of finest , she went on to captivate film audiences in the bleak films of Ingmar Bergman. The film is beautifully photographed by Gunnar Fischer who effectively captures the serene beauty of the island and through a series of wonderful close-ups of Marie's( lovely Maj-Britt Nilsson) face allows the viewer to understand the feelings and emotions she struggles with. Touching on many of the themes that would define the rest of his career-isolation, performance, the inseparability of the past Ingmar Bergman's tenth film was a gentle drift toward true mastery. Great cinema ! Summary: Bergman's trademarked brooding is tinged with a surprising hopefulness. Thank you,

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Ingmar Bergman

Director

Maj-Britt Nilsson

Marie

Alf Kjellin

David Nyström

Birger Malmsten

Henrik

Georg Funkquist

Uncle Erland

Annalisa Ericson

Kaj

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Synopsis

Ballerina Marie (Maj-Britt Nilsson), spending the summer with her unsettling Uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist) at his quiet island home near Stockholm, meets the kindhearted Henrik (Birger Malmsten) and falls into a carefree summer romance with him that ends suddenly and tragically. Years later, after rediscovering her old diary from that fateful summer, melancholy Marie returns to her uncle's home in an attempt to quiet the demons that have haunted her ever since.

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Screenwriter: Ingmar Bergman, Herbert Grevenius
Production Co: Svensk Filmindustri
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 26, 1954, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 20, 2018
Runtime: 1h 34m

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