Comedy

Romance

Sommarnattens leende

SF Studios

Sweden

svenska

Smiles of a Summer Night

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

Ulf Johansson

Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt

Anders Wulff

Viveca Heister

Birgitta Hellerstedt

Ingmar Bergman

Allan Ekelund

Erik Nordgren

Gunnar Fischer

Oscar Rosander

Eskil Eckert-Lundin

Gustav Roger

Lennart Olsson

Louis Huch

Åke Nilsson

P.A. Lundgren

Per-Olof Pettersson

Lennart Wallin

Mago

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I know, who'd have though it? An Ingmar Bergman film that's actually quite fun! It's also quite racy too! "Fredrik" (Gunnar Björnstrand) has married the much, much younger "Anne" (Ulla Jacobsson) but their relationship is as yet unconsummated. She isn't yet happy about losing her virginity or he decides she is too young for the experience. Depends on who you talk to, but suffice to say it's not about either not wanting to have sex! The arrival of his young son "Henrik" (Björn Bjelfvenstam) home after his exams turns her head and she is clearly more interested in that member of the family. "Henrik", meantime, is also a virgin and has been having a rather unrewarding and slightly comical flirtation with the maid "Petra" (Harriet Andersson) to try and rectify that situation. Their weekend scenario is going to get even more messy when actress "Désiree" (Eva Dahlbeck) arrives, stirring up memories of her own relationship with "Frederik" - one that still nurses the gentlest of affectionate flames. Finally, her friend the "Countess Charlotte" (Margot Carlqvist) shows up with her husband "Count Carl" (Jarl Kulle). Now here is an intriguing marital dynamic. He is having a fairly open, and quite jealously protective, liaison with "Désiree" whilst his wife is ostensibly permitted to play away as she pleases. This is going to be one hell of a dinner party and a combination of drink and some fairly unfettered morals are now let loose on an audience for an enjoyable, almost farcical, costume romp. Yes, it's more sophisticated than that - but essentially, this is quite a potent and funny assessment of human nature, of the constrictions we put on our own behaviour before finding a myriad of ways to breach these codes. Alcohol empowers us, reduces our inhibitions certainly; but to what extent we will do what instinct and urge tell us to is well presented here. Personally, I thought Carlqvist and Andersson stole the scenes - their characters purveying something natural, visceral and usually quite entertaining, too. Perhaps unintentional, but the film also struck me as a bit of a parody of some of the other great looking high-costume dramas the rather more earnestly illustrate the rigidity and hypocrisy of the double-standard bearing middle and upper classes, and I did really quite enjoy this.

Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) ORIGINAL TRAILER

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Smiles of a Summer Night

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Cast

Gunnar Björnstrand

Ulla Jacobsson

Eva Dahlbeck

Harriet Andersson

Margit Carlqvist

Jarl Kulle

Åke Fridell

Björn Bjelfvenstam

Naima Wifstrand

Jullan Kindahl

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