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Actors: Gunnar Bjornstrand, Eva Dahlbeck, Ulla Jacobsson, Harriet Andersson, Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Smiles of a Summer Night |
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Viewers who think Swedish director Ingmar Bergman is only dour and depressing need to see this light-hearted, sophisticated, romantic comedy -- the thinking person's sex comedy. In a small town at the turn of the 20th century, lawyer Fredrik Egerman (Bjornstrand) lives with his ingenue second wife Anne (Jacobsson) and his grownup son from a previous marriage. Anne remains a virgin at 19, though the Egermans have been married two years already. At the theater, Fredrik runs into his former mistress, Desiree (Dahlbeck). He falls in a puddle outside and goes to her place to clean up. Her current lover, Count Malcolm, shows up and discovers Egerman in his nightshirt, and throws him out. Anne flirts with her stepson, who is very confused. In all, there are four couples in the movie, who represent different aspects of love. The characters are more at odds with themselves than one another. This 1955 movie, a cross between French farce and Shakespeare comedy, inspired Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" and Woody Allen's "A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy." My favorite line comes from Desiree's elderly mother: "One can never prevent those one loves from making the mistakes they have to; and that's what makes one so TIRED!"
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of Smiles of a Summer Night |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 19th century
Romance/Love/Hugging
Yes
Kind of romance:
- love triangle/polygon
- inconveniently married while playing footsy
- rekindling lost love/marriage
Kind of comedy
- romantic comedy
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- a lawyer creature
Age:
- 40's-50's
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Events of movie makes character more...
- sensitive
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Scandinavian
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Scandinavian
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- not employed but independently wealthy
Eccentric:
Yes
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 40%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Scandinavian
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
Europe
Yes
European country:
- Scandinavia
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- fancy mansion
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Movie makes you feel...
- very happy
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references only
- kissing
Check here if B&W
Yes
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- Scandinavian
Subtitles?
- Yes
Any profanity?
- None
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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