Monika Eriksson is one of the first antiheroines in the filmography of Ingmar Bergman. In Summer with Monika, she’s brash, effervescent, and completely captivating, that is, until the realities of the world begin closing in on her. Then we see the real Monika, and it’s not a pretty sight. At the time, Summer with Monika rather shocked audiences with Monika’s flagrant nose-thumb at propriety and normalcy, but her me-first attitude doesn’t even rate a raised eyebrow in today’s rough and tumble, scramble-for-pleasure world. Monika could be its cheerleader.
Summer with Monika (Blu-ray)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Studio: Criterion
Year: 1953
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: PCM 1.0 Swedish
Subtitles: English
Region: A
MSRP: $ 39.95
Release Date: May 29, 2012
Review Date: May 25, 2012
The Film
4/5
Fed up with taking orders and being completely unappreciated at their jobs in a green grocery and a glass and china shop, teen sweethearts Monika Eriksson (Harriet Andersson) and Harry Lund (Lars Ekborg) both decide to quit and spend the summer boating around the Swedish archipelago unencumbered by work or responsibility. When money and food run out and with Monika now pregnant, however, they’re forced to return to Stockholm and face their impending adulthood head-on. Harry is interested in engineering so he enrolls in night classes which he attends after putting in a full day’s work. Monika, however, sulks around their apartment bored with taking care of their daughter. She convinces Harry’s aunt (Dagmar Ebbesen) to care for the baby leaving her free to spend her days and evenings doing what she wants.
Monika’s self-absorption which was rather attractive in the film’s early going becomes uglier and more cynical the longer the film runs. It’s to writer-director Ingmar Bergman and co-writer Per Anders Fogelstrom’s (whose novel was the source of the script) credit that her character isn’t whitewashed or sanitized for the movies. She exhibits no combustible mother love syndrome famous in such melodramas as Stella Dallas or Blonde Venus, but rather we see a selfish, egotistical minx for whom pleasure and self-gratification are the only watchwords in her existence. Bergman films Harriet Andersson’s Monika with great attention to detail leaving no doubt as to her overt allure or her just-beneath-the-surface self-centeredness, and she’s as physically stunning as the exquisite Swedish coast where more than half of the film transpires. Moment after moment, Bergman captures haunting images: a silhouetted kiss between the lovers, Monika’s mad dash through tall, waving marsh grass, a spider’s web (rather obvious symbolism) glistening in the morning dew as well as shots of the actress in various moments of repose where her lover (and the audience) can gaze their fill at her physical allure. Contrary to many future Bergman projects which put his female objects of interest in the forefront at the expense of the male subjects of the story, here we do get to know Harry equally as well as Monika, and his tragedy becomes our tragedy as the story winds its way to its forlorn conclusion.
Bergman’s fascination with Harriet Andersson (he left his family for her after the film wrapped) is certainly obvious throughout the movie, and Andersson takes full advantage of the attention delivering an entrancing performance that masterfully sours the audience’s opinion of her as the film runs. No less admirable is Lars Ekborg who paints a believable portrait of a young innocent swept up in the throes of unrealistic young love. The two actors have undeniable chemistry together, their youthful, playful lovemaking providing many of the film’s most enjoyable moments. Dagmar Ebbesen is fun as the fussy old aunt, and John Harryson as Monika’s embittered former lover Lelle makes a couple of memorable appearances with a minimum of dialogue.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.37:1 is faithfully rendered in this 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. After the rather soft opening credits, the film’s imagery is crisply presented with a perfectly contrasted grayscale that easily displays the beauties of the Swedish coast in summer as well as offering much detail in faces. Whites are beautifully pure even if black levels are merely good rather than great. There are some fairly insubstantial scratches along the right side of the frame, but they don’t last long. The white subtitles are very easy to read. The film has been divided into 20 chapters.
Audio Quality
4/5
The PCM (1.1 Mbps) 1.0 sound mix has a reasonably good ambiance especially for a film of this age. Many of the exteriors were post synched, so those scenes feature rather airless and unappealing dialogue and Foley effects, but there really is no hiss, pops, crackle, or flutter that intrudes on the pleasure of the audio track. Erik Nordgren’s music is a lovely complement to the film and has been well recorded and presented.
Special Features
4/5
An introduction to the film by director Ingmar Bergman runs 4 ¼ minutes and is in 1080i.
A 2012 interview with actress Harriet Andersson is conducted by film expert Peter Cowie. She talks about her early career, her screen test for the part in the film, her few memories of making the movie, and her love affair with the director. This runs 24 ½ minutes in 1080p.
Images from the Playground is director Stig Bjorkman’s documentary linking together home movies shot behind-the-scenes by Ingmar Bergman on the sets and locations of some of his most famous movies like Sawdust and Tinsel, Smiles of a Summer Night, The Seventh Seal, and Wild Strawberries. There are also segments that feature his fascination with three actresses, all of whom he later lived with: Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, and Liv Ullmann. This marvelous black and white (with a little color footage) feature runs 30 minutes in 1080i.
“Monika Exploited!” is an interesting 13-minute discussion by film historian Eric Schaefer about how Bergman’s Summer with Monika was trimmed by exploitation film producer Kroger Babb into a quickie exploitation picture called Monika! The Story of a Bad Girl for American distribution. This is in 1080p.
The film’s theatrical trailer runs 2 minutes in 1080p.
The enclosed 29-page booklet contains cast and crew lists, a nice selection of stills from the movie, film author Laura Hubner’s analysis of the movie, critic-director Jean-Luc Godard’s own critique of the film, and Ingmar Bergman interviewing himself in 1952 prior to the release of the film.
The Criterion Blu-rays include a maneuvering tool called “Timeline” which can be pulled up from the menu or by pushing the red button on the remote. It shows you your progress on the disc and the title of the chapter you’re now in. Additionally, two other buttons on the remote can place or remove bookmarks if you decide to stop viewing before reaching the end of the film or want to mark specific places for later reference.
In Conclusion
4/5 (not an average)
Summer with Monika may not rank at the very top of Ingmar Bergman’s filmography, but its searing portrait of young love turned sour and especially of a young girl’s refusal to buckle under to society’s expectations of her role in that society makes for memorable viewing. With some very choice bonus features in this package, it comes with a very firm recommendation.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
