Smiles of a Summer Night (Blu-ray)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Studio: Criterion
Year: 1955
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 108 minutes
Rating: NR
Audio: PCM 1.0 Swedish
Subtitles: English
Region: A
MSRP: $ 39.95
Release Date: May 3, 2011
Review Date: April 27, 2011
The Film
5/5
Eight adults involved in unsatisfying personal relationships enter into a sexual roundelay as only Ingmar Bergman could script and stage it in the mesmerizingly beautiful, wonderfully funny, and oddly touching Smiles of a Summer Night. An adult comedy that delves deeply into the whims and follies of devotion, romance, and sexual longing was rare even in the 1950s (it’s practically unheard of today), and Smiles of a Summer Night only grows in sophisticated elegance and class as the years pass. Bergman’s first international success could not be more timeless; no wonder a musical theater genius like Stephen Sondheim could watch this masterpiece and see its enchanting musical possibilities which he and librettist Hugh Wheeler exploited to the max in A Little Night Music.
After two years of marriage to the nineteen year old Anne (Ulla Jacobsson), lawyer Fredrik Egerman’s (Gunnar Björnstrand) marriage is still unconsummated. Taking his young wife to see a comedy being performed by legendary actress Desiree Armfeldt (Eva Dahlbeck) stirs within him memories of their long ago liaison (which unknown to him spawned a son), and after the performance with his wife at home, he visits his former lover and confesses his sexual frustration. They’re interrupted by her current lover Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm (Jarl Kulle), a jealous and hot-headed dragoon who promptly throws Fredrik out of the house in his nightshirt. Longing to be reunited with Fredrik, Desiree arranges for her mother (Naima Wifstrand) to invite the Egermans along with Fredrik’s son (Björn Bjelfvenstam) from a previous marriage and the Malcolms (including his miserably unhappy wife Charlotte – Margit Carlqvist) to a weekend house party at her country estate. There she hopes to mix the couples up into more satisfying combinations, but even she couldn’t predict the events of a most tumultuous weekend.
There aren’t many comedy scripts that contain the scintillating, pithy dialogue that Bergman gives his characters to say in this film. Funny but also pointed and poignant, the sparkling conversation and the many barbed asides spoken by both masters and servants just defy description. With the summer night “smiling” three times: for young lovers, for fools, and for the dejected and lonely, all of the film’s principal characters get swept up into its spell. And with the magisterial, iridescent cinematography of Gunnar Fischer and the richly appointed production design of P.A. Lundgren, the film literally shimmers with a fascinating beauty all its own. Bergman’s little touches, like photographing reflections in water as couples pass down a street, a series of close shots as the symbolic figures from a cuckoo clock enter and exit on the hour, or a sweetly provocative moment when Anne and Charlotte cavort together on a bed, give the film such variety and uniqueness that one’s eyes don’t leave the screen for even a second. For his pièce de résistance, you’ll never see a dinner scene quite as memorable or as haunting as the one staged for this film. Even with all of the enticing events that follow (an elopement, a game of Russian roulette), this elaborate set-up for the film’s final quarter hour is sublime and something quixotic and magical.
Every performance is a brilliant and highly polished gem. Special words of praise must be reserved for Björn Bjelfvenstam’s tortured son Malcolm whose sexual desires are being miserably sublimated through his theological studies and musical interests, Margit Carlqvist’s fiercely loyal and loving Charlotte whose desire for her husband supersedes all of the embarrassing infidelities he so proudly proclaims, and Jarl Kulle’s Count who combines macho posturing and inflamed jealousy with just the hint of wounded pride and inevitable relief when things are wrapped up. Naima Wifstrand makes a mysteriously knowing weekend sorceress while Åke Fridell’s lusty groom Frid and especially Harriet Andersson’s vigorously sexual maid Petra add a wry, common touch to all of the sophisticates running around. Amid all these eccentrics, Gunnar Björnstrand and Eva Dahlbeck seem almost pedestrian in their normalcy, but their playing is so effortless and engaging that pedestrian seems like an ill-chosen word to describe their utter effectiveness.
Video Quality
4.5/5
The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 1.33:1 is provided in a 1080p transfer using the AVC codec. The stunning black and white cinematography is highlighted by a flawless transfer in terms of no age artifacts (were it not for the aspect ratio, one might think this was filmed yesterday), and the grayscale rendering makes the whites shimmer and sparkle pictorially. Blacks aren’t the deepest possible realizations, but shadow detail is still very, very good. A couple of long shots show just a bit of flicker, too, but it’s not a lingering problem, and sharpness is so excellent that facial features and hair are rendered with great precision. The white subtitles are usually easy to read. The film has been divided into 27 chapters.
Audio Quality
3.5/5
The PCM (1.1 Mbps) 1.0 sound mix does retain some faint hiss which can be heard in the movie’s quietest moments, and there is occasional muffled crackle, too, but only in isolated instances. The audio quality is very much what one would expect for a film of this period with almost no low end and a solid if undistinguished mix of dialogue, sound effects, and music throughout.
Special Features
3/5
All of the video features are presented in 1080i.
Ingmar Bergman introduces the film with some reminiscences filmed in 2003 that runs for 3 ¾ minutes.
Bergman scholars Peter Cowie and Jörn Donner discuss the movie in detail including the careers of some of the film’s actors, its themes and symbols, and its reception and legacy in this 16 ¾-minute video piece.
The film’s original theatrical trailer runs 2 minutes.
The enclosed 26-page booklet contains the chapter listing, the cast and crew list, some superb stills from the picture, critic John Simon’s extended critique of the film along with critic Pauline Kael’s thought piece on the movie.
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
4.5/5 (not an average)
Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night couldn’t come more highly recommended. A brilliantly perceptive examination of the foibles and fancies of life and love, it’s a masterpiece of Bergman’s art, the first of several he was to create during his career. A decent if not outstanding array of bonus material (all ported over from the previous DVD but with nothing new) completes this scintillating package.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
