Review of Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) by A.j. S — 01 Aug 2009
Beginning with a theoretical smile and ending with some real yet temporary ones, this genuine comedy by Ingmar Bergman is a delightful take on relationships that lack love, but never lust. Sure some find love, but most never get past that first hurdle that can dwindle out in a matter of days or hours.
The overall humor of the film is seen in this lesson in love, but the awkward situations that the characters find themselves in juxtaposed with unfitting dialogue is what keeps the viewer interested throughout.
The great Gunnar Bjornstrand plays confident and essentially broken with amazing candor. All of the supporting ladies are unrelentingly lustful and level-headed to the point of making their male counterparts seem like adolescents playing a game.
Everyone's playing games, however, and that's the beauty of this film. No less, the praised work that would fund Bergman's next and untouchable "The Seventh Seal".
This review of Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) was written by A.j. S on 01 Aug 2009.
Smiles of a Summer Night has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
