Secrets of Women

Based on a story by Gun Grut, Kvinnors vantan (Secrets of Women or Waiting Women) is the story of a group of sisters-in-law who each tell each other stories about their husbands as they’re all set to return home during a summer holiday. Written for the screen and directed by Ingmar Bergman, the film is a reflective look into a group of women who all talk about their relationships as well as reveal about some of the drawbacks of marriage. Starring Anita Bjork, Eva Dahlbeck, Maj-Britt Nilsson, Birger Malmsten, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Karl-Arne Holmsten, Jarl Kulle, Aino Taube, and Hakan Westergren. Kvinnors vantan is a witty yet engaging film from Ingmar Bergman.

Four sisters-in-law are at their family summer home waiting for their respective husbands to arrive as three of them talk about their marriage in some revealing stories about certain aspects of their lives. It’s a film whose simple premise that is sort of told in a reflective narrative as these women are waiting for their husbands to arrive as they’re with the kids and others as they tell their stories to a young woman who is interested as she also has a lover she’s waiting for. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay follows a simple structure where three of the five women in the living room tell their respective stories on their marriages.

The first story from Rakel (Anita Bjork) has her recalling an affair with a friend in Kaj (Jarl Kulle) while she is married to Eugen (Karl-Arne Holmsten) as it relates to his reaction about the affair. The second story from Marta (Maj-Britt Nilsson) is about how she met Eugen’s younger brother Martin (Birger Malmsten) that lead to a pregnancy while recalling the time she was about to give birth to their child without him present. The third and final story from Karin (Eva Dahlbeck) is about her marriage Fredrik (Gunnar Bjornstrand) on a night where they get stuck in an elevator that has them revealing so much to each other. It is told to Marta’s younger sister Maj (Gerd Andersson) who is hoping to run away with her lover Henrik (Bjorn Bjelfvenstam).

Bergman’s direction definitely has some elements of style in some of the compositions that he creates yet he maintains that air of intimacy into the direction as it is focused on a group of women telling stories to one another. Shot mainly in parts of Stockholm and Paris as well as the Swedish countryside where the main bulk of the story takes place. There are a few wide shots in some of the locations as well as this lavish scene at the Parisian night club that Marta goes to where she meets Martin that include shots of topless women. Much of Bergman’s direction emphasizes on close-ups and medium shots with the few wide shots used for stylistic reasons as the intimacy play into how characters are shot inside a room or inside an apartment.

There are also these moments where Bergman would have the camera linger on for a few minutes knowing when not to cut as it adds to the conversations and dramatic moments in the film with Karin’s story about being in an elevator with Fredrik being the funniest segment of them all. The rest of the film is dramatic with Rakel being the most serious of the three yet Bergman does keep an air of intrigue into the drama as well as raise questions into why the fourth sister-in-law in Annette (Aino Taube) hasn’t told her story. Overall, Bergman crafts an engrossing yet compelling film about a group of women waiting for their husbands to arrive at the summer home.

Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white photography with the usage of shadows and light for the scenes inside the elevator, the Parisian nightclub, and in some exterior scenes as it is one of the film’s highlights. Editor Oscar Rosander does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few stylish bits in rhythmic cuts for the humor and drama as well as some stylish superimposed dissolves for a montage scene in Marta’s story. Production designer Nils Svenwall does fantastic work with the look of the Parisian nightclub interiors as well as the look of the homes of the characters including the room where the women talk about their marriages.

Costume designer Barbro Sorman does terrific work with the dresses and clothes that the women wear that each play into their personalities. The sound work of Sven Hansen is superb for its natural approach to the sound as well as some of the raucous atmosphere of the clubs and the sound effects in the elevator. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful for its orchestral score that include some woodwind-based pieces as well as some lush strings to play into the drama as well as bombastic music for the Parisian club scene.

The film’s incredible cast feature some notable small roles from Aino Taube as the fourth wife Annette who doesn’t have much to say, Hakan Westergren as Annette’s husband Paul who is eldest brother of the family, Bjorn Bjelfvenstam as Annette and Paul’s son Henrik who is also Maj’s lover, Gerd Andersson as Marta’s younger sister Maj who listens to the stories of her sister and her other sisters-in-law, and Jarl Kulle in a terrific performance as Rakel’s lover Kaj who is also a friend of her husband as he would play into some of the emotional waters of their marriage. Karl-Arne Holmsten is superb as Rakel’s husband Eugen as a man who is fragile as he would have a hard time coping with the flaws of his marriage to Rakel. Birger Malmsten is fantastic as Martin Lobelius as an artist who would meet and fall for Marta only to get her pregnant as he wouldn’t know about the existence of her child as well as cope with his own issues in being part of a revered family.

Gunnar Bjornstrand is excellent as Karin’s husband Fredrik as a man who always like to look at his best as he deals with his own shortcomings and neglect towards Karin once they get trapped in an elevator. Maj-Britt Nilsson is brilliant as Marta as a young woman married to Martin as she deals with how they met and how their relationship took a drastic turn due to their affair and what she had to deal with by herself. Eva Dahlbeck is amazing as Karin as Fredrik’s wife who reveals about secrets she has been keeping from her husband while trying to find ways to relate to him again despite the flaws in their marriage. Finally, there’s Anita Bjork in a radiant performance as Rakel as a woman in an affair with a longtime friend as she deals with its complications as well as the emotional chaos it would bring into her marriage.

Kvinnors vantan is a remarkable film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast, a captivating script, gorgeous visuals, and themes of love, marriage, temptation, and desire. It’s a film that follow three stories of relationships told by three sisters-in-law as they wait for their husbands to arrive at the family summer home. In the end, Kvinnors vantan is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music of Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams (1955 film) - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) – Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician (1958 film) - The Virgin Spring - The Devil's Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence (1963 film) - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) – Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) – Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) – Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) – Saraband

© thevoid99 2019

A Lesson in Love

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, En lektion i Karlek (A Lesson in Love) is the story of about a gynecologist’s marriage that falls apart after having an affair with a patient where the two meet on a train looking back on their marriage and see if there‘s a chance of reconciliation. The film is a comedy of sorts that explores the world of marriage and some of its pratfalls where a man and wife not only grow apart but also ponder if there is a future for them. Starring Eva Dahlbeck, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Yvonne Lombard, Harriet Andersson, and Ake Gronberg. En lektion i Karlek is a witty yet compelling film from Ingmar Bergman.

Set largely on a train ride from Stockholm to Copenhagen, the film revolves around a married couple whose marriage is on the rocks following a gynecologist’s affair with a patient where they suddenly find themselves riding on the same train and sharing the same compartment. There, the two pretend at first not to know each other in front of another passenger but then deal with everything that had gone wrong as well as looking back into what made them fall in love in the first place. It’s a film with an interesting premise told in a back-and-forth narrative from past and present by Ingmar Bergman. The script doesn’t just play into the marriage of the gynecologist David Erneman (Gunnar Bjornstrand) and wife Marianne (Eva Dahlbeck) but also into the events during their separation and the fact that they were friends when Marianne was supposed to marry a friend in Adam-Carl (Ake Groneberg) whom Marianne was going to meet in Copenhagen to David’s own annoyance.

Bergman’s direction does have elements of style in terms of what he is doing to tell the story in its approach to humor. Yet, it is mostly straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates in its usage of close-ups and medium shots for that sense of intimacy in the train. While there are a few wide shots in a few flashback scenes set in the Swedish countryside and port cities as well as a climatic scene at a dancehall. Bergman’s approach to the humor is quite playful as well as displaying a sense of charm in a scene where David makes a bet with a passenger that he could kiss Marianne before the next stop. The scenes outside of the train also display a sense of risqué sexuality as it adds to the sense of temptation that looms over David but also the sense of jealousy of Marianne while the flashback sequence on the moment David and Marianne fell in love is another moment that is quite intense. All of which plays into this climax at a dancehall in Copenhagen as it relates to the idea that maybe David and Marianne aren’t finished as a couple. Overall, Bergman creates a riveting yet entertaining film about a couple pondering if there’s still some life in them left.

Cinematographer Martin Bodin does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the look of the interiors inside the train compartment as well as some of the naturalistic look of some of the exteriors near the sea and countryside that display the beauty of the family life that David and Marianne has. Editor Oscar Rosander does nice work with the editing as it is largely straightforward with a few fade-outs to help structuralize the film as well as some rhythmic cuts for the film‘s humorous moments. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of the train compartment, David’s office, and the dancehall in Copenhagen. The sound work of Sven Hansen is terrific for its sound as it captures the sound of the train that is heard from the inside as well as the raucous moment at the dancehall. The film’s music by Dag Wiren is wonderful for its orchestral-based score that ranges from being playful in some scenes as well as some somber moments while the rest of the music range from folk to the music that people dance to in those times.

The film’s amazing cast features some notable small roles from Sigge Furst as a vicar during a wedding dinner for Adam-Carl and Marianne in a flashback scene, Dagmar Ebbesen as David’s nurse in his gynecologist office, Birgitte Reimer as an acquaintance of Adam-Carl who flirts with David, Renee Bjorling and Olof Winnerstrand as elderly relatives of David in a flashback, and John Elfstrom as David’s friend Sam who is also seen in the flashbacks as a friend of the family. Yvonne Lombard is wonderful as David’s young mistress Susanne as this young woman who would charm and seduce him as she later ponders if David will ever get serious with her. Harriet Andersson is fantastic as David and Marianne’s tomboy daughter Nix as this young woman coping with her sexuality and identity while feeling like she doesn’t belong anywhere in the world.

Ake Gronberg is excellent as Carl-Adam as this boorish and lively man who was a former flame of Marianne as well as an old friend of David until he comes back to Marianne during the split where David realizes that he hasn’t changed very much. Gunnar Bjornstrand is brilliant as David Erneman as this gynecologist who copes with the drawbacks of his affair with Susanne while thinking his marriage is over until he meets Marianne on the train as it’s a performance with some humor and restrained drama. Finally, there’s Eva Dahlbeck in a radiant performance as Marianne Erneman as a woman who is hurt by her husband’s affair where she boards a train to meet her old lover Carl-Adam where she brings a lot of energy to her performance including in a key flashback scene where she reveals why she is in love with David and not Carl-Adam.

En lektion i Karlek is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast and a captivating premise that is told with such humor and heart, it’s a film that explores the many ideas of marriage while being very risqué in the idea of infidelity. In the end, En lektion i Karlek is an incredible film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music of Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - Dreams - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Simulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2016

All These Women

Directed by Ingmar Bergman and written by Bergman and Erland Josephson, For att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor (All These Women) is the story of a critic who is trying to write a biography on a cellist only to meet with the women in that man’s life. The film is essentially a parody of sorts of Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ where Bergman creates a comedy that plays into a man trying to get answers only for things to go incredibly wrong. Starring Harriet Andersson, Bibi Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, and Jarl Kulle. For att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor is a silly yet exuberant film from Ingmar Bergman.

The film is a simple story about the four days in the life of a critic who is trying to write a biography of a renowned cellist whom he hopes to make into someone even greater. Instead, he encounters the many wives and mistresses of the cellist named Felix where hilarity ensues and all sorts of craziness. Most notably as the critic Cornelius (Jarl Kulle) who is a man of great importance but is also full of himself where his encounter with the wives and lovers of Felix overwhelm him while his attempts to meet the man himself become futile. The film’s screenplay by Ingmar Bergman and Erland Josephson doesn’t really much of a plot as it favors more into Cornelius’ attempt to know who Felix is through his women as well as a few people who handle Felix’s business. The narrative moves back and forth into Cornelius’ visit as well as its aftermath where things don’t exactly go well for everyone.

Bergman’s direction is definitely a change of pace for the filmmaker who is often known for very serious and austere films that manages to question a lot. Here, he decides to take a change of pace and do something that is more fun and exuberant. Notably as it is shot largely in an estate where Bergman doesn’t really go for any kind of entrancing nor stylistic shots though he does create some unique compositions in how he places his actors in a close-up or a wide shot. At the same time, there is a looseness to the direction where Bergman just amps up the comedy where it does pay homage to the works of Federico Fellini where it is about chaos. The direction has moments of slapstick and scenes where the fourth wall is broken as it relates to Cornelius’ trying to make sense of everything. Yet, it does get overly silly where aspects of the story do get lost though it is probably what Bergman intended since the film is essentially something that isn’t very serious. Overall, Bergman creates a very lively and whimsical comedy about a critic’s attempt to capture a man’s life for a biography.

Cinematographer Sven Nykvist does excellent work with the film‘s colorful photography to play into the gorgeous look of the home as well as capture the vibrant colors of the costumes and some of the rooms. Editor Ulla Ryghe does nice work with the editing as it‘s stylish with some jump-cuts and other abrupt moments to play into the comedy. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of the house as well as some of the rooms that play into the personalities of the characters. Costume designer Mago does brilliant work with the costumes in the design of the different dresses that the women wear to display their offbeat personalities. The sound work of Per-Olof Pettersson and Tage Sjoberg is terrific for some of the sound work and sound effects that is created for some of the film‘s comical moments. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful as it’s mostly low-key in its string-based setting as much of the music consists of jazz and classical pieces.

The film’s marvelous cast includes a couple of notable small roles from Carl Billquist as a young cellist, Georg Funkquist as the estate’s head servant Tristan, and Allan Edwall as Felix’s business manager Jillker. In the role of Cornelius, Jarl Kulle is fantastic as this extremely smug and pretentious critic who gets more than he bargains for in his attempt to get to know the mysterious cellist Felix as that character is never seen in the film. Finally, there’s the seven wives and mistresses of the mysterious Felix as they give amazing performances with Barbo Hiort af Ornas as the talented Beatrice who wants to be accepted as a musician and Karin Kavli as the middle-aged Madame Tussaud who is Felix’s benefactor and supporter as she spends much of her time with Tristan. Mona Malm and Gertrud Fridh are brilliant in their respective roles as the very innocent Cecilia and mouthy Traviata as the latter is suspected of being the one trying to kill Felix.

Harriett Anderson is excellent as the maid Isolde as someone who knows what Felix wants as she is a very offbeat character that has her own quirks. Eva Dahlbeck is superb as the main wife Adelaide as the woman who sort of runs the house as she is also suspected of trying to kill her husband. Finally, there’s Bibi Andersson in a whimsical performance as the mistress Bumblebee who is a very lively woman that wears stylish clothes and carries a little dog.

For att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor is an enjoyable film from Ingmar Bergman. While it is a minor work of his as it is a very off-the-wall comedy that sort of makes fun of Federico Fellini. It is still an interesting and lively film that plays into a critic being overwhelmed by the women in the life of a reclusive cellist. In the end, For att inte tala om alla dessa kvinnor is a worthwhile and stellar film from Ingmar Bergman.

Related: 8 1/2

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music of Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust & Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - Persona - (Simulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2015

Dreams (1955 film)

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Kvinnodrom (Dreams) is the story of a model agency owner and a young model who go to a city for an assignment as the two embark on different journeys to find themselves. The film plays into the world of two different women who both endure elements of heartbreak as they both wonder if they can find anything that can help them. Starring Harriet Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, and Gunnar Bjornstrand. Kvinnodrom is a compelling yet rapturous film from Ingmar Bergman.

The film revolves two different women who travel to a small town in Sweden for a modeling assignment as they both cope with heartbreak during the trip. One of which is the head of a modeling agency in Susanne (Eva Dahlbeck) and the other is a young model named Doris (Harriet Andersson) as they travel from Stockholm to Gothenburg as they each embark on different journeys. For Susanne, she copes with an affair with a married man in Henrik (Ulf Palme) that isn’t going anywhere while Doris had just broken up with her boyfriend as she meets an aging consul named Otto (Gunnar Bjornstrand) as she spends the day with him where he buys her lavish gifts. Ingmar Bergman’s screenplay not only reveals the anguish of heartbreak for these two women but also into what they want for themselves.

All of which is largely told in the span of an entire day in Gothenburg, with the exception of the film’s beginning and end, that plays into these disparate desires that these two women want. Doris is a young woman that broke up with her boyfriend all because he doesn’t want her to go to Gothenburg as her encounter with Otto starts off fine until she notices why Otto is intrigued by her as it also relates to his own family drama. For Susanne, she would spend part of the day watching Henrik’s home from afar wondering if she could have that life of a family. Bergman’s approach to structure is very unique where much of the second act plays into Doris’ time with Otto and the third is about Susanne’s meeting with Henrik where the relationship is going as it would play into not just what Susanne wants but also what Doris wants for herself after her encounter with Otto.

Bergman’s direction is very entrancing for the way he tells the story as it is shot largely on location in Gothenburg in a full-frame aspect ratio. The direction has Bergman use a few wide shots to play into the compositions while creating something that does feel very lively for the scenes involving Doris and Otto. Most notably in how he shoots from her point of view where she is riding roller coasters and other rides that Otto takes her too. The direction also has some interesting compositions in the way it plays into the drama while also creating moments that are provocative as it relates to Susanne and her eventual meeting with Henrik. Bergman would maintain an air of suspense but also some moments of anguish as it plays to both Susanne and Doris coping with failed love and what they want. Even as it relates to the idea of fantasy of their desires but also contend with the harsh realities that their surrounded by. Overall, Bergman creates a very mesmerizing and fascinating film about two women dealing with heartbreak.

Cinematographer Hilding Blah does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to capture the vibrant look of the locations along with some intricate lighting for some scenes set at night to play into the drama. Editor Carl-Olov Skeppstedt does amazing work with the editing with its unconventional approach to rhythmic cuts for a few scenes as well as some straightforward yet methodical cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Gittan Gustafsson does brilliant work with the look of the hotel rooms that Susanne and Doris live in as well as the main room in Otto‘s home. The sound work of Olle Jacobsson is fantastic for capturing some of the intense dramatic moments including a scene where Susanne screams outside on a train though it’s only the sounds of the train that is heard along with some of the jazz music that is played on the film.

Finally, there’s the film’s superb cast as it includes notable small performances from Sven Lindberg as Doris’ boyfriend, Benkt-Ake Benktsson as a model gallery associate in the film’s opening and closing scenes, Inga Landgre as Henrik’s wife, and Kerstin Hedeby as Otto’s daughter whose visit is an eerie one as she would insult Doris greatly. Ulf Palme is excellent as Henrik as Susanne’s married lover who is unsure if he wants to continue the affair in order to be with his family yet is in love with Susanne. Gunnar Bjornstrand is fantastic as Otto as an old consul who falls for Doris as he lavishes her with gifts and takes her to his home only to be struck by reality from the appearance of his daughter.

Eva Dahlbeck is brilliant as Susanne as a modeling agency head who is in charge of an assignment as she copes with the turmoil over her relationship with Henrik as she wonders if they do have a future. Harriet Andersson is amazing as Doris as a young model dealing with a break-up as she is charmed and wooed by an aging consul only to realize how cruel the world is upon meeting his daughter.

Kvinnodrom is a remarkable film from Ingmar Bergman that features great performances from Eva Dahlbeck and Harriet Andersson. While it is one of his early triumphs and certainly a compelling exploration into heartbreak. It is also a film that manages to play into the way women are forced to look for love prompting them to find their own identities. In the end, Kvinnodrom is an exhilarating film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music of Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Smiles of a Summer Night - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Simulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968 film)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (Karin’s Face) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

© thevoid99 2015

Smiles of a Summer Night

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/25/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Sommamattens leende (Smiles of a Summer Night) tells the story of a lawyer at the turn of the century who is married to a 19-year old virgin while his adult son, from a previous marriage is becoming a priest. When he meets a former mistress during a play, she invites him, his wife, son, and some friends for a party in her summer home for one night only. A film that is a comedy in some respects but also filled with Bergman's themes of morality. It would be the film that would help give audience a taste of what is to come from the director, though in a different style. Starring Ulla Jacobson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Harriet Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, Margit Carlqvist, Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, and Birgitta Valberg. Sommamattens leende is an excellent, funny film from Ingmar Bergman.

Fredrik Egerman (Gunnar Bjornstrand) is a respected lawyer who is married to 19-year old ingenue named Anne (Ulla Jacobson). Things seem to go well in their life while Fredrik's son Henrik (Bjorn Bjelfvenstam) just passed an examination to become a priest. Living with the Egermans is a young maid named Petra (Harriet Andersson) who often flirts with Henrik. When Fredrik receives tickets for a play starring Desiree Armfeldt (Eva Dahlbeck), it is learned that she is a former mistress of Fredrik just after his first wife had passed away some years ago. During a nap, Fredrik says Desiree's name that bothers Anne while at the play, Anne is distressed as they leave early. Henrik is frustrated over his feelings for Petra believing he has sinned. After that night, Fredrik decides to see Desiree for a chat. Accompanied by Desiree's maid Malla (Gull Natorp), the go to Desiree's home where Fredrik asks for Desiree's help while learning she has a son named Fredrik (Anders Wulff).

Later that evening, a young man named Malcolm (Jarl Kulle) arrives to meet with Desiree but is upset that Fredrik is there. Malcolm is a young Count who is set to leave for war soon while his wife Charlotte (Margit Carlqvist) is a gossip monger. Desiree has an idea during a visit with her mother (Naima Wifstrand) to have the Count and his wife plus the Egermans for a day in the summer at the home of Desiree's mother. Anne decides to go after a visit from Charlotte, who knows that her husband is having an affair. At the house, Petra accompanies the Egermans where she meets Mrs. Armfeldt's servant Frid (Akie Fridell). Anne and Desiree meet as the Count and his wife arrive to the mansion as everyone meets. Charlotte meets with Desiree for a plan of her own. What happens at dinner would reveal some unresolved feelings and desires for all involved. Even as Frid reveals to Petra the three things that happen on a summer night for those who become couples and those who have to figure some things out.

While Bergman throughout his later films would tackle themes of morality, faith, and love in a more cynical, darker presentation. Bergman also can present films with a sense of humor in these subject matters. In this film, it's about a lawyer dealing with old feelings of his mistress as well as his love for his wife. At the same time, his wife is bored with all that is going on while having some repressed feelings of her own while learning about her husband's past with his mistress. While all of that is going on, there's a jealous count, his angry wife, and the lawyer's repressed son who is disgusted by all that is happening.

Bergman's script has a nice structure where the first act introduces Fredrik's life as well as his past with Desiree while being introduced to the jealous Count Malcolm. The second act is about Desiree's plan for a party at her mother's house and Charlotte's plan to expose her husband. All that is well told though it suffers through some pacing issues and trying to keep the story going. Even as it tries to mix comedy and drama that is finally balanced in the third act where everything goes on at the house. Its third act becomes the film's payoff in terms of its spontaneous humor and dark drama, the latter of which would become Bergman's trademark for all of his films to come.

The direction is mostly straightforward in comparison to Bergman's later films which often has striking compositions and eerie camera movements. Still, there's some memorable shots in the film as he creates. Notably the ending that involves Petra and a character commentating all that is happening. While the staging of the drama is mostly theatrical, there's some humor that goes on while in terms of the acting. It's all done in an early 1900 style where the body language shows the characters bowing to each other as a form of introduction. In the more intense, heavy dramatic scenes, there's some great close-up of the characters through zooming close-ups to reveal what is going on as well as its sense of emotional impact. Despite a few flaws in the story and pacing, Bergman does create a solid, whimsical comedy about love and morality.

Bergman's then-longtime cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does excellent work with the film's black-and-white photography. Notably in the nighttime scenes at the mansion with some great, haunting interior shots to capture the mood of the dinner scene. Even in the exterior, there is a beautiful yet dark quality to his camera work. Fischer's shading in some of the nighttime and daytime exteriors are well-made as he brings something that is exquisite in its look and feel. Editor Oscar Rosander does some nice work with the film's smooth transitions with straight cuts, fade-outs, and dissolves to give the film a nice feel though its pacing at times, lags the film a bit in its humor and drama.

Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the lavish homes that the characters live in with such detail to early 20th Century antiques and furniture along with the chairs. The look of the sets and decorations are filled with elegant details along with the use of candles with dripping wax as it's one of the film's technical highlights. The costume design work of Mago is very exquisite with its flowing, large dresses and hats of the times along with the suits that the men wear. The sound work by Per-Olof Pettersson and Lennart Wallin is very good in capturing the raucous sounds of the theaters and the quiet atmosphere of the Armfeldt mansion. The music by Erik Nordgren is wonderful for its upbeat, flowing arrangements filled with comical pieces and huge, triumphant pieces with large arrangements. Even in the more romantic scenes, there's something that is somber of what goes on as it plays well to its humor and drama.

The cast is well-assembled with some memorable small roles from Anders Wulff as Desiree's son Fredrik, Gull Natorp as Desiree's assistant Malla, Jullan Kindahl as Anne and Fredrik's cook Beata, and in early film roles, Birgitta Valberg and Bibi Andersson as actresses on the stage. Naima Wifstrand is very good as Mrs. Armfeldt, Desiree's mother who comments all the things wrong with the world including the young people of its time. Ake Fridell is great as the lively Frid, a man who is so full of charm as he wows the young Petra over his lust for life and all of the things that makes the world good. Bjorn Bjelfvenstam is excellent as Henrik, Fredrik's 19-year old son who wants to be a priest but struggles against the dark ways of the world as well as his feelings for women. Jarl Kulle is good as Count Malcolm, a young jealous military officer who wears a stupid mustache while couldn't hold his feelings for both Desiree and his wife Charlotte.

Margit Carlqvist is great as Charlotte, a young, scorned wife who is aware of her husband's affairs as she hopes to get revenge on him by seducing Fredrik. Harriet Andersson is wonderful as the lively, flirtatious maid Petra, who likes to bare her cleavage to Henrik. Ulla Jacobson is very good as Anne, the young virginal wife of Fredrik who is confused after she hears him say Desiree's name in his sleep as she also has some repressed feelings for someone else around her. Gunnar Bjornstrand is excellent as Fredrik, a man who is confused over his love for Anne but his feelings for Desiree while dealing with all of the chaos that surrounds him during a night at the Armfeldt mansion. Finally, there's Eva Dahlbeck in a fantastic role as Desiree, a lively woman who realizes she still has feelings for Fredrik while trying to contend the jealousy of Malcolm as she makes a move that would change everything.

Sommamattens leende is an excellent, whimsical comedy from Ingmar Bergman featuring a superb cast led by Eva Dahlbeck, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Ulla Jacobson, and Harriet Andersson. While the film may not have the serious, heavy themes of other films that would follow, it's a film that shows Bergman's versatility in the themes and genres he explores. In the end, while it may not reach the heights of his later, more-well known films, Sommamattens leende is still a fascinating, entertaining film from Ingmar Bergman.

Ingmar Bergman Films: (Crisis) - (It Rains on Our Love) - (A Ship to India) - (Music in Darkness) - (Port of Call) - (Prison) - (Thirst (1949 film)) - (To Joy) - (This Can’t Be Happen Here) - (Summer Interlude) - Secrets of Women - Summer with Monika - Sawdust and Tinsel - A Lesson in Love - Dreams (1955 film) - The Seventh Seal - (Mr. Sleeman is Coming) - Wild Strawberries - (The Venetian) - (Brink of Life) - (Rabies) - The Magician - The Virgin Spring - The Devil’s Eye - Through a Glass Darkly - Winter Light - The Silence - All These Women - Persona - (Stimulantia-Daniel) - Hour of the Wolf - (Shame (1968)) - (The Rite) - The Passion of Anna - (The Touch) - Cries & Whispers - Scenes from a Marriage - (The Magic Flute) - (Face to Face) - (The Serpent’s Egg) - Autumn Sonata - From the Life of the Marionettes - Fanny & Alexander - (After the Rehearsal) - (The Blessed Ones) - (In the Presence of a Clown) - (The Image Makers) - Saraband

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