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

The Devil's Eye

Written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, Djavulens oga (The Devil’s Eye) is the story of Don Juan who is sent back to Earth by Satan in an attempt to seduce and take away the virginity of a vicar’s beautiful daughter. The film is a comedic story that relates to Satan wanting retribution over the beauty of this young woman by sending the greatest seducer of all-time to win her over. Starring Jarl Kulle, Bibi Andersson, Gunnar Bjornstrand, and Stig Jarrel. Djavulens oga is a witty yet mesmerizing film from Ingmar Bergman.

The film revolves around a revenge scheme made by Satan (Stig Jarrell) who asks Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) to seduce a beautiful daughter of a vicar and take away her virginity whose chastity has given him a stye in his eye. Don Juan agrees to do the task with the aid of a servant where he will be given 300 years off from his punishment but upon meeting the beautiful Britt-Marie (Bibi Andersson). The task becomes difficult as he realizes while things become more questionable where there’s a subplot of his aide in Pablo (Sture Lagerwall) who tries to seduce the vicar’s wife. It all plays into forces trying to create chaos and disrupt the ideas of faith as it is largely told in a humorous manner with commentaries by an actor (Gunnar Bjornstrand) who appears in between the acts. The film’s script by Ingmar Bergman isn’t just this growing fascination with faith but also temptation as it’s set in a modern world where ideas of faith are being questioned.

Bergman’s direction is stylish in some aspects of the film in the way not only presents Hell but also the fact that he takes a break from the story so that Bjornstrand can provide comments in a room while a frame of the film is actually playing in the background. The presentation of Hell itself is quite offbeat as Satan surrounds himself with guards from the late 18th Century while Don Juan is dressed up like a man in his time as it play into a sort of disconnect with the modern world. When Don Juan and Pablo arrive on Earth, they’re dressed in modern clothing as it is set in a Swedish countryside where Bergman does take stock in using a lot of wide and medium shots for the landscapes. The shots are also used in some of the key dramatic moments where the vicar’s wife Renate (Gertrud Fridh) is seen far in the foreground from her room and then walks to a door for a medium shot as it play into that sense of temptation.

Bergman’s usage of close-ups do say a lot to what Don Juan endures as it displays not just a sense of revelation for himself but also a world that has changed and how love is actually more complicated. Notably as Don Juan sees Britt-Marie’s own relationship to a man named Jonas (Axel Duberg) in one of its troubled moments. While Don Juan is aware of what he has to do, his attempts in tempting Britt-Marie becomes questionable from his own perspective where he copes with not just his own humanity but also faith itself. Even as Bergman would create comments about the fallacy of faith as if it play into the idea that God and Satan are toying with humanity in this scheme that Satan is creating. Overall, Bergman crafts a humorous yet provocative tale of Don Juan’s attempt to seduce a woman only to cause a further crisis of faith around himself and those he encounters.

Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography as it plays into the unsettling look of Hell as well as the wondrous look of the modern world in the scenes set at night with its usage of shadows and shades. Editor Oscar Rosander does nice work with the editing as it is straightforward with some stylish jump-cuts that emerge for a key character who watches over Don Juan. Production designer P.A. Lundgren does fantastic work with the look of Hell as well as the room of the actor that are in sharp contrast to the quaint home of the vicar.

Costume designer Mago does nice work with the costumes from 18th Century look of Satan‘s guards and the stylish clothes of Don Juan in Hell to the more casual, modern look of Britt-Marie. The sound work of Staffan Dalin and Stig Flodin is terrific for the way thunderstorms sound for scenes in the second act as well as some eerie moments set in Hell. The film’s music by Erik Nordgren does wonderful work with the music as it’s a mixture of low-key orchestral as well as lots of harpsichord-based music to play into the period of where Don Juan was alive at the time.

The film’s superb cast include some notable small roles from Kristina Adolph as an object of torment for Don Juan in Hell, Allan Edwall as an ear demon, Ragnar Arvedson as a demon that watches over Don Juan and Pablo, Axel Duberg as Britt-Marie’s lover Jonas, Georg Funkquist and Gunnar Sjoberb as Satan’s guards who are dressed as posh 18th Century figures, Sture Lagerwall as Don Juan’s aide Pablo who falls for the vicar’s wife, and Gunnar Bjornstrand in a fantastic performance as the actor who comments and introduces each act in the film. Gertrude Fridh is wonderful as the vicar’s wife Renata as a woman who becomes tempted by Pablo into having an affair while Nils Poppe is excellent as a vicar who would have an encounter with a demon while being tested over his faith.

Stig Jarrell is brilliant as Satan as a figure who is bothered by the stye in his eye as he hopes to exact some revenge on Britt-Marie for what he did to her while being this master of his own domain. Jarl Kulle is amazing as Don Juan as the famed lover who is a master in seducing women only to be challenged by Britt-Marie where he does something that is unexpected of him where he would make questions on himself. Finally, there’s Bibi Andersson in a radiant performance as Britt-Marie as a vicar’s daughter that is full of life and purity as someone that is preparing for life of her own while being entranced by Don Juan’s presence as well as some issues involving her own love life that play into the growing sense of cynicism and questions of faith.

Djavulens oga is a marvelous film from Ingmar Bergman. Featuring a great cast, a unique premise, and thought-provoking themes on faith and temptation. The film is a unique and humorous take on these ideas while being presented in a very unconventional fashion. In the end, Djavulens oga is a brilliant 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 - 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 - 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

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

© thevoid99 2012