After fifteen films that received mostly local acclaim, the 1955 comedy SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Sommarnattens leende) at last ushered in an international audience for Ingmar Bergman. In turn-of-the-century Sweden, four men and four women attempt to navigate the laws of attraction. During a weekend in the country, the women collude to force the men’s hands in matters of the heart, exposing their pretensions and insecurities along the way. Chock-full of flirtatious propositions and sharp witticisms delivered by such Swedish screen legends as Gunnar Björnstrand and Harriet Andersson, SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHTis one of cinema’s great erotic comedies.
“A near perfect work,” wrote Pauline Kael, featuring “four of the most talented and beautiful women ever to appear in one film (Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson, Margit Carlqvist, and Ulla Jacobsson).”