Smiles of a Summer Night

(aka 'Smiles of a Summer Night')

directed by Ingmar Bergman
Sweden 1955

After fifteen films of mostly local acclaim, the 1956 prize-winning comedy Smiles of a Summer Night at last ushered in an international audience for director Ingmar Bergman. Set in turn-of-the-century Sweden, four women and four men attempt to juggle the laws of attraction amidst their daily bourgeois life. When a weekend in the country brings them all face to face, the women ally to force the men's hands in their matters of the heart, exposing their pretentions and insecurities along the way. Chock full of flirtatious propositions and sharp-witted wisdom delivered by such legends of the Swedish screen as Gunnar Björnstrand, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson, and Ulla Jacobsson, Smiles of a Summer Night is one of film history's great tragicomedies, a bittersweet view of the transience of human carnality.

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Theatrical Release: December 26th, 1955 - Sweden

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DVD Review: Criterion Collection - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 237 - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:49:08
Video	1.33:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 7.86 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Swedish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion Collection Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • Video introduction to the film by director Ingmar Bergman • New video conversation with film historian Peter Cowie and producer Jorn Donner • New piece by renowned theater and film critic John Simon, author of Ingmar Bergman Directs • Swedish theatrical trailer • Essay by film critic Pauline Kael DVD Release Date: May 25, 2004 Keep Case Chapters: 28

Comments:

A comparison to the Tartan - Region 2 version is HERE. Criterions hallmark contrast looks to be perfect. Great subtitles, Extras, Pauline Kael essay - surely the definitive version of this Bergman masterpiece. I wouldn't have any problem buying this blind, but the screen caps and Criterion's reputation are apt enough proof to persuade any Bergman fan. out of