SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT/BD

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 (THE SEVENTH SEAL, WILD STRAWBERRIES). in turn-of-the-century Sweden, four men and four women of different classes attempt to navigate the laws of attraction. During a weekend in the country, the women collude to force the mens 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 Bjvrnstrand (THE SEVENTH SEAL, WINTER LIGHT) and Harriet Andersson (THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, CRIES AND WHISPERS), SMILES OF a SUMMER NIGHT is one of cinemas great erotic comedies.