Sommarlek (1951)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Ingmar Bergman

Writers:

Ingmar Bergman (writer)
Herbert Grevenius (writer)

Release Date:

26 October 1954 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

The most INTIMATE love story ever told

Plot:

While waiting for the night rehearsal of the ballet Swan Lake, the lonely twenty-eight year-old ballerina Marie receives a diary through the mail...

Plot Keywords:

Ballerina | Summer Vacation | Uncle | Tragedy | Diary

Cast

Maj-Britt Nilsson	...	Marie
Birger Malmsten	...	Henrik
Alf Kjellin	...	David Nyström
Annalisa Ericson	...	Kaj, ballet dancer
Georg Funkquist	...	Uncle Erland
Stig Olin	...	Ballet Master
Mimi Pollak	...	Mrs. Calwagen, Henrik's aunt
Renée Björling	...	Aunt Elisabeth
Gunnar Olsson	...	The Priest
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Emmy Albiin	...	Uncle Erland's faithful old servant (uncredited)
Gerd Andersson	...	Ballet dancer (uncredited)
John Botvid	...	Karl, janitor at the (uncredited)
Ernst Brunman	...	The captain (uncredited)
Julia Cæsar	...	Maja, dresser (uncredited)
Eskil Eckert-Lundin	...	Orchestrator at the theatre (uncredited)
Carl-Axel Elfving	...	Man delievering flowers to Marie (uncredited)
Douglas Håge	...	Nisse, janitor at the Opera (uncredited)
Torsten Lilliecrona	...	Ljus-Pelle (uncredited)
Sten Mattsson	...	Sailor on the boat (uncredited)
Olav Riégo	...	The doctor (uncredited)
Monique Roeger	...	Ballet dancer (uncredited)
Marianne Schüler	...	Ballet dancer (uncredited)
Gun Skoogberg	...	Stand-in for (uncredited)
Göte Stergel	...	Ballet dancer (uncredited)
Carl Ström	...	Sandell (uncredited)
Gösta Ström	...	Karlsson, at the theatre (uncredited)
Fylgia Zadig	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Ingmar Bergman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ingmar Bergman		writer
Herbert Grevenius		writer

Produced by
Allan Ekelund	....	producer

Original Music by
Erik Nordgren
Bengt Wallerström		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Gunnar Fischer

Film Editing by
Oscar Rosander

Production Design by
Nils Svenwall

Makeup Department
Carl M. Lundh	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gösta Ström	....	unit manager

Sound Department
Sven Hansen	....	sound
Sven Rudestedt	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Aaby Wedin	....	sound (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Huch	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Bengt Järnmark	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Animation Department
Rune Andréasson	....	animator (uncredited)

Music Department
Eskil Eckert-Lundin	....	conductor (as E. Eckert Lundin)

Other crew
Ingegerd Ericsson	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Sol-Britt Norlander	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Distributors

• Gaston Hakim International (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Arthaus Filmverleih
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2008) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Firma Carl M. Lundh AB  makeup
• Operabaletten  group cast members

Also Known As:

Illicit Interlude (USA)
Summer Interlude (UK)
Summerplay (International: English title)
Jeux d'été (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Einen Sommer lang (West Germany) [de]
Erotes ephivon (Greece) [el]
Juegos de verano (Spain) [es]
Juventud, divino tesoro (Argentina) [es]
Juventude (Brazil) [pt]
Kesäinen leikki (Finland) [fi]
Letni sen (Poland) [pl]
Sommerleg (Denmark) [da]
Um Verão de Amor (Portugal) [pt]
Un'estate d'amore (Italy) [it]
Zomerspelen (Belgium: Flemish title) [un]

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Argentina:13 | UK:PG (video rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Dalarö, Stockholms län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hey Babu Riba (1986)

Soundtrack:

Swan Lake

The Lost of the Innocence

While waiting for the night rehearsal of the ballet Swan Lake, the lonely twenty-eight year-old ballerina Marie (Maj-Britt Nilsson) receives a diary through the mail. She travels by ferry to an island nearby Stockholm, where she recalls her first love Henrik (Birger Malmsten). Thirteen years ago, while traveling to spend her summer vacation with her aunt Elisabeth (Renée Björling) and her uncle Erland (Georg Funkquist), Marie meets Henrik in the ferry and sooner they fall in love for each other. They spend summer vacation together when a tragedy separates them and Marie builds a wall affecting her sentimental life.

"Sommarlek" is a simple little film of the great director Ingmar Bergman in the beginning of his successful career. The plot discloses through flashbacks a tragic and timeless love story affecting the life of the lead character that builds a wall to protect her sentiments and loses her innocence with her corrupt uncle. The cinematography, landscapes, sceneries and camera work are awesome, using magnificent locations and unusual angles to shot the movie. Maj-Britt Nilsson and Birger Malmsten have great performances in this beautiful and melancholic film. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Juventude" ("Youth")