Smiles of a Summer Night | Brink of Life

"A nearly perfect work….In Smiles of a Summer Night, boudoir farce becomes lyric poetry."—Pauline Kael

"Bergman movies were the most influential…Brink of Life was the first one I ever saw. Three pregnant women in a maternity ward and their misery—I love that. That is what I want to show at my funeral."—John Waters, Esquire

Winner of a surprise award at the Cannes Film Festival for Best Poetic Humor, Smiles of a Summer Night is a delightful comedy of sexual manners set in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Four men and four women attempt to navigate the laws of attraction during a weekend in the country as the women collude to expose the men’s pretentions and insecurities. The erotic comedy was adapted by Stephen Sondheim in 1973 as his award-winning musical A Little Night Music. Featuring winning performances by Ulla Jacobsson, Gunnar Björnstrand, Harriet Andersson, and Eva Dahlbeck. (108 mins., 35mm)

Bergman’s fascination with the inner lives of women informed Brink of Life, a study of a maternity ward where three women (Bibi Andersson, Eva Dahlbeck, and Ingrid Thulin) await the big event with mixed attitudes—and fates. At Cannes that year, the film earned Bergman Best Director (his third consecutive major award there) and the three women a unique Best Actress award for their ensemble performance. With Erland Josephson and Max von Sydow. (84 mins., 35mm)