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Summer Interlude [1950]


RRP: £19.99
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Typical Bergman
Review date: 2008-08-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

Thematically, this is very typical Bergman. Destroyed love and happiness in youth leading to a hangover into adulthood that casts a shadow on the rest of the protagonist's life.
I thought Bergman pushed the film away from being too much of a carbon copy certain other films of his by introducing the lecherous uncle and the diary of the former-lover. It's quite slow to get started, but once the flashback to the past commences, it's typical (and this word is not meant in any negative way whatsoever) Bergman. Emotionally taut, visually alluring, scripted perfectly...
However, I have only given it four stars because it didn't quite work as well for me as 'Summer with Monika' or 'A lesson in love'. I found these two films to be paced and lot better, and to be a lot more engaging. 'Summer Interlude,' and not just in the title, bears a lot of similarities to 'Summer with Monika', as Bergman takes the minx-like heroine and slightly naive hero and throws them together in a secluded place where there love can play out. While the heroine in 'Monika' is a mischievious gamine, unlike the heroine in 'Interlude', the maps of their loves follow similarly tempestuous routes.
While this is a much better film than many other directors could ever hope to produce, I don't think it quite reaches the five-star peaks of some of Bergman's other films. Still, highly recommended.

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Reviews


AN EARLY BERGMAN FILM
Review date: 2007-10-20 Rating: 10 out of 10

Bergman's films are always interesting to look at, and this one is no exception. Some of the film's best visuals include a bleak white sky that only a black silhouette of the protagonist can be made out walking against, and a couple of excellent montages: one being the opening shots of slight movements in clouds, in a river and of rubbish on a footpath; the other being a montage of steam, skies and water as a boat sails along. Bergman also pays a lot of attention to sound here too, and in particular there is something rhythmic about the chugging boat sounds, and these sounds can be heard at times throughout the film even when the boat is not visible on screen. Silence, such as at the doctor's office, is also distributed well throughout.

The directing work in this early Bergman film is on par with some of his best direction. His screenplay is however well below par. It is one of his least challenging scripts - a simple tale of love between two young persons with none of the philosophy or analysis about how human beings function that make most of his films so interesting. It is well made, but often nothing more than sentimental fluff. The stop animation work is an awkward inclusion too and the film is full of unimportant events, such as the ups and downs of the ballet, that really have absolutely nothing to do with the story at hand. It is not one of Bergman's best films by far, but still a good sign of things to come from him, and fairly pleasant viewing. It is sort of similar to 'Wild Strawberries', and therefore it is rather amusing to hear the main character ask her lover whether he wants to pick some wild strawberries with her!

Stunning!
Review date: 2004-05-06 Rating: 10 out of 10

I had seen around 20 Bergman films before I watched this edition of "Sommarlek". I was taken by how good this film was considering that it was among the first ten movies where Bergman had both written and directed, and that this era of his career isn't much talked about in comparison to his films from mid 50's through mid 60's. The story is clever and has a perfect balance between all of its aspects. "Sommarlek" introduced a "new" side of Bergman to me. To think that I seem not to have experienced all of him after 20 movies, and that there is more than as much left to explore. What a Master!
Tartan's edition of this movie is region-free, but not worth giving much compliments beside that. The picture is OK - it's not restored on close to a Criterion standard, but the audio should definitely have spent some more time in the restoration-studio before the disc's release - it distorts a bit, even silence fusses (a lot), and inconvenient "clip noises", that could easily have been removed can be heard. The special features are disappointing; there are filmographies for the two leading actors and for Bergman (as is the case on most of Tartan's Bergman DVD's), and two trailers; for Bergman’s “Persona” (1966) and “Autumn Sonata” (1978) - movies that have NOTHING to do with this picture, and furthermore is included on other Tartan discs.
To sum up: 3/5 stars for the DVD (a big plus is that there are NO synchronization problems), 5/5 for the story, acting, directing, and cinematography. The movie is likely to grasp you, and make you forget about the bad sound quality, and it isn’t worth giving less than 5/5 stars for this movie because of something as stupid as the sound quality on a DVD. Enjoy a great film!

remember that first love.....?
Review date: 2003-05-02 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is a raw and really evocative piece, in black and white with sub titles it is hard to imagine how you might be sucked into the raw emotion of a first tragic love but you will....the emotion and the force of feeling in this film will take your breath away..particularly if you are female..a real feeling film, slow to start but slowly unravelling the whole contents of a heart and a past...unmissable!

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Annalisa Ericson
Georg Funkquist
Maj-Britt Nilsson
Birger Malmsten
Alf Kjellin

Creators:
Maj-Britt Nilsson (Primary Contributor)
Birger Malmsten (Primary Contributor)
Gunnar Fischer (Cinematographer)
Ingmar Bergman (Writer)
Oscar Rosander (Editor)
Allan Ekelund (Producer)
Herbert Grevenius (Writer)

Director(s):

Recording label: Tartan Video
Manufacturer: Tartan Video
EAN: 5023965346629
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, Full Screen, PAL,
Release date: 2004-03-29
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Running time: 91 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1951
Language: English (Subtitled)
Language: Swedish (Original Language)

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