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Nancarrow

18Apr12

Can't think of a time I've had more fun with a Bergman. It's quite schizophrenic in tone, but therein lies the pleasure. A talent solidifying

Considered Bergman’s international breakthrough, yet I honestly think The Seventh Seal deserves that claim more fulsomely. This is more just a mishmash of soon-to-be institutionalised themes, and then some; a mess of ideas and technique running the gamut from screwball, slapstick, existential and bourgeoisie comedy of errors, as well as romance, satire and theology. Not to say it all doesn’t make for slight, caustic entertainment, but at most it remains a curiosity, a frivolous farce preceding far more engaging auteurist works.

Trevor Tillman and HKFanatic like this

Steve

25Oct11

zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Pere Pete

21Aug11

between a hollywood screwball comedy and a play of Shakespeare. That it works and it is good, therefor stands the name Bergmann. Not his most demanding piece of work, but one of the most entertaining.

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Worm

19Jul11

The razor sharp wit helped get the poignant message across without being too academic or professional. Really the only thing that it lacks is having been made before Bergman had really self-actualized in styel and personality (which still allows for a lot). Harriet Andersson's sexual power was incredible.

Trevor Tillman

29Apr11

The comparisons to Oscar Wilde are spot on I think. Very play-like, yet beautifully photographed, and Bergman's skills as a dialogist are in full display. I admire him throwing himself into each movie he makes. Even his comedy feels like a sad confessional.

KooterBrown

27Feb11

Bergman had balls to pour out such intensely personal feeling into each film. This one being no exception. I hear characters deliver lines but I'm extra conscious of the fact that I'm bearing witness to the deep seeded obsessions and kind of tortured thoughts that inhabited Bergman's mind.

runeii

22Feb11

once again, a fantastically warm and beautiful film by Bergman. This stole my heart!

ClassicTD

18Jan11

despite a rare lighthearted tone, this film has a deceptively pessimistic message, brilliantly done by Bergman.

Zachary George Najarian-Najafi

21Dec10

At times I felt like I was watching a Lubitsch film because of the light and satirical touch Bergman applies to the thorny world of male-female relationships. But underneath it all this film is just as depressing as anything Bergman has made. His morbid view of romantic love is something I can relate too. There are so many touches of genius here, and I love how Bergman seamlessly mixes laughs with depression.

Dzimas

30Aug10

Enjoyable outing as Bergman has fun with a stuffy lawyer as he revisits a former love. But, Harriet Andersson pretty much steals the show with her winsome portrayal of Petra.

kelvanE

9Aug10

Superb. Another out-of-the-park hit by Ingmar Bergman, among a long catalogue of hits.

lincognito

23Jul10

Russian roulette.

Pradipta Mitra

22May10

Beautiful!!

Savannah

18May10

Impish, wistful, funny. Invites a snicker at human behavior in a way that reminded me very much of Shakespeare.

ghinnet likes this

davandwar

29Apr10

This fun film from Bergman is a delight. The wonderfully achieved scenes and rich narrative make for an intense comedy!

alistaire

5Apr10

I thought the pacing of this was weird. The premise is so clichéd and worn that you expect it to be tighter wound, but the looseness is reminiscent of Bergman's own turbulent love life. Each couple portrays a part of his self, some of which he likes, some not. Ultimately, from the maker of The Silence and Wild Strawberries, it's a film made for money. It is beautiful, though; Gunnar Fischer hit it out of the park.

arlinda

12Mar10

This is Bergman as Oscar Wilde. You have to see it to believe it.

Vahid Mortazavi

10Mar10

Bergman's early classics need to be rewatched and discovered again. I suppose some of them (such as this one) are better films than the ones who made in 70s. ... In "Smiles of a Summer Night", I liked playful development of characters (even if its exaggerations and poses in some sequences, now, sound old-fashioned). --------- Also, I love the Criterion's DVD cover for this film.