Summer with Monika

Bergman explores young romance as a whole, from its innocent beginnings until it gets crushed under the weight of adult responsibility. If perhaps not as revelatory as Bergman's greater films, it's still a fine piece of work with compelling character studies. As expected, the photography is beautiful, especially in the middle section with all the scenes of sun-dappled lakes.

Tight sweaters and sunbathing. You will never see a sexier movie from 1953.

A really beautiful film with minor pacing problems. Bergman's eye for imagery is fully apparent throughout the film and the story deals with its subject matter quite well. The acting is quite solid and Andersson is charming even when her character acts like a whiny brat. The film could have used a bit more meat in the actual summer with Monika section but it's a minor complaint.

Not one of Bergman's best, but he starts to really come into his own around this time. His style is really on display, with some excellent photography, and his storytelling skills have really been honed. What Summer with Monika lacks in depth compared to Bergman's best, it makes up for by being a well-done romance with a couple of strong performances.

Not exactly sleazy by today's standards. I liked the imagery and Harriet Andersson's performance. The story is rudimentary and told rather meanderingly, but, overall, it's a satisfying watch.

A vision of youth as a brief and beautiful dream exploding forth from the backdrop of a grey reality and then crashing back down into the challenges of adulthood; as well as a more particular tale of an unready young couple, the momentary excesses of their naivete and a harsh sobering. A deceptively simple film with layered and multi-faceted subtext, beautifully shot, and featuring a knockout performance from Harriet Andersson, Summer with Monika is one of Bergman's greatest achievements.

I think this one is a proof of the idea; "The films that Bergman's favourite actors/actresses in, are simply great" Harriet Andersson and of course Bergman seems much talented. An improved one compared to his early films.

Damn, Harriet Andersson can play one annoying brat (the male lead leaves no impression on me). Pretty conventional work in most everything but a few photographic touches.

S.W.M is Bergman flirting with greatness but nonetheless falling short. Its outsized reputation is lost on me when removed from its historical context when nudity and a non-romanticised view of youth were relatively rare in cinema. It is hard to fault the lead performances, particularly Andersson in a star making turn as the troubled Monica, and Bergman captures the carefree idyllic moments of young love perfectly--paradise found then lost--but the aftermath descends into melodrama.

A sweet, idyllic story of two young lovers escaping into their imaginations by the water. Oh, this is a Bergman? Better get ready for 3rd Act after those scenes end.

Bergman, IMAGES, 295-96: "Harriet Andersson is one of cinema’s geniuses. […] Here is an example of her talent: The summer has ended. Harry is not at home; Monika goes on a date with a guy named Lelle. At the coffee shop he drops a coin into the jukebox. With the swing music resounding, the camera turns to Harriet. She shifts her glance from her partner straight into the lens. Here is suddenly established, for the first time in the history of film, shameless, direct contact with the viewer."

Outstanding piece of neo-realism. Bergman explores a young love depressed by society, breaking free and flourishing a summer long. But social hostility returns to their lives in form of a mindless vandalist ravaging their belongings. After stealing the forbidden fruit (no, not the apples, ham), innocence is lost and they are forced to accept the life of the city and it's corrupting nature.

Basic and well-written story transferred to the big screen with classically beautiful visuals and quiet metaphoric hinting. As a whole it comes together rather nicely and the different layers of the film still speak for themselves without breaking the realization of their unity in the end.

Use condoms, guys

Bergman really hits his stride, knows exactly how to handle the story; when to focus on the awkward teenage drama and its brittle triumphs (Andersson is an absolute force of nature) and when to let the camera do the work and use the landscape. Forms a nice Archipelago Trilogy about supposed liberty of youth with Summer Interlude and Secrets of Women.

Simple and brilliant. Harriet Andersson is so charming...

Ignorance is not bliss, rather bliss is spending the Summer with Monika. Let's be honest, Harriet Andersson blasts Lars Ekberg off the screen with her joie de vivre. This is my kind of erotic film; almost everything Monika (or should I say Andersson) does is either adorable or a potential turn on. Although I can't say that I share her fantasy about domestic life, which as it turns out (it's Bergman after all) is but a silver cloud with a black lining. The ending is overly dramatic.

Bergman's romantic scenes sometimes get cheesy, but at times they are so sweet you just want to live inside of them for ever and ever. Preferably together with Harriet Andersson.

For 1953 it's like a revolution and I was surprised when I realized how Woody Allen and J. L. Godard were influenced by this movie. It narrates a very modern plot because it focuses on the urban life of a young couple who hopelessly try to return to nature but can't achieve it and go through a love and hate cycle. Bergman drags neo-realism into romantic drama and questions the urban life of youth in post war period, just like "Rebel Without a Cause", a pioneering movie in film history.

Expertly constructed story with good (although slow) pacing, relatable performances and some great visual storytelling with nice attention to detail & environments. Quiet but richly metaphorical style made the rather basic plot enjoyable. There's a genuine heartfelt urgency to the story which seems to come from a very real and personal place. Not much to criticise here but the quality could have been more consistent. I was engaged but not really moved or shattered the way I perhaps wanted to be.

Bergman at his most sensual.

This movie seems deceptively simple but the story and performances are captivating to watch. You feel the exhilaration of the first love and the thrill of "freedom" and then I watch the thrill and hope become broken and twisted.

That 4th wall break was pretty strong.

88.00

87.500

I think I prefer Bergman's film from the 60s onwards, as I feel he became better and better as he went on. This film feels far too much like a conventional drama to really leave me thinking about it afterwards, not having the impact of the director's later, emotionally rawer dramas or tackling a philosophical subject like religion which is the centre of his best work and creates far interesting plots around them.

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A good early Bergman dealing with a summer fling... that unfortunately has more lasting repercussions. Really solid and sensual, with two good lead characters. It only suffers from some moments in the screenplay that seem needlessly expository, when it would have been better off showing events.

A summer romance - what could go wrong? It's a wispy fairy tale that devolves into glum reality. Notable is perhaps the most fake fight in cinematic history. Perhaps it's not shocking that Bergman would have an affair with Andersson, which makes the film almost a prophecy.

watched: 2013, 2015, 2024

Sublime visuals (and most of the source material for breathless) and intriguing first half, but so help me god if he hadn't punched her for cheating on him with a retard, I would have. The phrase is retard strength, not retard dick size. Dude is off bringing home the bacon for your fertile ass and you cant even have an IQ standard? Also just wanna say that the nudity here isn't that awesome, and there is no bush. It's all artistic and shit.

sju plus, kanske åtta minus

Bergman was in love with Andersson during the making of this film and it shows. It's very much a sensual celebration of her without really being an exercise in leering. If anything, it's a glorious celebration of young romantic love and the freedom it can grant even in the most modest of circumstances. Even with it's fairly downbeat ending, it ends on a reverie. I think it's a really beautiful film.

An uncontrollable girl, her lively and troublesome character because she knows about and won't give up her being sexual.

Compared to Gycklarnas afton (made the same year), this is a meager and formal film. But it's still a delight.

Not need it after you've seen sawdust and tinsel, but if you like to Bergman's great observation ability and the perfect characters him created, you should watch. Also u can see Harriet Andersson's ass.

Really good romantic drama that works with the ideas of dreams and expectations not matching reality. Andersson is so good here playing a very complicated character. Relatively straightforward for Bergman, but very welldone.

a cute little story of a summer love, joyously depicted by bergman, contrasted by how its all struck down by reality by the end of the summer. the happy boat trip, full of anticipation, out of a beautiful 50s stockholm contrasting against the dark return perfectly describes the movie in its entirety. there is also some seriously weird editing going on at times, not to mention harietts overly dramatic acting, albeit for the time normal, annoyed me.

The first good Bergman; no need to venture further back into his dull, overbearing melodramas except to get a glimpse of stylistic traits developing.