Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		5.0

Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 30, 2023

Note: This version of this film is available on Blu-ray as part of Criterion's Ingmar Bergman's Cinema set.

It understandably may be well nigh impossible to choose an "all time greatest filmmaker" of the 20th century, if for no other reason than that personal tastes differ, but I can't imagine any "devoted cineaste" not having Ingmar Bergman at least near the top of their own aggregation. Criterion has been feting some iconic creative forces with expansive box set compendia of films, including Essential Fellini and The Complete Films of Agnès Varda, but in terms of overall offerings and packaging extras, Ingmar Bergman's Cinema may itself be sitting atop a list of finest Blu-ray collection offerings. Some of the films in this impressive collection have in fact had prior releases by Criterion, as should probably be expected, but there are a fair number making their Blu-ray debuts. As tends to be the case with Criterion releases, technical merits are also generally excellent, and the supplements can be very appealing.

While Smiles of a Summer Night is chronologically at least a ways into the span of films Criterion's Bergman set offers, it perhaps understandably is given the "top position" as Disc 1 in the set. Some may wonder why arguably more "Bergmanesque" offerings like The Seventh Seal or Wild Strawberries weren't given that perceived honor, but as several supplements on various discs in this set mention, while The Seventh Seal may indeed have been the cause célèbre that brought Bergman international renown, Smiles of a Summer Night had at least blazed a certain path for Bergman's ultimate fame, and it remains one of his most fondly remembered films, one which of course found new life and luster in the Hugh Wheeler - Stephen Sondheim musical adaptation A Little Night Music.

This disc more or less replicates Criterion's previous standalone Blu-ray, and for those wanting a more detailed plot recap, I recommend reading Svet Atanasov's Smiles of a Summer Night of that version.

Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Smiles of a Summer Night is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.36:1. Criterion's kind of overwhelming insert book offers nice summations of each film's transfer attributes, and the relevant data points for this film are as follows:

Picture element: 35 mm original camera negative
Scanner: Arriscan
Transfer resolution: 2K
Sound element: 35 mm optical track
Picture restoration: SF Studios
Sound restoration: Criterion Post

A bit more technical information culled from Criterion's original insert booklet (which is not included with this version) is relayed by Svet in his Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray review of that Blu-ray release, and I echo his comments on the release. This is a sumptuous presentation which preserves both an organic appearance and some nicely rendered fine detail levels throughout, with consistent contrast and a very nicely modulated gray scale.

Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This release duplicates the LPCM Mono track Svet assessed in his original review. The track boasts good fidelity with regard to music, ambient environmental sounds and dialogue, but is another track that shows the limits of the technologies of its production era. Optional English subtitles are available.

Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Ingmar Bergman Introduction (HD; 3:53) is subtitled in English.


• Peter Cowie and Jorn Donner (HD; 16:51) is an engaging 2003 conversation. A submenu offers biographical backgrounds on both participants.


• Swedish Trailer (HD; 2:01)

Smiles of a Summer Night Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bergman is often thought of almost reflexively as being unrepentantly (or maybe repentantly) dour, depressed and devastating, but for those wanting an unabashedly ebullient version of the auteur, look no further than this beautifully written and performed film. Technical merits are solid and the supplements very enjoyable. Highly recommended.