Episode 174 – Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika

Scott, David, Trevor, and Arik discuss the eroticism, restless youth, realist and stylistic traits in Bergman's landmark film.

This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee, Trevor Berrett, and Arik Devens to discuss Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika.

About the film:

Inspired by the earthy eroticism of Harriet Andersson, in the first of her many roles for him, Ingmar Bergman had a major international breakthrough with this sensual and ultimately ravaging tale of young love. A girl (Andersson) and boy (Lars Ekborg) from working-class families in Stockholm run away from home to spend a secluded, romantic summer at the beach, far from parents and responsibilities. Inevitably, it is not long before the pair are forced to return to reality. The version initially released in the U.S. was reedited by its distributor into something more salacious, but the original Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika), presented here, is a work of stunning maturity and one of Bergman’s most important films.

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Buy The Film On Amazon:

Watch the sensationalistic trailer for the original U.S. release:

Episode Links:

Summer with Monika (1953) – The Criterion Collection
Summer with Monika: Summer Dreaming – From the Current – The Criterion Collection
Summer with Monika (1953) – IMDb
Summer with Monika – Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Summer with Monika | Ingmar Bergman
Summer with Monika, 1953, Ingmar Bergman | Criterion Blues
Summer with Monika • Senses of Cinema
Ingmar Bergman’s ‘Summer with Monika’ – The New York Times
TASCHEN Books: The Ingmar Bergman Archives
Ingmar Bergman: An Artist’s Journey

Episode Credits:

Scott Nye (Twitter / Battleship Pretension)
David Blakeslee (Twitter / Criterion Reflections)
Trevor Berrett (Twitter / The Mookse and the Gripes)
Arik Devens (Twitter / Cinema Gadfly)

Music from this episode is by The Beach Boys.