When I think of Ingmar Bergman, I think of bleak brooding. Sometimes his artistry makes it worth my while, and sometimes I wish I hadn't bothered. I chose this viewing at the time for the word "summer," but I put it on my queue in the first place because I had to see what a Bergman romantic comedy would be like. Especially one that inspired a Woody Allen comedy.
Circa 1900, a group of adults gets together for a typical Swedish solstice celebration. What makes it unusual is that the hostess, Desiree, invited them specifically to sort out their relationship troubles. They include Fredrik, who used to have an affair with her; his much younger virgin wife, Anne; his adult son, Henrik, who wants to be a minister but has mutual feelings for Anne; servant Petra, who wants Henrik; Count Carl-Magnus, who currently has an affair with Desiree and the military might to intimidate romantic rivals; and Countess Charlotte, who loves Carl-Magnus regardless.
For what IMDb classifies as only "Comedy" and "Romance," it's still pretty bleak and brooding. There's even a suicide attempt. Interestingly enough, Bergman said that he made the movie in order to dissuade himself from a suicide attempt. (It predates The Seventh Seal and his other especially famous pieces.)
As a romance, it's not exactly heartwarming. Characters can be pretty harsh to each other and get no consistent comeuppance for misbehavior. Perhaps someone with a mind more open to approval of adultery would feel differently about it. (Oh, yeah: Allen.)
The humor? Well, not bad, considering how detrimental the combination of antiquity and foreignness can be. It never made me feel like laughing, but some of the character shame is pretty tickling. Situations escalate in ways you wouldn't expect in RL. It balances the genders pretty well. And the dark side never goes over the line.
I rate it third among the six Bergman films I've seen. It shows his writing and directing chops, but you can tell he wouldn't prefer the genre as a rule.
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