Summer With Monika
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.
Running Time
99 mins
Year
1953
Kanopy ID
1113065
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Comments (4)
This may spoil the sequence of the movie a bit in case you want it to remain a complete mystery...
Monika is someone you feel sorry for at first and then later on she becomes irritating to the point where you think she deserves a smack. Harry had a fun adventure with her and had to ...Read more
This may spoil the sequence of the movie a bit in case you want it to remain a complete mystery...
Monika is someone you feel sorry for at first and then later on she becomes irritating to the point where you think she deserves a smack. Harry had a fun adventure with her and had to persevere though a lot of crap when he decided to become more responsible. His efforts went unacknowledged and he didn't get much support from his "love". He remained gracious and strong through it all.
I can't believe Harry would want to call the baby Monika after what he went through in the end rather than stick with the name June (although that wasn't his first choice). I think unconditional love was displayed here.
There were some parts of the film I felt lagged a bit unnecessarily, but it was a good film overall. It is not a feel good movie. I think it is almost more of a lesson giving movie to young careless rebellious types who don't care to take responsibility when they should.
Read lessI found this Bergman microcosm engrossing and compelling. He creates an intimate view of working-class life in the 50's and the struggles of youth. Faces are prominent and revealing throughout and he includes long still-worthy shots of the ocean. Stellar.
Monika's extreme close-up: As the lighting changes, her eyes go black as pitch. Her soul is gone, or at least temporarily lost.
Even at this early age, there was no denying that Harriet Andersson was a force to be reckoned with.
I love how daring this was for the 50s. I interpret Monika's staring-contest-with-the-camera moment as an act of rebellion, against the times and against filmmaking conventions up to that point. Don't mess with Monika!