Summer with Monika

Nouvelle vague from Skandinavia. It is one of those films in Bergman's oeuvre which hasn't completely lost the hope for the good and love yet and from that period, Sommaren med Monika is probably his most impressive work. The film is an ode to the vitality and joie de vivre of the youth, about it's rebellion and breaking out, exploring and checking and therefore, compared to Bergman's sixties, a pretty hopeful take on life. For the first half at least, until the couple is confronted with reality after a few days of liberation and from now on, they have to suffer the loss of their courage, spirit of adventure, the faith in each other and consequently the loss of their young love. The wonderful time with Monika does not remain - the only thing everyone can bank on.

It's remarkable, now from a perspective of more than 50 years ahead, how this film is (also) a homage to Harriet Andersson. At that time, there hardly was a similarly fresh, natural and at the same time sublime appearance in Europe's auteur cinema. With every shot, Bergman and cinematographer Gunnar Fischer capture her beauty and lightness perfectly. In one of the earliest nude scenes of European cinema they underline her innocent naturalness and love for nature, a naturalism in acting which is Andersson's strength when you think of the death scene in Cries and Whispers or the madness of Karin in Through a Glass Darkly. Her face, her entire guise stands, next to Liv Ullmann's, Bibi Andersson's or Ingrid Thulin's, for more than half a decade of superb Swedish cinema history.

Ingmar Bergman's 1953 "Summer with Monika" was chopped down from 92 mins to barely over an hour and shown in America as the provocatively titled "Monika, the Story of a Bad Girl", promoted with saucy posters and even nude postcards. But cool your engines because there's nothing very sexually explicit; if Monika is indeed a "bad girl" that's because she makes some very bad, selfish & inconsiderate choices. Not exactly the "bad girl" of your dreams but more like the crazy girlfriend who ruined your life.

"Monika" (Harriet Andersson) is an 18 year old girl who dreams of escaping her impoverished life but with little foresight beyond that. Enter "Harry" (Lars Ekborg) who is also dissatisfied with his lowly station, but he has a somewhat clearer head about him. In an impulsive moment, the two run off to an island believing they can live forever in a summer of blissful denial. And thus the theme is set: how long can lovers survive "living in the moment"?

Gorgeously shot and expertly acted, this film is definitely a treat to watch. However, you may find yourself disliking, or even hating, the character Monika for the way she tramples all over everyone's life to suit herself. Although she is admirable in her fearless rebellion against conventions, she is shown to be almost childishly self-absorbed. Thus she isn't quite the classy, intriguing female protagonist of "Summer Interlude" (Bergman's film 2 years prior) but she's almost like a deliberate caricature of that character--a tantrum-throwing wild child which Bergman literally illustrates in one memorable scene as she's scurrying through the woods, dirty faced and disheveled, tearing at a piece of meat she had just stolen. Watching "Summer with Monika" back to back with "Summer Interlude" is quite an experience, and I highly recommend it to those of you who are interested in this side of Bergman.

During filming, Bergman and his leading actress Harriet Andersson were having a short but passionate affair, and critics have said that this resulted in the film being a "love letter" to Andersson. Definitely the camera is very attentive to her, and there are some fabulous shots that capture not only her impish beauty but also her cruel, darker side that's not as glamorous but every bit as engaging. But as for it being a love letter to her? I don't think so; if anything it feels more like an exposé, a poetic yet brutal ode to that "bad girl" our momma always warned us about.

Ingmar Bergman's Monika (Summer with Monika) (1953) is the story of two Stockholm teenagers, stock boy Harry (Lars Ekborg) and voluptuous, impulsive Monika (Harriet Andersson), who meet and fall in love and run away for a summer on a motorboat on the Stockholm archipelago escaping from work and all responsibility. Monika becomes pregnant and they return to the city and marry – but things turn bad. This first powerful feature by the Swedish master is simple and sweet but nonetheless rich in emotional wrenching events. The film, which depicts teenage unwed sex, was shockingly sensual for its time. In 2006 the intensity of Harriet Andersson's uninhibited performance is still impressive and this story is just as heartbreaking as it was over half a century ago.

Presented as part of the Janus Films sidebar of the 2006 New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center in another gorgeous pristine-looking new print with a rich black and white tonal range that may look better than the original did.

It is a very sensitive and solid story about love and loss. It fascinates you from the beginning, first of all because of the beauty of the images and then by the credibility of the characters. There's also plenty of small human details which together make a whole masterpiece (The moment that Monika turns and stares to the camera is one of them). Strangely enough, this movie is never mentioned among the best made by Bergman. But it is a great movie.

The first half recalls Bergman's earlier 'Summer Interlude'. But the second half goes further and explores the 'what if' of the summer romance between teens; moving into parenthood, marriage, and disillusionment.

The acting is excellent, and unlike 'Summer Interlude' these actors look close to the naive age they're playing.

The film's point of view sometimes felt a bit one sided to me with 'bad girl' Monika, from a crude, poor family, less willing to extend herself than her upper-class boyfriend Harry. Of course, along with being selfish she is also the more complex and fascinating character, especially as played by the young Harriett Andersson.

Some critics make the argument – with merit – that the film doesn't judge Monika,the audience does. Indeed, it could be argued that the film is meant to make us question our own judgment of a poor girl who is brought up with dreams of marriage as a glamorous escape, and not just a humdrum existence. It's not for nothing the heroine is obsessed with Hollywood love stories.

Andersson's performance may be the first of the many hyper-real and extremely complex characters in Bergman's body of work, transcending 'type' and moral judgment.

The film was beloved by the French New wave filmmakers, who saw in it's complex attitude (and very brief nudity) a throwing off of the shackles of conventional characters and storytelling.