Review of Smiles of a Summer Night

This movie reminds me so much of the French film "The Rules of the Game" ("Règle du jeu") because both are set in upper-crust society and concern the many affairs that ensued. This film, though, is a little different in that the humor is MUCH more restrained and not nearly as over-the-top as Renoir's flick AND the main characters in this Swedish film try to pretend to have conventional morality--whereas in the French film adultery is a little more openly accepted. Also, although The Rules of the Game is often ranked as one of the best foreign films, I think Bergman's is actually a better film. Why? First, there seems to be more of a message to the film--despite a cynical look at conventional marriage, the film SEEMS to actually support it in some ways (though not for every couple). Secondly, the Bergman film also looks prettier--almost like a fairy tale at times.

While "sex farces" are NOT my cup of tea, if you MUST watch one, this one's about as good as any.