Summer Interlude
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Synopsis
Touching on many of the themes that would define the rest of his legendary career—isolation, performance, the inescapability of the past—Ingmar Bergman’s tenth film was a gentle drift toward true mastery. In one of the director’s great early female roles, Maj-Britt Nilsson beguiles as an accomplished ballet dancer haunted by her tragic youthful affair with a shy, handsome student (Birger Malmsten). Her memories of the sunny, rocky shores of Stockholm’s outer archipelago mingle with scenes from her gloomy present, most of them set in the dark backstage environs of the theater where she works. A film that the director considered a creative turning point, Summer Interlude (Sommarlek) is a reverie about life and death that unites Bergman’s love of theater and cinema.
Picture 8/10
Ingmar Bergman’s Summer Interlude comes to Blu-ray from Criterion in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 on a dual-layer disc. The transfer is presented in 1080p/24hz.
An extensive amount of work has gone into the restoration of this film. According to the notes the original negative has been lost and the primary source for the transfer here was a 35mm duplicate negative. This, however, was still plagued with mold and scratches that could not be completely removed. Another 35mm duplicate negative was discovered and it was used to replace the sections overwhelmed with mold. Unfortunately this print suffered from shrinkage causing the right side to buckle leading the film to look out-of-focus in that area. The restoration notes, which are some of the lengthiest I’ve read in a booklet from Criterion, almost come off apologetic but there’s no reason for them to come off this way; Despite the poor conditions of the material I think the presentation is breathtaking and the biggest surprise I’ve had so far this year.
There are still some scratches and tram lines along with some debris, but it really is minimal and rarely calls attention throughout much of the film. A lengthy part of the mid-section presents some heavier damage, particularly what I assume to be the remnants of the mold the notes went into detail about. Some transitions also present some warping and fading. During these instances the damage is harder to ignore but still don’t harm the overall presentation since they are generally contained to one section of the film. The remainder of it looks incredible.
The stunning sharpness of the image more than makes up for any issues remaining in the source materials, with finer details clearly defined, edges nicely rendered, and fine film grain still showing through but never overwhelming. Gray levels and contrast are spot-on, and blacks are nice and deep. The transfer also presents no noticeable artifacts, and looks smooth and clean throughout its entirety.
So despite the almost apologetic set of notes about the restoration I still think we’ve been spoiled. Considering everything this film has been through and the nightmare it apparently took to restore it, this looks absolutely incredible.
Summer Interlude - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
The lossless PCM mono track is clear and articulate, but it lacks any strength and comes off about as flat as can be. There’s some slight noise in spots but it sounds generally clean. Overall it’s nothing special but about what I expected and serves the film well enough.
Extras 1/10
Being released along with Bergman’s Summer with Monika, which is loaded with quite a few supplements, this one, inexplicably, comes with nothing on the disc, not even a trailer. But we actually get a rather strong, if brief essay by scholar Peter Cowie who writes about the basis of the film (Bergman based it on a brief love affair he had with a young woman when he was eighteen,) actress Maj-Britt Nilsson and Bergman’s career around this time. Thankfully it’s a solid essay but doesn’t entirely make-up for the lack of anything else.
Closing
It’s a barebone budget release from Criterion, but a stunning amount of effort has gone into the restoration and the digital transfer itself appears flawless. The presentation alone makes it worthwhile to pick up for those looking to own the film on Blu-ray.
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