Summer with Monika

Summer with Monika
Theatrical release poster
Directed byIngmar Bergman
Screenplay byIngmar Bergman
Based onSommaren med Monika
1951 novel
by Per Anders Fogelström
Produced byAllan Ekelund
StarringHarriet Andersson
Lars Ekborg
CinematographyGunnar Fischer
Music byErik Nordgren
Les Baxter
Distributed bySvensk Filmindustri
Release date
  • 9 February 1953 (1953-02-09) (Sweden)
Running time
96 minutes
CountrySweden
LanguageSwedish

Summer with Monika (Swedish: Sommaren med Monika) is a 1953 Swedish romantic drama film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman, based on Per Anders Fogelström's 1951 novel of the same name. Starring Harriet Andersson and Lars Ekborg as the main characters, the film was controversial because of one scene portrayal of au naturel and, along with Arne Mattsson's film One Summer of Happiness, contributed to an idea of Sweden as an immodest, sexually loose population.

The film catapulted its lead actress, Harriet Andersson, to stardom. At the time, Bergman was romantically involved with Andersson and created the film as a showcase for her talent. Despite the end of their romantic relationship, they continued to collaborate on several subsequent films, including Sawdust and Tinsel, Smiles of a Summer Night, Through a Glass Darkly, and Cries and Whispers.