With a group of mismatched lovers as his collective muse, director Ingmar Bergman reaches back to turn-of-the-century Sweden's bourgeois society to deliver a full-fledged comedy. One summer evening, distinguished lawyer Fredrik Egerman brings his young wife to see a play starring his former lover Desiree. With her glamorous stage entrance and inviting smile for Fredrik, she sparks a game of love and loyalty that barely masks the deepest insecurities and ultimate desires of everyone involved. Through witty dialogue, theatrical direction, and an ensemble cast including Harriet Andersson, Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, and Gunnar Bjornstrand, Smiles of a Summer Night (Sommarnattens leende) captured the 1956 Grand Prix for Best Comedy at the Cannes Film Festival, marking Bergman's breakthrough success internationally.