Film Review: One Summer of Happiness (Hon dansade en sommar, 1951)
Swedish cinema had two golden ages. First occurred during the silent era, when Swedish film makers created many great works and employed talents that would later be poached by Hollywood. Another golden age, which lasted through the third quarter of 20th Century, had less to do with actual quality and more with the content of Swedish films, creating an impression that Swedish cinema and Swedes in general were more sexually liberated that then counterparts in other countries. The film that inadvertently created such impression and is often seen as the starting point of Sexual Revolution in European cinema is One Summer of Happiness (originally “Hon dansade en sommar” or “She Danced One Summer”), 1951 drama directed by Arne Mattson.
The film is based on 1949 novel Sommardansen by Per Olof Ekström. Protagonist and narrator is Göran (played by Folke Sundquist), 19-year old man who has just graduated from gymnasium and is preparing to go to university. Before classes start he is sent to spend summer holidays on the farm owned by his uncle Anders Persson (played by Edvin Adolphosn). Göran, who grew up in the city, isn’t accustomed to hard work and farmers’ way of life, but he nevertheless befriends group of local youths and, with the help of his uncles, helps them produce amateur stage play. Such activities are opposed by local vicar (played by John Elfström) who sees them as immoral. Göran can’t fail to notice Kirsten (played by Ulla Jacobsson), beautiful 17-year old girl who served as hired help at uncle’s farm. Two of them start romantic relationship, which is in constant jeopardy because of Kirsten’s strict parents and many see it as nothing more than summer fling. Göran returns from university to uncle’s farm just to prove everyone wrong and he and Kirsten enjoy brief moment of happiness which would be ended in a tragic way.
One Summer of Happiness is an old school, but well-made melodrama, more than competently directed by Arne Mattson, one of the more prolific and diverse authors of Swedish cinema. While the story about young love that defies social conventions and expectation is simple, the script by Volodja Semitjov and Olle Hellborn adds the theme of generational gap and conflict between the older people that stick to tradition, embodied in character of vicar and his followers, and younger people that embrace modernity. One Summer of Happiness also presents an interesting glimpse into the past world, when young rural population in Europe, in absence of modern mass media, had to create their own entertainment in form of dances, amateur plays and sporting events. But all that was overshadowed by a minor detail in a brief scene that appears relatively late in the film and feature young lovers engaged in skinny dipping and even briefer scene in which Ulla Jacobsson has bare breasts. Those scenes are tasteful and tame for today’s standards, but in early 1950s they represented something audience wasn’t accustomed for and they caused a sensation. Although Swedish film makers weren’t the only one to feature on screen nudity (various high profile French, Italian and German films had female nudity a decade earlier), Swedish films gained reputation of being “risqué”, further confirmed by similar scene in Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika two years later, and that reputation will be used by Swedish exploitation cinema in 1960s and 1970s. One Summer of Happiness had lot of problems with censorship, although in Sweden itself most critics complained about the character of priest being a villain rather than nudity. Those who watch this film today would probably be more impressed by fine acting by Folke Sundquist, natural beauty of Ulla Jacobsson and Edvin Adolphson in the role of protagonist’s sympathetic uncle. Film’s qualities were recognised by critics and One Summer of Happiness won Golden Bear at Berlin Film. The film, despite censorship, won audience in many countries, including Yugoslavia where the phrase “She danced one summer” entered popular vocabulary. Although over-dramatic music score by Sven Sköld might sound too old-fashioned, One Summer of Happiness is a very good film that should be recommended even to modern day viewers.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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