June Night

This is the last of Ingrid Bergman’s Swedish films before she came to the U.S. in the early 40s; by many accounts it’s the best of the lot. Directed by the celebrated but relatively unknown Per Lindberg, it charts the difficulties of a young woman who shoots her lover in a quarrel, changes her name, and moves to Stockholm to begin a new life (oddly anticipating the scandalmongering media that subsequently persecuted Bergman, there’s even a reporter who won’t let her be). Attractively photographed, well acted, and at times subtly nuanced, this isn’t anything extraordinary, but Bergman’s beauty and passion and Lindberg’s direction make it shine in spots (1940). (JR)

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