Beginning its several incarnations as an
Ingmar Bergman film named
Smiles of a Summer Night, the story was adapted by composer/lyricist
Stephen Sondheim into a successful Broadway musical directed by
Harold Prince. This film, also directed by
Prince, is adapted from the stage musical. In the movie, in the early 1900s, a group of friends bound together by complicated romantic entanglements, have come together for an elegant dinner at a country estate. The men present are the current, previous, or prospective lovers of the beautiful actress, Desiree (
Elizabeth Taylor), and the other women are all united by their jealousy of her. Sadly, Desiree herself wants to simplify things and settle down -- she envies the wives. The adapted score later won an Oscar. The musical's well-known songs include Every Day a Little Death, A Weekend in the Country, and You Must Meet My Wife. The most famous song from the musical, Send in the Clowns, is sung here by
Elizabeth Taylor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide