Summer's Tale

Summer's Tale

1941 · 12 min · ★ 6.6 · Documentary

Arne Sucksdorff’s first film for Svensk Filmindustri, this lyrical short follows a fox cub through his playful explorations and predatory instincts in the Swedish forest. Blending moments of enchantment with unsentimental depictions of cruelty, the film captures the cycle of survival among animals with striking rhythmic editing and sensuous close-ups of fur, eyes, and forest textures. Rich in light and detail, Summer’s Tale became an enormously popular nature film and established Sucksdorff’s reputation for poetic documentary.

Directed by Arne Sucksdorff · Written by Arne Sucksdorff

Your Rating

Make it a double feature

30m together

Summer's Tale

Symphony of a City

Both from Arne Sucksdorff.

More from Arne SucksdorffSee all →

Shadow of the Hunter

Shadow of the Hunter · 1944

Shadow of the Hunter

MovieDocumentary

Gryning is a short Swedish film by Arne Sucksdorff, presented without narration or dialogue. It follows a hunter tracking animals through the forest at daybreak, but as the dawn light transforms the landscape, he lowers his rifle, overcome by the beauty of the morning, and walks away. The film is also known by the English titles The Shadow of the Hunter and Dawn.

The Gulls

The Gulls · 1944

MovieDocumentary

Arne Sucksdorff’s short documentary observes gulls raiding nests and stealing eggs with ruthless persistence. Though presented as pure nature study, the film was widely read as an allegory of Nazism—a symbolic parable of predation and violence during wartime. Sucksdorff himself denied such intent, but remarked that “a film that is not open to interpretation is a dead film.”

The Great Adventure

The Great Adventure · 1953

The Great Adventure

MovieAdventureFamily

Arne Sucksdorff’s celebrated nature film follows two brothers in rural Sweden as they witness a fox raid and secretly raise an orphaned otter. Told through an adult’s memories, it reflects on childhood, nature, and the fragile balance between wilderness and civilization. The film won the International Prize at the 1954 Cannes Film Festival.

The Boy in the Tree

The Boy in the Tree · 1961

The Boy in the Tree

Göte is a young teen who seems to be at odds with his family and may not know his own mind that well either. Discontented and rebellious, Göte joins up with two mean-spirited game poachers in spite of the fact that he loves animals and nature. This contradiction between his own feelings and his need to rebel reaches a climax when a forest ranger starts to track down the young men in ever-tightening circles.

The Flute and the Arrow

The Flute and the Arrow · 1957

The Flute and the Arrow

MovieDramaDocumentary

Arne Sucksdorff’s ethnographic feature documents the life and rituals of the Muria people in the Bastar jungle of central India, focusing on their traditions, music, and relationship to the natural environment. Presented with Sucksdorff’s lyrical visual style, the film was selected for the 1958 Cannes Film Festival.

Symphony of a City

Symphony of a City · 1947

Symphony of a City

MovieDocumentary

An impressionistic short film celebrating Stockholm’s rhythms of life, blending images of its streets, waterways, people, and architecture into a visual “symphony.” Winner of the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Short Subject, One-Reel in 1949 — the first Swedish film ever to receive an Oscar.

A Divided World

A Divided World · 1948

A Divided World

MovieDocumentary

A ten-minute study of wild animal life in a Swedish forest; stoat, fox, hare, and owl, who stalk and savage one another, are photographed with extraordinary vividness and intimacy. It is perhaps the most striking of Sucksdorff's animal studies, in spite of an abrupt introduction and ending.

An August Rhapsody

An August Rhapsody · 1940

An August Rhapsody

MovieDocumentary

Arne Sucksdorff’s debut—made when he was 23— is a lyrical short about Sweden’s late-summer crayfish fishery: night-time trapping on water, daybreak on the shore, and the rhythms of August nature rendered in carefully composed images. Often grouped with This Land Is Full of Life as one of Sucksdorff’s “hymns to the Swedish summer,” the film distills a 24-hour cycle into a seven-minute nature rhapsody.

My Home Is Copacabana

My Home Is Copacabana · 1965

My Home Is Copacabana

MovieAdventureDrama

Arne Sucksdorff’s drama follows four homeless children—Jorginho, Rico, Lici, and Paulinho—struggling to survive in the Rio de Janeiro slums. They shine shoes, scavenge food, and pickpocket while dreaming of escape from the streets. When Rico, once escaped from a brutal institution in Caxambu, falls ill, he chooses to return there rather than die outside. A somber portrait of poverty and resilience, the film was selected for the 1965 Cannes Film Festival.

The Wind from the West

The Wind from the West · 1942

The Wind from the West

MovieDocumentary

A short drama documentary about the life of a Sami family in the northernmost part of Sweden, Lappland.

June Night

June Night · 1940

A woman flees to avoid rumors of promiscuity, but is trailed by a reporter who wants to expose her dark past.

Shore

A documentary about the fishing industry on the west coast of Sweden.

Shadows on the Snow

Shadows on the Snow · 1946

Shadows on the Snow

MovieDocumentary

A nature documentary about the predators in the Swedish winter mountains: the owl, the bear and man.

On the Far Side of the Earth

On the Far Side of the Earth · 1972

On the Far Side of the Earth

MovieDocumentary

This four-episode Swedish documentary series by Arne Sucksdorff draws on footage shot over four years in Brazil—especially in the Pantanal wetlands—and is narrated from Sucksdorff’s personal diary. It combines images of plants, animals, landscapes, and daily camp life with moments of tension (e.g. threats to wildlife) and reflection on humanity’s relationship with nature.

The Wind and the River

The Wind and the River · 1953

The Wind and the River

MovieDocumentary

A lyrical short documentary by Arne Sucksdorff about life along the Jhelum River in Kashmir. Through images of the people who live and work on its banks, the film captures the interplay between daily labor, the landscape, and the rhythms of the river itself.

Indian Village

Indian Village · 1951

MovieDocumentary

A short documentary by Swedish filmmaker Arne Sucksdorff portraying everyday life in a rural Indian village. Through carefully composed images of people, landscapes, and communal rhythms, the film offers an intimate view of village life. It was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 1952 Cannes Film Festival.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter