A Little Night Music

A Little Night Music

Year: 1977

Runtime: 124 mins

Language: English

Director: Hal Prince

RomanceComedyMusic

The Tony‑Award‑winning musical now adapts to film, following actress Desirée Armfeldt as a tangled web of romantic intrigue surrounds her. She is adored by lawyer Fredrik Egerman and the aristocratic Count Carl‑Magnus Malcolm. When Desirée returns to Fredrik’s town for a performance, old passions flare and the estranged lovers confront their past.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – A Little Night Music (1977)

Explore the full timeline and setting of A Little Night Music (1977). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Turn of the 20th century

Set around the turn of the 20th century, the era is defined by formal etiquette, arranged marriages, and public performance. Social norms constrain personal desires even as passions surge behind closed doors. The period's elegance masks a web of intrigue and moral pressure that drives the plot.

Location

Sweden

Set in a Swedish town around the turn of the century, the story unfolds against both a bustling theatre and a country estate. The town serves as a social stage where appearances and duties govern relationships. The contrasting backdrops highlight the tension between public propriety and private desire.

🏙️ Town setting 🇸🇪 Swedish setting 🎭 Theatre culture

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:28

Main Characters – A Little Night Music (1977)

Meet the key characters of A Little Night Music (1977), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Frederich Egerman

A widowed, successful lawyer who juggles a strained marriage to Anne with a rekindled attraction to Desiree Armfeldt. He orchestrates social games, buys tickets to Desiree's show, and faces the consequences of his choices.

💼 Professional 💔 Torn ⚖️ Dutiful

Anne Egerman

Frederich's 18-year-old wife, anxious about sex and determined to protect her virginity while navigating the weekend's seductions. She resists confrontation over the affair, and her loyalties are tested when her feelings for Erich surface.

🌸 Young 💍 Traditional 🫖 Reserved

Desiree Armfeldt

Renowned actress contemplating settling down, who rekindles a romance with Frederich while pursuing stability. Her charm and ambition drive the weekend's social games and reveal the limits of love.

🎭 Glamour 💃 Restlessness 🕊️ Ambition

Carl-Magnus Mittelheim

A proud, jealous aristocrat whose affair with Desiree stirs conflict. He confronts Frederich and becomes entangled in a dangerous duel that exposes the fragility of honor and marriage.

⚔️ Proud 🔥 Jealous 🏰 Aristocratic

Charlotte Mittelheim

Carl-Magnus' wife who flirts with Frederich to provoke jealousy and maneuver within high society. She uses social cunning to influence events and support her husband's pride.

💋 Cunning 🌀 Calculating 🗣️ Socially adept

Erich Egerman

Frederich's son, secretly in love with Anne and driven to despair by unrequited feelings. He contemplates suicide but is ultimately redirected by Fredericka's honesty.

💔 Romantic 😨 Anxious 🕯️ Impulsive

Fredericka Armfeldt

Desiree's daughter, a perceptive young girl living with Madame Armfeldt. She exposes the truth about Erich and ultimately influences the adults toward honesty and change.

🌼 Naive 🗝️ Insightful 🕯️ Hopeful

Madame Armfeldt

Desiree's mother, a wise and cunning theatre matriarch who stages the country weekend and guides the social dynamics with world-weary pragmatism.

👵 Wise 🗝️ Cunning 🧭 World-weary

Petra

The Egerman household maid who observantly watches the adults' games and quietly supports the family, often serving as a confidante within the social circle.

🧹 Loyal 👀 Observant 🔍 Reserved

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:28

Major Themes – A Little Night Music (1977)

Explore the central themes of A Little Night Music (1977), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💘 Love Triangle

Three main lovers navigate duty, desire, and pride. Frederich rekindles an old flame with Desiree while his wife Anne remains entangled in loyalty and propriety. Desiree's pursuit challenges the commitments each character made, exposing vulnerability and longing. The relationships shift as truth and deception collide, forcing painful choices.

🎭 Social Masks

Characters wear masks to protect reputations and advance agendas. Frederich's act of attending the theatre with Desiree triggers a cascade of rumors and misperceptions. Charlotte manipulates appearances to provoke jealousy, while others choose to conceal their true feelings. The social facade propels the plot as truth threatens to unravel.

⚔️ Duel Jealousy

Jealousy fuels a dangerous confrontation when Carl-Magnus learns of the affair and demands confrontation. The threat of a duel underscores how pride and suspicion can lead to destructive outcomes. The tension resolves only when loyalties shift and endings are decided by affection rather than honor.

Last Updated: December 04, 2025 at 15:28

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Bittersweet Midlife Romances like A Little Night Music

Stories of romantic reawakening and compromise among characters facing middle age.If you enjoyed the sophisticated romantic entanglements and bittersweet realizations in A Little Night Music, you'll find similar stories here. These movies, often comedies or dramas, focus on characters navigating love, infidelity, and self-discovery during middle age, all with a resonant emotional maturity.

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Narrative Summary

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Narrative Summary

The plot structure revolves around a central social event or setting that brings multiple characters together, forcing confrontations and revealing hidden desires. The narrative weaves between different perspectives, building towards a climax that resolves some relationships while leaving others poignantly unresolved.

Why These Movies?

They share a specific mix of tone (bittersweet), pacing (steady), and world-building (sophisticated settings) centered on an ensemble cast navigating romantic confusion with wit and emotional depth.

Unlock the Full Story of A Little Night Music

Don't stop at just watching — explore A Little Night Music in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what A Little Night Music is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

A Little Night Music Summary

Read a complete plot summary of A Little Night Music, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

A Little Night Music Summary

A Little Night Music Timeline

Track the full timeline of A Little Night Music with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

A Little Night Music Timeline

A Little Night Music Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of A Little Night Music that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

A Little Night Music Spoiler-Free Summary

More About A Little Night Music

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about A Little Night Music: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

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