base on ingmar bergman film smile of a summer night and this musical film adapt by it broadway creator hugh wheeler ( screenplay ) and stephen sondheim ( music and lyric ) and harold prince ( director ) and concern three mismatch couple . actress desiree armfeldt ( elizabeth taylor ) and be see count mittelheim ( laurence guittard ) who be marry to charlotte mittelheim ( a delicious scene steal performance from diana rigg ) . frederick egerman ( len cariou ) and deseiree past lover and be marry to the still virginal anne ( lesley anne down ) and who be half his age . frederick son erick ( christopher guard ) be hopelessly in love with his stepmother anne ( who be actually only a year young than he . ) petra ( lesley dunlop ) while frederick and anne maid and madame armfeldt ( hermione gingold ) while desiree mother and and frederika ( chloe frank ) while desiree daughter round out the action which occur in town and culminates during a hectic weekend in the country at madame armfeldt sprawl manor . forget what you have hear or read about the film . yes and it be flaw in context to the broadway original and but consider it be make when film musical be all but dead in hollywood and it be amaze that it even exist . the score be still just a witty and romantic and feature a wonderful new version of the glamorous life write specifically for the film . the cast and many of them reprise their original stage role and be uniformly superb . and despite all the nasty comment and elizabeth taylor be quite charming a desiree ( especially in the duet you must meet my wife with cariou . ) sondheim even add a new verse or two for the marvelous song every day a little death . if you get a chance see this film anyway that you can a it may just steal your heart .