Movie-of-the-Day # 367 - Suddenly, Last Summer

[Dback Jon]

Another CLASSIC movie, this one based on the Tennessee Williams play of the same name. Stars Montgomery Clift, Katherine Hepburn and a young Elizabeth Taylor.

Tagline: TENNESSEE WILLIAMS shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD!

Plot Outline The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable (Hepburn) dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine (Taylor). What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.

Plot Synopsis: In New Orleans in 1937, a rich widow, Mrs. Venable, plans to fund a hospital building for a state asylum, if Dr. Cukrowicz will perform a lobotomy on her niece Catherine. Mrs. Venable is distraught over the death of her son Sebastian last summer in Europe. Sebastian and his mother used to travel abroad together every summer, except the previous summer, when he took his cousin Catherine instead. Catherine appeared to go mad the day that Sebastian died under mysterious circumstances.

This 1959 Film hints at the topic of homosexuality, but never comes out and says it directly - even then, even inferring it was a HUGE scandal. Well-acted, dramatic, with a great twist. Magnificent performances by three legendary actors.

 

[Dback Jon]

Trivia for Suddenly, Last Summer

Screenplay writer Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams' partner Frank Marlo may briefly be glimpsed among those observing Montgomery Clift operate in the opening sequence.


According to Mercedes McCambridge, she would ride to the London set of this film in the same car as Montgomery Clift. Clift always insisted that the driver stop by Wormwood Scrubs prison, so that Clift could scream out the car window at the convicts behind bars.


According to author Garson Kanin in his memoir "Tracy and Hepburn", Katharine Hepburn was reportedly so furious at the way Montgomery Clift was treated by Sam Spiegel and Joseph L. Mankiewicz during the filming that, after making sure that she would not be needed for retakes, she told both men off and actually spat at them (although it remains unclear just which one of the two she spat at, or if she spat at both.)


The filmmakers were given special dispensation by the Breen office so that the homosexuality of Sebastian Venable could be "inferred, but not shown."


Eddie Fisher appears uncredited as one of the group of street urchins who beg Taylor for a morsel of bread.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I cannot say that I have seen this movie, but I will take your word for it, if none other than your taste in movies for All About Eve.

I can't say that I will watch this anytime soon, because I still have about 20 movies that I still have to watch that are unopened, but I will place it on my watch list.

Thanks,

 

[Bada0Bing]

I haven’t seen it either. I usually watch about one classic per week. So I’ll check back in a couple of weeks to give my thoughts.

 

[Chaplin]

Never seen it, I've never gotten into Tennessee Williams' stuff, and never really gotten into Elizabeth Taylor, for some reason. Streetcar was good, but I gotta believe it was better as a stage play than a film.

But the synopsis itself is enough to pique my interest, so I will be on the lookout for it.

 

[Bada0Bing]

I just watched it. I thought it was a little boring until it started getting closer to the end. The end was pretty eerie. Fantastic performance from Elizabeth Taylor, wow she was quite a hottie back in 59. I’m surprised she didn’t win best actress, which went to Simone Signoret for Room at the Top. I guess I’ll have to add that one to my list.