Suddenly, Last Summer

Rating:
Summary: Elizabeth Taylor And Katharine Hepburn Excel In Gothic Story
Review: Never has there been a more vividly arresting study into the workings of the disturbed mind than in Tennessee William's 1959 excursion into Gothic drama "Suddenly, Last Summer". Taking a decidely non-commercial topic Williams has created a real eye opener blessed with two very powerful performances by Elizabeth Taylor and Katharine Hepburn who created some of their very best work on screen here. Stagey it may be in parts, "Suddenly, Last Summer", however contains very heady subject matter for the times and intense sincere performances which make a viewing of this film both a draining and rewarding experience.

Adapted from Tennessee William's short play, "Suddenly, Last Summer" was bold in concept and execution dealing as it does with such taboo topics as homosexuality,cannabalism, controversial views on mental illnesses and complex family relationships. Heavily controlled by the censors at this time in the late 50's credit must go to both the talented cast and to the sure guiding hand of veteran director Joseph L. Mankiewicz in bringing off this controversial story so successfully with only a minimum of "softening" of the subject matter being implemented. "Suddenly, Last Summer", tells the story of the unseen Sebastian Venable, who has died under mysterious circumstances while on holiday in Spain with his beautiful cousin Catherine (Elizabeth Taylor). Driven into shock by the incident Catherine finds herself committed to an institution for the insane. Living in her own fanciful dream world Sebastian's mother Violet (Katharine Hepburn) clashes with Catherine and sets out to silence her niece's babblings once and for all to save the family name from disgrace. She makes the acquaintence of famed Surgeon Dr. Cukorwicz (Montgomery Clift), a renowned pioneer into new radical forms of mental illness treatment. In return for a much needed financial incentive for his research institute Violet asks Dr. Cukorwicz to perform a lobotomy on Catherine to remove forever her recollections of what really happened to her son last summer in Spain. Upon meeting Catherine the doctor begins to feel that Catherine is definately not insane and that with proper treatment can make a complete recovery without surgery. In the midst of a family gathering the truth is uncovered upon which Violet herself crumbles further into the comforting world of unreality that she has enclosed herself in for so long.

Even for Tennessee Williams, no stranger to controversial matter in film subjects, this theme was a brave one to tackle in a major mainstream production in 1959. Elements of the subject matter of course are only hinted at in a bow to the censors of the time but what is displayed is done so to startling effect. The two lead female performances are what brings this very dark topic alive. Elizabeth Taylor delivers a devastating performance as Catherine, a tortured girl living with a terrible secret. Katharine Hepburn is stunning in an extremely difficult part which creates very little sympathy for her situation. The scenes of these two women playing off each other are the real tour de forces in this story with Elizabeth Taylor, fresh from her earlier triumph in the classic "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof", in particular reaching a quality level in her acting rarely matched. On another level Elizabeth's beauty is almost unreal in this production and with this film her breathtaking beauty forever placed her in the top level of legendary screen beauties despite the very troubled character she plays in this film. Montgomery Clift on the other hand is the weak link in this acting trio. Still not properly recovered from his horrific accident of two years previous here he fails to really grasp the character and make something of this brilliant young Surgeon caught between two very different women. Another standout in the cast is gifted actress Mercedes McCambridge playing the money hungry Mrs. Holly, Catherine's mother who is willing to authorise her own daughter's lobotomy in return for the generous money payment from Violet for herself and her worthless son (Gary Raymond).

"Suddenly Last Summer", was also a brave attempt to show clearly the horrors of mental illness and the terrible treatment methods used at this time. In some respects it is not a film for the squeamish and the institution scenes are quite harrowing. The film boasts superbly stark black and white photography that enhances the downbeat story and situations. For those who enjoy powerfully wrought acting performances in non glamourous settings then "Suddenly, Last Summer", is a viewing experience to cherish. The fine acting of the two female leads will draw you further into the character studies explored here and could leave you both fascinated and a bit drained by the experience. For a journey into the dark workings of the human mind you cannot do better than Tennessee Williams "Suddenly, Last Summer".

Rating:
Summary: GIVE IT A TRY ... depending on your age
Review: no special effects or car chases! i'd be happy if there was a colorized version for my special effects. liz and hepburn make the movie , monty seems to be along for the ride. if you found WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOLFE entertaining... then u mite like this slower paced version of black and white cinema ...

Rating:
Summary: Hollywood Stuff-up
Review: Once again Hollywood has managed to take the mind out of a brilliant piece of literature. Yes, they glamorized and turned it into something far from its original form. The play 'Suddenly Last Summer' by Tennesse Williams is a thought provoking and compassionate play. It is a social commentary, which also explores the nature of relationships. In essence it is about truth and hummanity. However the movies seems to neglect these two fundemental elements of the original story.

On the surface the story starts with Catherine (Elizabeth Taylor) who is sent to an asylum by Sebastian's Mother, Mrs. Venerable (Katherine Hepburn) as a result her hideous explaination of Sebastian's death in Cabeza de Lobo. Mrs. Venerable calls on Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to perform a labotermy on Catherine, to stop her from descrating Sebastian's name through her horrible explanation of his death. Catherine is compelled to retell her experience in Cabeza de Lobo for her final audience -the doctor, Mrs. Vernerable, and her mother and brother. She faces the moral dilemma of whether to tell the true story, to her detriment, or to appease her mother and brother and create a less hideous story. However the truth is exposed and through this story the nature of Mrs. Venerable's relationship with her son (Sebastian) and his true character, as well as his death, are explored.

The movie, typical of Hollywood, distorts the play as it neglects to even portray the nature of society, and its social stratification between rich and poor, by altering the real reason for Sebastian's death. They change the the devouring of Sebastian as a result of desperate starvation of poverty-striken children, to a canabalistic ritual, of a deranged gang of kids, who want to revenge Sebastian for his homosexuality. Sebastian's homosexuality is relatively subtle in the play, whilst it is over-emphasized in the movie. Catherine a strong and genuine character, is turned into a weak and helpless female, who needs support from the doctor. And the inevitable...Because a Hollywood film would not be a proper film without a love story! Catherine after exposing the truth about Sebastian's death, miraculously is no longer traumatized, and walks away hand in hand with the doctor. A glossy finish may be pleasant to look at it, but it looses its truth.

'Suddenly Last Summer' is a deeply truthful play about the nature of society and relationships, however the movie sensationalizes both of these pivotal elements of the play. The subtles were destroyed through over-stating, the depth was replaced by superficiality and there was no essence to the movie. Unless you enjoy watching Hollywood desecrating a brilliant piece of literature, don't see the film, you'll be wasting your time.

Rating:
Summary: misadvertized again
Review: once again this companys wrongly stated the properties of this piece of merchandise/ for those who want a widescreen color version to compare with the standard black and white version will be completely disappointed in this purchase as it does not contain a colorized widescreen version. Once again you cannot depend on Amazon[.com] advertizings on it's web page. I'll keep this as i want the movie but it reeks of bad faith salesmanship.

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Summary: Other Text
Review: Suddenly Last Summer is an adaptation from Tennessee Williams' drama rendered on the screen by himself with the assistance of Gore Vidal. Having seen many of the Williams adaptations, I regard this Mankiewicz directed piece the most successful, not merely for its intriguing use of symbolism, but also for the presentation of two texts at the very same time. Each and every viewer can find something in the film to chew on: the surface structure of the film gives the Hollywood genre of psycho-thriller with celebrities, and with a touch of a tiny romance; whereas the other text reveals something completely different. Surprise, surprise: it is not only Sebastian Venable (the late poet, whose face remains off-screen all the time) who is homosexual, but our nice "sugar-cube" neuro-surgeon, Dr Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift), too, who does not seem to be enjoying Catherine Holly's (Elizabeth Taylor) affection (maybe because it is not exactly directed towards him, but rather towards her late cousin Sebastian). All's well that ends well: we have the comforting heterosexual matrix prevailing at the end (for those who buy it), but the shadow of the doubt still lingers on. That is the extra the film offers more than its source text, and also, the confident use of cinematic technique and tropes that make this adaptation a real tour de force.

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Summary: A White Hot Summer for Sebastian and Cathy
Review: Suddenly Last Summer is one of my all-time favorite films --- a truly Gothic Tennessee Williams drama, reflecting Williams' genius at exposing the dark side of a venerable Southern family. Filmed exquisitely and effectively in black and white, it involves a doctor (Montgomery Clift) who is hired by a wealthy matriarch Mrs. Venable (Katherine Hepburn) to perform a lobotomy on her institutionalized niece Cathy (Elizabeth Taylor). Clift is unconvinced (as well he should be) that Cathy needs this lobotomy and wants to get to the bottom of what happened "suddenly last summer" to have put her in a state of shock and temporary memory loss. Mrs. Venable would like to see the lobotomy performed so that the memory is permanently erased.

Ooh, this is a delicious one. From the sultry hothouse, dripping with metaphor, where Katherine Hepburn makes her dramatic appearance in a cage to the last frame where in split screen, Taylor recalls what happened "last summer," "Suddenly Last Summer" is a luscious, over-the-top shocker and acting tour-de-force for three powerful leads. Clift obviously was suffering on painkillers, and yes, it does show, as he hangs back and allows Hepburn and Taylor to do the major emoting, but his chemistry with good friend Taylor is so palpable and strong that it really doesn't hurt the film at all. He still registers well as the concerned doctor. Taylor is, as another reviewer aptly put it, surreally beautiful (wow), and her exquisite face is seen in close up in the split screen montage at the end in which she delivers her soliloquy and also appears in that provocative white bathing suit which appears in so many ads for the film. Again there is an unspoken subtext of homosexuality, this time in the form of a character, Sebastian Venable, whose face is actually never seen, and some ambiguity as to what nefarious deeds Mrs. Venable and her poor niece were actually engaged in, but it's all fabulous fun.

Love to hear the actors beautifully manage Williams' wonderful, literate dialogue. Boy, do I miss writers who knew how to use language -- even if the script was undoubtedly watered and camouflaged a bit so that the true nature of the evil remains enigmatic. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Beauty Is only About This Deep!
Review: Suddenly, Last Summer never truly bounces on its intentional theme of homosexuality but I never think it wants to. The year was 1960 and for many years the theme has been hinted at and even discussed in previous films but in "Suddnely last Summer" the intent is to destroy it. "Suddenly..." uses ever device it can to drive home its point of what exactly is derived from the nature of attraction and for after all its beauty and is the focus of the film. The two main players in the cast are striking Taylor and Clift are there in all their opulent splendor. Taylor becoming more and more frayed within the walls of an asylum and Clift a brain surgeon hired by Hepburn to clear her mind of her son's untimely death. The last half hour of the film is a wallop! A visual rush is an understatement, its something David Lynch would envy. Shadows, laughter and an eerie score add an element of unnerving ease to the destuctive action on screen. Death, seuality and even confrontation has never been handled in such a manner. A very well acted and conceived visual gem. Any film that features Hepburn descending for her entrance seated in an elevator that resembles a tiger cage-you know you're in for a treat.

Rating:
Summary: Had An Unforgettable Summer? It Can't Compare To Cathy's!
Review: Tennessee Williams SOUTHERN GOTH masterpiece a la dark black and white Hollywood film style with Joseph (All About Eve, Guys & Dolls) Mankiewicz at the director's helm and screenplay adapted by Gore Vidal.

Elizabeth Taylor plays beautiful and crazy Cathy and Mercedes McCambridge (the actress who provided the voice of the demon in The Exorcist) plays her protective mother. Katherine Hepburn is Auntie Venable and wants niece Cathy to have a lobotomy to help her forget what she witnessed in regards to her son and Cathy's cousin, Sebastian and his untimely & somewhat mysterious "death" involving Sebastian's sexual secrets...

This all happened in front of Cathy's young & virginal eyes, "Suddenly, Last Summer". Last summer, Cathy and Sebastian travelled to Europe on an extravagant, decadent & obviously quite hedonistic vacation. Cathy was already quite traumatized by a baby tea turtle massacre on a European beach but what happened to cousin Sebastian was something that broke her fragile mind.

Auntie Venable gets the help of Dr. Cukrowicz, played by Montgomery Clift to see if he can help poor Cathy out with a prescibed lobotomy and mainly to save the selfish & overbearing Mrs. Venable from having people know about her son's secrets that got him killed.

From the opening scene, the viewer is riveted to the screen and left wondering... wondering... WHAT really happened so suddenly, last summer? The film builds and builds into the last 20 minutes of this film where Taylor gives a tremendous soliliquy and overview of just what DID happen to poor Sebastian. The split-screen effect that is used in this ending scene is fabulous. You never see Sebastian so what you are conjuring up in your mind is MUCH MORE horrific than they could have filmed back then. Wonderful cast with excellent performances from all but Clift who was quite medicated during the grueling shoot due to an accident before filming. If you are a Tennessee Williams, Elizabeth Taylor or Katharine Hepburn fan this is a MUST SEE!

Happy Watching!

Rating:
Summary: Predators in a tropical garden
Review: Tennessee Williams was fascinatd by the cruelty of Titus Anronicus by Shakespeare, and in this film he connects two themes of his. First the exploration of the depth that any surface hides. The surface is shining and beautiful. A mother loves her son ... so much that she stifles him. She is from an extremely rich family and can turn the son into some private toy. He plays the game and at the same time introduces her to the ugliness and barbarity of the world, of the natural world of course, but also of the human world. And here is the second theme of the film. The son uses his mother as a procurer in his voyages in Europe or elsewhere to satisfy his sexual drives. But age takes its toll and the mother comes to the point where she fails in her procuring. So, the son, with the probable assent of his mother, decides to take his cousin along one summer. The latter discovers what her cousin really is and she is unable to cope. The son will be « devoured » by hungry children. A symbolical way of telling the truth. But the worst part is that the mother tries to have the girl lobotomised in order to make her stop telling what happened. The doctor will have to disentangle the truth from the ranting and raving of the deranged girl and of the selfish mother. The end becomes a completely turn around of the situation. The real depth of the drama appears then. Tennessee Williams's world is definitely a world of false and fake appearances so brittle that a gust of social wind can destroy them. The film is purely brilliant and the two actresses are able to make us fear and desire an end that we see coming up and looming over our heads, though we really would not like to know about it. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.

Rating:
Summary: Acting amazing, story twisted and hurt.
Review: Tennessee Williams's play, "Suddenly Last Summer", is an incredible drama, but the chages made adapting the play to fild discredit the story and hurt the movie. The acting could not have been better though. There were two nominations for Best actress Oscars in this one film, Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. They both played twisted characters obsessed with Sebastian Venable. A movie worth seeing just for the acting nad the unbelievable story.