Summertime (1955)

A lonely American woman unexpectedly finds romance in Venice, Italy.

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

Arthur Laurents (play), H.E. Bates (screenplay),

Stars:

Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Isa Miranda

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Katharine Hepburn	...	Jane Hudson
Rossano Brazzi	...	Renato de Rossi
Isa Miranda	...	Signora Fiorini
Darren McGavin	...	Eddie Yaeger
Mari Aldon	...	Phyl Yaeger
Jane Rose	...	Mrs. McIlhenny
MacDonald Parke	...	Mr. McIlhenny
Jeremy Spenser	...	Vito de Rossi
Gaetano Autiero	...	Mauro
Virginia Simeon	...	Giovanna

Storyline

Jane Hudson, a jaunty as well as attractive middle-aged secretary from Akron, Ohio, has finally made it to Venice, Italy, for her long-awaited dream vacation. Never-married Jane is a self-described "independent type" who's content, or so she claims, to go it mostly alone, armed with her movie camera. Jane soon discovers that even in a city as beautiful and fascinating as Venice, going it alone can still leave one feeling terribly lonely. All that is about to change, starting with a brief encounter at an outdoor café in the Piazza San Marco, where Jane draws the attention of a handsome antiques-shop owner named Renato de Rossi.

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Plot Keywords:

venice italy | american | camera | secretary | flower | 

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Taglines:

What "3 Coins in the Fountain" did for Rome ... ... "Summertime" does for Venice!

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Genres:

Romance | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

7 November 1955 (UK)

Also Known As:

Traum meines Lebens

Filming Locations:

Campo San Barnaba, Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director David Lean said filming on location in Italy was expensive because he had to pay local merchants whose customers were scared off by the camera equipment and crew.

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Goofs

The amount of wine in Di Rossi's glass when he first sees Jane - the glass is empty, then full.

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Quotes

Renato de Rossi: You are like a hungry child who is given ravioli to eat. 'No' you say, 'I want beefsteak!' My dear girl, you are hungry. Eat the ravioli.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits are shown over various paintings, where the subjects are European scenes.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Carol Burnett Show: Episode #5.6 (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Overture to 'La Gazza Ladra'"
(excerpt)
Music by Gioachino Rossini

User Reviews

Fragile bittersweet romance amid gorgeous Italian settings...

"Summertime" is more of a mood piece than anything else. It captures the loneliness of a traveler in a foreign land, in this case a spinster who is hungry for love but too repressed to accept the love Rossano Brazzi offers. It has a bittersweet ending, appropriate for a thin story that sets the tone early on and never once makes us believe that Hepburn is going to find her true love in Venice.

The photography is gorgeous and must have had everyone heading for the nearest travel bureau for a tour of Italy when the film was released. The performances are all excellent--but the film belongs to Hepburn. She creates one of her most moving and truthful portraits--sensitively showing us what this woman feels as she watches others pairing off for affairs, alone and unable to really connect. The sexual mores of the 1950s permeate the film--the sexual revolution was just over the horizon but not yet evident.

One of Hepburn's most subtle, yet affecting performances. With David Lean's sensitive direction, the gorgeous photography and the evocative background music, "Summertime" will put you under the spell of its fragile romance. Easy to see why Brazzi was the ultimate continental charmer.