IMDb > Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Suddenly, Last Summer
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Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) More at IMDbPro »

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Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) -- Trailer for this thriller based on the play by Tennessee Williams
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) -- Moviesbox.us - Trailer (Flash)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   4,264 votes
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Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Tennessee Williams (play)
Gore Vidal (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Suddenly, Last Summer on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 December 1959 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | Horror | Thriller more
Tagline:
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD! more
Plot:
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
good adaptation of Williams play more (91 total)
US TV Schedule:
Mon. Nov. 1612:00 PMTCM   

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Elizabeth Taylor ... Catherine Holly

Katharine Hepburn ... Mrs. Violet Venable

Montgomery Clift ... Dr. Cukrowicz
Albert Dekker ... Dr. Lawrence J. Hockstader
Mercedes McCambridge ... Mrs. Grace Holly
Gary Raymond ... George Holly
Mavis Villiers ... Miss Foxhill
Patricia Marmont ... Nurse Benson
Joan Young ... Sister Felicity
Maria Britneva ... Lucy
Sheila Robbins ... Dr. Hockstader's Secretary
David Cameron ... Young Blonde Interne
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Additional Details

Runtime:
114 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:
London, England, UK more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the French post-synchronized version of the film, the actors are dubbed by: Claude Winter (Elizabeth Taylor), Claire Guibert (Katharine Hepburn), Bernard Noël (Montgomery Clift), Serge Nadaud (Albert Dekker), Claude Daltys (Mercedes McCambridge), Jean-Pierre Duclos (Gary Raymond), Lita Recio (Mavis Villiers), Hélène Tossy (Joan Young) and Michel Gudin (David Cameron). more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Although set in 1937, costumes, hairstyles and makeup worn by Elizabeth Taylor were all contemporary in 1959. more
Quotes:
Mrs. Venable: Oh, Sebastian, what a lovely summer it's been. Just the two of us. Sebastian and Violet. Violet and Sebastian. Just the way it's always going to be. Oh, we are lucky, my darling, to have one another and need no one else ever. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful.
good adaptation of Williams play, 23 November 2006
8/10
Author: blanche-2 from United States

Katharine Hepburn is a wealthy woman who uses her checkbook in the hopes of having her niece lobotomized in "Suddenly, Last Summer," a 1959 film directed by Joseph Mankiewicz and starring Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, and Mercedes McCambridge. Hepburn plays Mrs. Venable, whose son, Sebastian, died the previous summer of a heart attack. However, her niece Cathy, who accompanied Sebastian, has had a sort of breakdown and is institutionalized. Mrs. Venable wants Cathy lobotomized. Before doing so, however, the gifted surgeon (Clift), sent there by his boss as Mrs. Venable dangles money for the hospital in front of him, becomes determined instead to find out what happened and how Sebastian really died.

This is a film that would never be made today - it's character-driven and has too much dialogue. It's a shame because the dialogue is excellent. A previous Mankiewicz film, "All About Eve," is word-rich as well, and there the dialogue sparkles. Here it is more poetic. And, like "Eve," the great roles are the womens.

Though references to homosexuality are only inferred, this film and the much more poorly adapted "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" hold up very well today. With homosexuality much more discussed, the role this plays in both plots is very obvious, at least to this viewer. In "Suddenly, Last Summer," Sebastian's proclivities are evident from the beginning as Mrs. Venable describes an almost husband-wife relationship with her son, claiming to the surgeon that Sebastian was "chaste" and that her relationship with him was enough for her son.

One of the comments here mentioned that "Cathy is crazy, like all Williams heroines." But in truth, Cathy like Blanche is disturbed (though Blanche may be a little closer to being nuts) and both are "put away" to shut them up - Blanche for her accusations against Stanley and Cathy because she knows how Sebastian really died.

Katharine Hepburn gives a brilliant performance as Mrs. Venable - charming but made of steel, her anger and jealousy toward her niece just barely beneath the surface. Elizabeth Taylor gives one of her best performances under the strong direction of Mankiewicz. Taylor was blessed with great beauty but alas, not a great speaking voice. However, she is nevertheless very effective, particularly in her long, harrowing monologue near the end of the film.

Clift's passive portrayal of the surgeon is problematic, and one wonders why he was cast. The opening scene in which he performs an operation had to be redone many times because of his drunkenness and codeine addiction - he was washing down the pills with brandy; his voice quavers, he is unsteady on his feet, and his eyes are glassy. He comes off a little better in the previous year's "Lonelyhearts," though in that film, he actually winces in pain when he has to sit. While Clift had the support of his fellow actors, he had none from Mankiewicz and producer Sam Spiegel. Had it not been for Elizabeth Taylor's insistence, he would have been replaced. It seems cruel (as it did to Hepburn at the time) but Mankiewicz was trying to make a movie and Spiegel wanted it to be on budget - Clift's addictions and physical problems weren't helping. He couldn't remember lines; when he finally said them, he was often inaudible; and he was always late arriving on the set. Fortunately for audiences, this wasn't his last big-budget role. Under the direction of Elia Kazan, he would do the magnificent "Wild River" and seemingly be more in control.

Despite this, "Suddenly, Last Summer" is an excellent, disturbing film, and is highly recommended. It's not Williams' best play, but it is served well in its film adaptation.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Why is this movie so hard for people to understand? ec1979
Did you notice Sebastian's study? timeslord
Taylor's Oscar?! dinasztie13
Where the attack natzia2002
St. Sebastian = homosexual icon cheesebomb1156
Original ending to Williams' play? diva_k13
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