Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

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.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Tennessee Williams (play), Gore Vidal (screenplay),

Stars:

Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.

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

Storyline

A wealthy harridan, Violet Venable, attempts to bribe Dr. Cukrowicz, a young psycho-surgeon from a New Orleans mental hospital that is desperately in need of funds, into lobotomizing her niece, Catherine Holly. Violet wants the operation performed in order to prevent Catherine from defiling the memory of her son, the poet Sebastian. Catherine has been babbling obscenely about Sebastian's mysterious death that she witnessed while on holiday together in Spain the previous summer.

---

Plot Keywords:

poet | operation | mental institution | lobotomy | widow | 

---

Taglines:

These are powers and passions without precedent in motion pictures!

---

Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 December 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

De repente en el verano

Filming Locations:

Bagur, Girona, Cataluña, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Horizon Pictures (II), Academy Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the few classic films to address smoking as an addiction that can affect the mood or attitude of the smoker.

---

Goofs

The doctor's hands change position when he tells Hockstader that he needs more time.

---

Quotes

[last lines]
Catherine Holly: She's here, Doctor. Miss Catherine's here.

---

Connections

Featured in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003)

User Reviews

This film should have earned Taylor her first Oscar

"Suddenly, Last Summer" brought Elizabeth Taylor her third Oscar nomination, and she probably should have won (though winner Simone Signoret's performance in "Room at the Top" was also outstanding). Taylor is awesome in this film ----- most notably in the final twenty minutes, which she virtually dominates. This entire scene was reportedly shot in one take, which makes sense, since the character begins with a narrative and gradually builds to an emotionally shattering climax. Taylor's previous film, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof", was also Oscar caliber, but this performance is even more impressive. The 1960 Oscar for "Butterfield 8" was probably a consolation prize for the Oscar she should have received for either of these two previous films.