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) -- AllTrailers.net - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.6/10   4,294 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 8% 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:
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:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations more
User Comments:
Tennesse Does it Again more (92 total)

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:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
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.) more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Although set in 1937, costumes, hairstyles and makeup worn by Elizabeth Taylor were all contemporary in 1959. more
Quotes:
Mrs. Venable: My son, Sebastian and I constructed our days. Each day we would carve each day like a piece of sculpture, leaving behind us a trail of days like a gallery of sculpture until suddenly, last summer. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Boys in the Band (1970) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Tennesse Does it Again, 12 October 2006
8/10
Author: Benny Miller from Tennessee, United States

Catherine Holly, played by the indelible Elizabeth Taylor,is a woman whose conscience and memory continue to cast a foreboding shadow. Enshrouded in her memory is the unforgettable realization to which she came, suddenly last summer. Katherine Hepburn plays somewhat of a southern anchoress, Mrs. Violet Venable,whose only repose comes from memorializing her late son Sebastian in the fantastic jungalesque garden he created. On the surface Sebastian seems pensive, sincere, and wise; however, Holly knows a secret, a disturbing secret about the late Sebastian that Mrs. Venable must suppress at all costs. It remains in the hands of Dr. Cukrowicz, Montgomery Clift, to extract this secret from Holly's memory, before the secret is lost forever. I enjoyed this movie, and it kept my attention even though I had read the play I knew the outcome. It is another fine story from the mind of Tennessee Williams. The movie sticks to the play unlike other Williams' movies, like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. The only problem is that like so many other Tennesse Williams'stories, depravity and decadence are central themes, which make it difficult at times to really like any characters or develop a fondness for the story itself.

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Did you notice Sebastian's study? timeslord
Taken in context for the era Robdeneil
Why is this movie so hard for people to understand? ec1979
Taylor's Oscar?! dinasztie13
Where the attack natzia2002
St. Sebastian = homosexual icon cheesebomb1156
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