Summer Lovers (1982)

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writer:

Randal Kleiser (writer)

Release Date:

16 July 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

They Spent a Summer of Love - to the Sounds of 'Chicago'

Plot:

A young American couple go to the Greek islands for the summer and are dazzled by the beauty and the uninhibited people surrounding them...

Plot Keywords:

Tied To Bed | Bare Chested Male Bondage | Bare Chested Male | Ménage À Trois | Nudity

Cast

Peter Gallagher	...	Michael Pappas
Daryl Hannah	...	Cathy Featherstone
Valérie Quennessen	...	Lina (as Valerie Quennessen)
Barbara Rush	...	Jean Featherstone
Carole Cook	...	Barbara Foster
Hans van Tongeren	...	Jan Tolin
Lydia Lenossi	...	Aspa
Vladimiros Kiriakidis	...	Yorghos
Carlos Rodríguez Ramos	...	Cosmo
Rika Dialina	...	Monica
Andreas Filippides	...	Andreas (as Andreas Filippidis)
Peter Pye	...	Joe Saunders
Janis Benjamin	...	Trish Saunders
Victor T. Salant	...	John
Brigitte Perbandt	...	Anna

Also Known As:

Threesome (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (1998) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Singapore:(Banned) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 (original rating) (cut) | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (uncut) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Crete, Greece

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

The villa that the "Michael" and "Cathy" characters stayed at is located Oia, Santorini. It was purchased by a couple in 1987 and now exists as a gift shop named "Summer Lovers".

Goofs:

Continuity: Just before Michael views Lina with his binoculars there is a puff of cigarette smoke that passes him. But scenes of Michael just prior and after shows nobody around him and no cigarette in the ash tray.

Quotes:

Lina: Jealousy doesn't show how much you love someone, it shows how insecure you are.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The O.C.: The Accomplice (#2.10)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

Just Can't Get Enough

Sweet Classic about Mange a Trois on perfect summer isle

This is a wonderful movie- described by many as an escapist fantasy, but letter perfect in it's depiction of the awkward relationship of European-adventuring couple Gallagher + Darryl Hannah in her most resplendent role (Rent this one-she is nude in 60% of it and have no idea how they pared it down for AMC), the difficult mechanics of a 3-way relationship, the sexual politics of the steamy Greek Isles, the carefree tentative joy of gorgeous twenty somethings on the loose in paradise.

The location on the fabled Greek Island of Santorini (Thera) is breathlessly beautiful- it was annihilated in 1600 BC in a titantic volcanic explosion that wiped out the whole Eastern Med, and probably the source of Atlantis legends- 10 years later ('92) I visited (maybe subconciously from the movie) and still think it's the most beautiful place in the world- 1000 ft. cliffs with 10 stories of whitewashed interconnected blue-roofed buildings in a brilliant white strip along the top (town of Fira), black sand beaches on outer side, 2500 ft central mountain w Roman/Hellenistic/Dorian acropoli, entire intact buried Minoan city (Acrotiri-prominently featured) with 3 story bldgs and gorgeous color frescos- a Pompei that's twice as old, central volcano in the middle of grotto, impossibly aquamarine Agean, 7000 years of habitation. I blew through 5 36-exp rolls of film in the first day and burnt myself right through 30 SPF though it was March (the sun reflects off the whitewashed bldgs), which was a nice change from the Russian winter I'd just endured. The Greek Isles are sybaritic mating Shangri-La's for Europeans, packed with spectacular slick semi-naked Euro women (mostly Mikinos).

Valerie is a sweetheart too, a slightly flaky French waif with huge sad haunting eyes- maybe she knew she only had 7 years left. The relationship is driven more by the women than Gallagher, as often really happens. I accidentally saw it in Chicago at the near end of an exhausting 4 mo. cross country expedition (with Officer + a Gentleman-hell of a twin bill) and was really moved by it, or rather the incredible Hannah, whom I instantly and totally loved. Think Jackie Kennedy made a bad mistake banning JFK Jr from marrying her- his life would have been far more fulfilled with this magnificent sweetheart than with the hard eyed Bissette, who reportedly demanded he wait for her sister and take off for Martha's Vinyard 1 1/4 hours later than he wanted, into the deadly dusk.

This movie uses songs more perfectly than almost any movie I can think of- "I'm so excited", "Everbody needs a little time away"- Chicago, at just the appropriate points. Do check it out- exp. the video, because the un-self conscious unaffected unenhanced Hannah is unequaled, and the movie is a sweet libertine gem. -------------------------------------------- Mike Hammerschlag