Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Reference View | Change View
- Approved
- 1h 54min
- Drama, Mystery
- Jan 1960 (USA)
- Movie
A surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 4 nominations.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
| Elizabeth Taylor | ... |
Catherine Holly
|
|
| Katharine Hepburn | ... |
Mrs. Venable
|
|
| Montgomery Clift | ... |
Dr. Cukrowicz
|
|
| Albert Dekker | ... |
Dr. Hockstader
|
|
| Mercedes McCambridge | ... |
Mrs. Holly
|
|
| Gary Raymond | ... |
George Holly
|
|
| Mavis Villiers | ... |
Miss Foxhill
|
|
 |
Patricia Marmont | ... |
Nurse Benson
|
|
|
Joan Young | ... |
Sister Felicity
|
| Maria Britneva | ... |
Lucy
|
|
|
|
Sheila Robins | ... |
Dr. Hockstader's Secretary
(as Sheila Robbins)
|
| David Cameron | ... |
Young Blonde Interne
|
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Erik Chitty | ... |
Asylum Inmate (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Grace Denbeigh-Russell | ... |
Asylum patient (uncredited)
|
|
|
Brenda Dunrich | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
| Eddie Fisher | ... |
Street Urchin (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Anthony Lang | ... |
Inmate (uncredited)
|
|
|
Aileen Lewis | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
|
|
Frank Merlo | ... |
Audience Member at Operation (uncredited)
|
| Sheila Raynor | ... |
Mother of young patient (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Beatrice Shaw | ... |
Elderly Lady (uncredited)
|
|
|
George Spence | ... |
Inmate Playing Cards (uncredited)
|
|
|
Florence Stark | ... |
A Patient (uncredited)
|
|
|
Julián Ugarte | ... |
Sebastian Venable (uncredited)
|
| Gore Vidal | ... |
Audience Member at Operation (uncredited)
|
|
| Rita Webb | ... |
Asylum Inmate (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Sandra White | ... |
Young patient (uncredited)
|
| Ian Wilson | ... |
A Patient (uncredited)
|
|
|
|
Roberta Woolley | ... |
Nurse (uncredited)
|
Directed by
| Joseph L. Mankiewicz | ||
Written by
| Gore Vidal | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Tennessee Williams | ... | (screenplay) & |
| Tennessee Williams | ... | (play "Suddenly, Last Summer") |
Produced by
| Norman Spencer | ... | assistant producer (uncredited) |
| Sam Spiegel | ... | producer |
Music by
| Malcolm Arnold | ||
| Buxton Orr | ||
Cinematography by
| Jack Hildyard | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| William Hornbeck | ||
| Thomas Stanford | ... | (as Thomas G. Stanford) |
Editorial Department
| William Hornbeck | ... | editorial consultant (as William W. Hornbeck) |
| John Jympson | ... | assembly editor |
| John Crome | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
| Ron Pope | ... | assistant editor (uncredited) |
Production Design by
| Oliver Messel | ||
Art Direction by
| William Kellner | ||
Set Decoration by
| Scott Slimon | ||
Costume Design by
| Oliver Messel | ... | (uncredited) |
Makeup Department
| David Aylott | ... | makeup artist |
| Joan White | ... | hair stylist |
| Eileen Bates | ... | hairdresser (uncredited) |
| Charles Nash | ... | assistant makeup artist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Bill Kirby | ... | production supervisor |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Bluey Hill | ... | assistant director |
| Patrick Clayton | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
| Jake Wright | ... | second assistant director (uncredited) |
Art Department
| John Cengia | ... | props |
| Peter Dukelow | ... | construction manager |
| Martin Atkinson | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
| Jimmy James | ... | chief props (uncredited) |
| Fred Lacey | ... | property buyer (uncredited) |
| Basil Mannin | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
| Fred Mannin | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
| Terence Morgan | ... | set dresser (uncredited) |
| Francisco Prósper | ... | settings (uncredited) |
| James Sawyer | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
| Jack Shampan | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
| Tony Woollard | ... | draughtsman (uncredited) |
Sound Department
| Buster Ambler | ... | sound recordist / sound (as A.G. Ambler) |
| John Cox | ... | sound |
| Peter Thornton | ... | sound editor |
| Eric Vincent | ... | sound maintenance (uncredited) |
Visual Effects by
| Tom Howard | ... | photographic effects |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Gerry Fisher | ... | camera operator |
| Archie Dansie | ... | chief electrician (uncredited) |
| Ceri Davies | ... | focus (uncredited) |
| Ray Jones | ... | grip (uncredited) |
| Mike Rutter | ... | clapper loader (uncredited) |
| Michael Walter | ... | key grip (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Joan Ellacott | ... | associate costume designer |
| Charles Guerin | ... | wardrobe master (uncredited) |
| Norman Hartnell | ... | costumes: Katharine Hepburn (uncredited) |
| Jean Louis | ... | costumes: Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited) |
| Lily Payne | ... | wardrobe assistant (uncredited) |
| May Walding | ... | wardrobe mistress (uncredited) |
Location Management
| Roger Good | ... | location manager (uncredited) |
Music Department
| Buxton Orr | ... | conductor |
Script and Continuity Department
| Elaine Schreyeck | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Rosetta Calavetta | ... | italian voice dubbing: Mercedes McCambridge (uncredited) |
| Giorgio Capecchi | ... | italian voice dubbing: Albert Dekker (uncredited) |
| Percy Condron | ... | cashier (uncredited) |
| Claude Daltys | ... | french voice dubbing: Mercedes McCambridge (uncredited) |
| Jean-Pierre Duclos | ... | french voice dubbing: Gary Raymond (uncredited) |
| Norma Garment | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
| Claire Guibert | ... | french voice dubbing: Katharine Hepburn (uncredited) |
| Jacques Harden | ... | french voice dubbing: David Cameron (uncredited) |
| Phyllis Jones | ... | publicity secretary (uncredited) |
| Joan Kupiec | ... | director's secretary (uncredited) |
| Jean Menz | ... | producers secretary (uncredited) |
| Serge Nadaud | ... | french voice dubbing: Albert Dekker (uncredited) |
| Bernard Noël | ... | french voice dubbing: Montgomery Clift (uncredited) |
| Jean Osborne | ... | unit publicist (uncredited) |
| Andreina Pagnani | ... | italian voice dubbing: Katharine Hepburn (uncredited) |
| Lita Recio | ... | french voice dubbing: Mavis Villiers (uncredited) |
| Thérèse Rigaud | ... | french voice dubbing: Patricia Marmont (uncredited) |
| Giuseppe Rinaldi | ... | italian voice dubbing: Montgomery Clift (uncredited) |
| Lydia Simoneschi | ... | italian voice dubbing: Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited) |
| Wanda Tettoni | ... | italian voice dubbing: Mavis Villiers (uncredited) |
| Peter Tidey | ... | unit runner (uncredited) |
| Hélène Tossy | ... | french voice dubbing: Joan Young (uncredited) |
| Massimo Turci | ... | italian voice dubbing: Gary Raymond (uncredited) |
| Midge Warnes | ... | production secretary (uncredited) |
| Claude Winter | ... | french voice dubbing: Elizabeth Taylor (uncredited) |
Production Companies
- Columbia Pictures
- Horizon Pictures (II) (for)
- Academy Pictures Corporation (in association with)
- Camp Films (in association with)
Distributors
- Columbia Pictures (1959) (United States) (theatrical)
- Columbia C.E.I.A.D. (1960) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Columbia Film (1960) (Denmark) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films (1960) (France) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures Corporation (1960) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Columbia Film (1960) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Columbia Film-Verleih (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films S. A. (1960) (Mexico) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films of India (1960) (India) (theatrical)
- Columbia International Films (1960) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
- Columbia Pictures of Argentina (1960) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- Kamera (1960) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Sony Pictures Releasing (1960) (India) (theatrical) (as Columbia Films of India)
- Columbia Pictures Proprietary (1960) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Columbia Films (1968) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1968) (United States) (tv)
- Columbia Pictures (1979) (Spain) (theatrical)
- RCA/Columbia Pictures International Video (1988) (West Germany) (VHS)
- Videosonic (1989) (Greece) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (1993) (United States) (VHS)
- Columbia TriStar Home Video (2000) (United States) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
- Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
- Twilight Time (2017) (United States) (Blu-ray)
- Acteurs Auteurs Associés (AAA) (1988) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Les Grands Films Classiques (GFC) (1995) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Action Cinémas (2007) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Park Circus (2016) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Powerhouse Films (2018) (United Kingdom) (Blu-ray) (Limited Edition)
- Columbia Pictures (1960) (Japan) (theatrical)
- NHK-BS2 (1990) (Japan) (tv)
- RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video (1986) (Australia) (video)
- Sony Pictures Releasing (2004) (Japan) (DVD)
- The Criterion Channel (2022) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Wealthy harridan Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn) attempts to bribe Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift), a young psycho-surgeon from a New Orleans, Louisiana mental hospital that is desperately in need of funds, into lobotomizing her niece, Catherine Holly (Dame Elizabeth Taylor), to prevent the girl from defiling the memory of her cousin, Violet's poet son Sebastian (Julián Ugarte). Catherine has been babbling obscenely about Sebastian's mysterious death that she witnessed while they were vacationing together in Spain the previous summer. Written by alfiehitchie |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | TENNESSEE WILLIAMS shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD! See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Box Office
| Budget | $3,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| 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 producer Sam Spiegel and director Joseph L. Mankiewicz during 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). See more » |
| Goofs | Although set in 1937, costumes, hairstyles and makeup worn by Dame Elizabeth Taylor are all contemporary in 1959. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into This Is It (2009). See more » |
| Quotes |
Catherine Holly:
Is that what love is? Using people? And maybe that's what hate is - not being able to use people. See more » |