Verão 42 (1971)

During his summer vacation on Nantucket Island in 1942, a youth eagerly awaiting his first sexual encounter finds himself developing an innocent love for a young woman awaiting news on her soldier husband's fate in WWII.

Director:

Robert Mulligan

Writer:

Herman Raucher

Stars:

Jennifer O'Neill, Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jennifer O'Neill	...	Dorothy
Gary Grimes	...	Hermie
Jerry Houser	...	Oscy
Oliver Conant	...	Benjie
Katherine Allentuck	...	Aggie
Christopher Norris	...	Miriam
Lou Frizzell	...	Druggist

Storyline

Silent as a painting, the movie shows us day-dreamer Hermie and his friends Oscy and Benjie spending the summer of '42 on an US island with their parents - rather unaffected by WWII. While Oscy's main worries are the when and how of getting laid, Hermie honestly falls in love with the older Dorothy, who's married to an army pilot. When her husband returns to the front, Hermie shyly approaches her.

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Plot Keywords:

summer vacation | teen angst | coming of age | world war two | obsession | 

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Taglines:

In everyone's life there's a "Summer of '42"

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

M/18

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only non-Best Picture Oscar nominee that year to be nominated for Best Cinematography.

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Goofs

Hermie, Oscy and the girls go to the movies and see A Estranha Passageira, which was not released until the end of October 1942.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Narrator: [voice-over] When I was 15 and my family came to the island for the summer, there weren't as many houses or people as they are now. The geography of the island and the singularity of the sea were far more noticeable then. And if a guy wasn't to die of loneliness, this family made certain that other families from his neighborhood contributed other kids to the island. Present with me in the summer of '42 were Oscy, my best friend. And Benji, my next best friend. We called ourselves ...

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Connections

Referenced in Summer of 89 (2013)

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Soundtracks

Hold Tight, Hold Tight (Want Some Seafood, Mama)
(uncredited)
Written by Jerry Brandow, Buddy G. DeSylva, Edward Robinson, Willie Spottswood and Leonard Ware
Sung by The Andrews Sisters
Played on radio at the beach

User Reviews

The summer knows

I saw this movie in the theater during it's initial release and several times on TV since then but it's been many years since I've seen it last and would like to see it again. This is a classic coming of age movie. A great story and script with a wonderful cast. Gary Grimes, Jerry Houser and Oliver Conant as the the three teenage boys and Jennifer O'Neil as the war bride. Robert Mulligan certainly had a diverse directorial career with such varied memorable films as To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Imposter, The Man in the Moon and The Other and quite a few forgettable films as well. He certainly made a memorable one with Summer of 42. Mulligan brought Harper Lee's words to life in his wonderful adaptation of her novel in Mockingbird and he brings Herman Raucher's screenplay to life in 42. Two examples of very personal semi-autobiographical remembrances of growing up successfully brought to the big screen. Michel Legrand's music couldn't be any more perfect for this film. I was the exact age of the boys depicted in this movie when it was released so I could relate to this and the ethereal beauty as represented by O'Neil. Maybe today I would classify this under guilty pleasure like something on the Lifetime channel but movie has stayed with me over time and I would like to see it again on the big screen. I would recommend this and give it a 8.5 on a scale of 10.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 June 1972 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

Verão 42

Filming Locations:

Fort Bragg, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1