Summer Lovers (1982)

A young American couple and a French woman engage in a threesome in the Greek Islands.

Director:

Randal Kleiser

Writer:

Randal Kleiser

Stars:

Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valérie Quennessen

Cast

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

Storyline

A young American couple, Michael and Cathy who have just graduated from college, have known each other about 10 years and have been together about half that time go to of Santorini, a Greek island for the summer and are dazzled by the beauty and the uninhibited people surrounding them. Michael meets and begins an affair with Lina, a French archaeologist working on a dig. Cathy discovers this and goes to confront the other woman. Lina is quite taken with Cathy's photographic work, and the three become very close.

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Plot Keywords:

nude sunbathing | nude swimming | nudist beach | pubic hair | female pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

Sun, surf, sand ... and the sexy adventure of a lifetime.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of two 1982 American movies first released in that year which shot in Greece. The other picture was Paul Mazursky's Tempest (1982).

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Goofs

When "Kathy" heads to "Lina"'s to confront her, we see a man sitting with a donkey to the right of the path, in the shade. As "Kathy" comes into view again momentarily (seconds later) the man & donkey are gone.

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Quotes

Cathy Featherstone: I use to dream I was a mermaid.

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Connections

Referenced in Remote Control (1988)

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Soundtracks

Vive Le Jetset
Written and Performed by Rosalie Winkler Karalekas

User Reviews

This movie is so much MORE than just 'T & A'!! A subtle classic

How can you NOT love a movie that actually has a clip from a 3 Stooges short?

But seriously, this movie has a way of getting under the skin of many who view it. Like "Bagdad Cafe", and "Summer of '42" this movie has a certain 'magic' to it that stays with you for a very long time afterward. It's not due to any one element, but rather, the synergy created between the beautiful cinematography of the lush Greek scenery, the chemistry between the drop-dead gorgeous cast (all at their absolute peak of sexual/physical ripeness), a dynamic, inspiring soundtrack, and a subtle, well-crafted plot (if you can actually call it that...it is more of a skeletal framework...a backdrop against which to explore the issues at hand) It is a more mature examination, a graduate course, if you will, of the sexual revolution. It is a victory celebration of polyamorous relationships. It's the other side of the coin of 'Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice'. It is "The Harrod Experiment" coming-of-age. (To those of you who were 15 when you saw "Summer Lovers", I doubt you've heard of The Harrod Experiment. The casualness with which nudity is handled in this flick only contributes to the overall beauty of it. (I doubt the movie would have had nearly the same effect if the principals were Roseanne & Oprah, with Pauley Shore playing the male lead...) Funny thing, when it came out, prurient minds dismissed it as the quintessential sleazy male fantasy. There was just one problem with this knee-jerk review...Females liked it as much (if not more) than male viewers!!! This movie has confounded the critics since its debut...and still does so as it continues to win fans 22 years after its release. It is one of the few truly realistic depictions of an 'alternate lifestyle', handled with exquisitely good taste with just the right amount of restraint. Even the editing is exemplary. Truly a classic bit of film-making.

Warning: View it at your own risk. As I stated, the 'message' of this movie is insidious, and can cause one to re-examine some long-held social conventions. Subsequent viewings only enhance this effect. 5 years before "Dirty Dancing", there was Summer Lovers.

The sole tragic note to this movie is that Valerie Quennessen died only 7 years after its release.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Threesome

Filming Locations:

Santorini, Greece

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,968,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,968,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmways Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby 4-Track Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1