Customer Reviews

Last Summer [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I saw this film when it first opened in NYC with the actor Richard Thomas in the audience, an instant turn on feature. It was I belive his first movie and was very touched by it's content. Since the topic deals with the pains and delights of growing up from childhood to adulthood. A critical period, that to all of us, is the stuff of the fondest memories and secrets.

It's an extraordinary movie very similar in many ways to "Summer of 42" released 2 years after "Last Summer." I have always considered that both films topics were by some means inter-related, or that the first one somehow, inspired the other to be made. "Last Summer" takes place in Fire Island, Long Island during the late 1960's social revolution, whereas the other story happen at a New England beach colony during the Second World War.

Unfortunatelly, while "Summer of 42" was released by Warner Brothers on DVD to great lyrical intensity. "LAST SUMMER" STILL AWAITS TO BE REDISCOVERED BY A NEWER GENERATION OF FILM LOVERS.

PLEASE CAN SOMEONE DO SOMETHING TO HAVE IT SOON RELEASED ON DVD. BECAUSE THIS STORY GOT SO MUCH SOUL THAT IT COULD BRAKE YOUR HEART.

Late 60's coming of age psychodrama. Three teens(Bruce Davison, Richard Thomas, Barbara Hershey) on Fire Island deal with their awakening sexuality and a new resident, played by Catherine Burns(whatever happened to her?), who wants to be friends with them. The standout scene is when Burns delivers a monologue that is one of the finest ever filmed. I think she was nominated for an Oscar based on that scene alone. It's that moving. This movie is known best for it's ending but there's a lot more to appreciate. Directed by Frank Perry('The Swimmer').

I would love to see this one dvd with cast and crew reflections and a look at Fire Island, then and now.

There are certain movies from my childhood that were more frightening then any horror film - one of them is "Last Summer" and it is easy to see how similar this film is to "Lord of the Flies", in this case teenagers and not children are left to their own devices without parental interference in any way - basically the story is the same, that human nature is cruel and hierarchy building and will destroy the most vulnerable souls in the quest for power and dominance. That even those with perhaps the greatest potential for kindness - in this case Richard Thomas (& brilliant here), will run with the tribe if forced to make a choice between doing what is good and standing alone or doing unspeakable cruelty to be spared the tyrany of the majority. In reality, unlike Lord of the Flies, by acting on his better self the dynamic would have been tied as there are only 4 characters here -- however, the point of this movie is that human nature is basically weak of character and depraved and therefore a nihilistic view of humanity - which we see in the broken bird that must be killed as it is not strong enough to fight for its existence; as a metaphor for the fat girl who although morally superior is physically weak and therefore damaging to the social order in her quest for supremacy against the beauty and strength, portrayed to perfection by Barbara Hershey. Perhaps this movie is meant to show there is no room for nuance in nature and that the weak must be eliminated to make room for the survival of the fittest-- This is why I think this movie stays with you - I like to think the fat girls reasoned arguments for humanity as separate and better then the will of nature is supreme and true but this movie doesn't take that stand on this issue and leaves you to ponder the other point of view equally - that Ms Hershey is a queen bee who must fulfil her rightful place - there is no moral to this story, no feel good conclusion and it hurts. It is a great, small and underestimated film - The boys here by the way are meerly pawns in this dynamic. All 4 leads are superb - Great screenplay by Perry who also with his wife wrote and directed another gem "the Swimmer" .

The film version of Last Summer captures the mood and tone of the Fire Island teenagers it was meant to represent. Another review asked "where were the parents?" The answer is probably drunk or stoned. It was a time period of experimentation, and not always a model of responsibility. The four young co-stars were brillantly cast in this coming of age story. You've no doubt read the plot. Three teens, 2 boys and a girl, form a strong and intimate relationship. They allow a second girl in, but the first girl, and the boys who allow themselves to be led, begin to subtly and then overtly torment her. It is sweet in the beginning, hard in the middle, and decidely cruel by the end. It is unflinching and realistic, and not as far away as some seem to think. A wonderful adaptation of Evan Hunter's novel. Most reviews concentrate on the performance of Catherine Burns, who was nominated for an oscar for her role as the second girl, Rhoda. Barbara Hershey was her equal as Sandy, the first girl. Richard Thomas and Bruce Davisson worked very well together, and you could easily believe their own bond, prior to the introduction to Sandy. This is a movie for a late Fall late night, when one is in a contemplative mood.

This movie is erotic, disturbing, entertaining, and ultimately one to remember. I'm surprised it is so expensive. Maybe it needs reissuing! The book actually had an odd format in which the two halves were roughly the same, with major phrases from the first half (the Seagull half) recurring in the second (dealing with Cathy Burns' character). Bruce Davison, Richard Thomas and Barbara Hershey are all quite good in their roles. That trio forms an alliance, one into which Cathy Burns tries to wedge herself. They let her in, only to turn on her with devastating results at the end.

It was an early film for all four, but they create scenes that will stay with you a long time. I do have to wonder though: where are the parents? These teens do pretty much whatever they want with no one to stop them. They are the four people you'll remember. They are the movie, and it will stay with you long after you finish it for many reasons.

Three teens vacationing with their parents on Fire Island during the late 1960's forge a bond out of friendship, sexual longing and boredom. The catalyst for this bond is Sandy, a beautiful bikini clad 16 year old who is discovered by Peter and Dan as she attempts to rescue a seagull that has swallowed a fishing line. When Rhoda, a pudgy, straight-laced girl enters the threesome, she becomes the incorruptible moral conscience of the group, and a threat to Sandy's dominance over the two boys. The resulting conflict brings into question the ability of logic and reason to counter the primal power of carnal desire. In an environment free from moral or physical constraints, human beings, if left to their own devices, will digress to their baser natures. Last Summer is a film that grabs you by your senses - the sights and sounds of the beach; bright blue sky, blue-green Ocean, slow breaking waves, white sand, seagulls - the general buzz of nature that heightens the senses. Add to the mix a beautiful fully developed 16 year old girl, ripe with sexuality and willing to exploit its power, and you have a force of nature almost impossible for two hormone filled teenage boys to resist with tragic consequences. An overlooked beautifully shot masterpiece that turns the "coming of age" genre inside out.

1969's Last Summer, the film I first saw late night on '70s TV is a great classic experiment interested in creating moods. Richard Thomas (pre-John Boy) stands out as a confused teen and Barbara Hershey as the sex interest. Four teens on Fire Island in the late '60s, feeling the turbulent winds of the time through the collective unconscious. I actually went to Fire Island in 1969 when this film was made (when I was five) and saw some real hippies there.

Based on the book by Evan Hunter (Blackboard Jungle) Frank Perry's (David and Lisa, The Swimmer) direction is outstanding at creating a 1960s atmosphere, as does his other films of the era.

Catherine Burns as Rhoda was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Although this movie represents the feelings and drives of teens a few decades ago, it works today, because we still have the basic conflicts of legal vs. biological "adulthood", that omnipresent drive that begins in the early teen years for actions that can't legally happen until one reaches that magic "age of consent". The violently explosive outcome at the end of this movie is directly related to that ongoing conflict. It's amazing it doesn't happen more often.

I recently saw the movie on youtube and I can't say enough good things about it. The greatest thing about some of Frank Perry's movies is that they are so real and leave you asking yourself so many questions about the characters and eventually the viewer gets to draw they're own conclusions. A lot of people don't like to be left hanging with so many questions but I think it's brilliant. This kind of movie making is gone now and I miss it. If ever a movie deserved to be released on DVD this is it. Can we get together and get on Warner Brothers butt to release this wonderful movie on DVD.

This movie and another with Barbara Hershey, "The Pursuit of Happiness"(1971), deserve at least a basic DVD treatment. There are so many entertaining films from that late 60s, early 70s era which I fear will be forgotten soon.

The only place you can see a lot of these movies is TCM. Why can't they print their own DVDs? Even if you had to special order them and they had to be pressed by request, I would pay for it. I think a lot of other people who spend their time like me searching for old films would also.