User reviews

This coming of age drama is about four friends living on an island who meet on the beach. As they discover sex and each other they are at times brave, kind and considerate. However at other times a darker side to their nature appears and they are cowardly, selfish and cruel. The characters' parents never appear in the movie and all verbal references to them are negative. We are left with the impression that these young adults are left to their own devices and they are growing up without morals. The film is shot in soft focus and the days are the perfect Summer idyll. The symbolism is a little unsubtle at times, but the performances are good. Catherine Burns received an oscar nomination.

Last Summer is a movie that you'll want to see alone, or with someone you fully trust. The plot is well-captured prior to my review, and it's truly not difficult to understand the story.

Rarely, a movie captures my interest from start to finish, and Last Summer happens to be in this category. Aesthetically, the movie was beautiful to see. The golden, hazy effects of the camera work, along with the beautiful colors of the sea and even the hues of each character's eyes were all visually stunning. As a fan of the 1970s, it is easy to see how this movie captures the era perfectly (even if it's from 1969).

The main standout, however, is the discomfort I felt from early in the movie, until the very end. If you are a sensitive person, the increasingly awkward and eventually deplorable situations will be hard to view. The bird injury and 'operation', the reception of Rhoda into the group, the treatment of Anibal, and the final scenes of the seagull and Rhoda - will likely conjure the thought of "how did this movie get into normal theaters?".

Themes of narcissism, animals as property, people as property, justice, and the polarity between morality and acceptance all stood out. The characters are a combination of affable and deplorable. It's interesting to see how they shift: initially, we all feel a little annoyed by Rhoda, but eventually, she becomes the person you'd most want to befriend (at least in my mind). She is the person you want your daughter to be, with exception of how she is treated. We also feel charmed by the sweetness of the two teen boys initially, which morphs into a loathing.

It was also interesting to see that every genuine sentiment displayed in this movie - guilt, compassion, joy, and justice - was bestowed upon the seagull. Rather than experiencing the unpleasantness of acknowledging their emotions, Sandy, Peter and Dan would prevent that by turning to fits of laughter instead.

While it is repetitive to comment on this, I can't help lauding the amazing talent of Catherine Burns. She truly had a gift for becoming a character, and stirring the hearts of even the most disconnected viewer. It's a tragic loss that she did not pursue additional acting, and also that she passed away at 73.

A minor observation: Barbara Hershey was unrecognizable to me; I appreciated that her character was a naturally beautiful young woman who seemed comfortable in her own skin. This same actress portrayed a mother of two young women with eating disorders in 2003 ("Hunger Point"), but in this movie, there is an appreciable amount of body-positivity that begins with her character.

Very intriguing late 60's film by Frank Perry with a great performance by Catherine Burns (nominated and SHOULD have won Supporting Actress). A young Barbara Hershey is attractive and full of verve. Bruce Davison is fine and Richard Thomas is sensitive and believable, but C. Burns as Rhoda is heartbreaking and wonderful. I don't know what happened to his young actress. She was also in RED SKY AT MORNING with Richard Thomas in '71.

An 8 out of 10. Best performance = Ms. Burns. A tale of youth that will stay with you. Nothing exploitive going on this film. Find it if you can. A beauty!

I caught this film late at night and stayed up until 4am watching it. It is a beautifully crafted story and intriguing to watch Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, and Bruce Davidson give such strong performances at the start of their careers. Catherine Burns, however, steals the film as Rhoda. Her performance is nothing short of screen perfection and should be required viewing for every actor. She gives a monologue about her mother's death that will leave you feeling as alone as she is.

One of the first teen-genre movies to show how cruel children can really be to one another. The sound has been regarded as bad and grainy by some, but to me, it put me right there on the beach with them. Stellar performances from the four young main characters, especially Richard Thomas and Catherine Burns (Supporting Actress nominee for this film). Barbara Hershey changed her last name to Seagull because of the impact a certain scene had on her. Bruce Davison is great as the sex-crazed boy trying to lose his virginity. The anti-climactic ending of being confused teens, struggling to understand the life going on around them and what could possibly lie ahead is one of the best. A chilling movie from 1969, this movie still holds up well and led the way for lesser imitations in the decades to come. An all-time favorite of mine, but if you watch it, don't bother with the edited version -- you'll miss so much.

A carefully directed study of friendships, relationships and responsibility, the film is quite an amazing experience, with many well set up shots, excellent camera angles and brilliant framing. It is all edited very well together, with an emphasis on close-ups to make it all the more intense. The subject matter rather than the technical perfection is what is most impressive about the film though. With limited background information on the characters, we get to understand them as persons alone in the world with nothing much to do. The film is indeed about finding things to do in life among other things... so many other things that it is hard to sum them all up in a brief review like this. The levels of music and sound recording play important parts too and the acting is excellent. Catherine Burns was Oscar nominated, but Richard Thomas who arguably comes off as the best of the strong cast playing a character who is very uncertain of his feelings. It is hard to know where to begin and where to go when discussing this film. There is a lot to it, and it is superbly put together. It would definitely be best to see it before trying to read into any deeper discussion. Other than the abrupt ending, it is just masterful film-making that has to be seen for itself.

Pretty but restless, disturbed girl on Fire Island wields power and influence over two teenage boys and one plain-Jane, resulting in tragedy. Barbara Hershey, with her sharp-edged impatience and schizophrenic demeanor, is both luminous and foreboding, though the real star of the show turns out to be Gerald Hirschfeld and his striking cinematography. The script, based on Evan Hunter's novel, isn't pretentious but neither does it make any lasting conclusions (it's just a throwaway). The kids are shallow and vapid, even Catherine Burns as the Voice of Reason, and nothing in the dialogue seems to propel their intentions; it's all a director's conceit. Still, the ambiance and the well-considered build-up to the inevitable finale are captured vividly, and I could not take my eyes off Hershey: feral at times, sexual, and wild on the beach. **1/2 from ****

If you write screenplays, don't miss Catherine Burns's "speech" about her mother in Last Summer - a more powerful, evocative use of single-character dialogue in a film probably doesn't exist. While I enjoyed the rest of the film, it couldn't match this moment, and it's easy to see why CB was nominated for an Oscar.

Three attractive affluent kids--Sandy (Barbara Hershey), Peter (Richard Thomas) and Dan (Bruce Davison) meet on Fire Island one summer. They all start hanging out with Peter and Dan clearly attracted to Sandy. Then plump unattractive Rhoda (Catherine Burns) joins the group. Feelings erupt, complication escalate and it all leads to a VERY disturbing ending.

It's a coming of age film but a realistic one showing just how vicious teenagers can be. It's well made with superb acting by all four (Burns was nominated for an Academy Award) but I can't say it was a good film. The characters were unpleasant (Sandy is clearly a sociopath) and there are long dull stretches which go nowhere and add nothing to the plot. More than once I wondered where this film was going. However the harrowing final sequence more than made up for it. Be warned--the last part is extreme--the film got an X rating for that alone. So the acting and ultimate message make it worth seeing but it's sometimes pretty slow-going.

I had the pleasure (if not outright fun), together with several of my friends at Fire Island Ferries, of participating in the production of this film. It was a fairly compelling and accurate portrayal of the late-60's counter-culture. Fire Island was certainly THE place to be during those summers.

Post-production, we were given the opportunity to preview it at a local theater. It quickly received an "X" rating due the explicit "rape scene" which was abridged to earn the "R" it carried when released. I wonder what circulation it got before the editing and re-rating. Are there any copies of the original ?

Set in one of the most beautiful beach settings on the East Coast, Fire Island, New York, Last Summer centers around the struggles of Rhoda, played brilliantly by Catherine Burns. After meeting the other three main characters on the beach, Burns goes along with them on several adventures in which Rhoda's past tragedies and present hangups come to the forefront. As the story progresses, Burns is drawn closer to the character played by Richard Thomas setting the stage for the stunning conclusion of the film.

These are four young people sharing experiences and feelings together, with happy moments and sad moments. I felt like I was there on the beach with them and it was deeply moving.

I just didn't get the ending. Another reviewer said that it was the whole movie, but I just didn't see how that rape scene fitted into the rest of the movie, then just ending it like that. What was its meaning? Did she die? I was, and still to this day, completely confused.

One of the best movies in this genre I have ever seen; right up there with "Summer of 42", "Malena", etc. Truly funny but poignant at the right time; great performances by the leads and the unheard of Catherine Burns. Wow! Only problem is it's not on DVD and maybe not even VHS. One of my favorite movies is "Strangers When We Meet" (Kim Novak, Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rush, Walter Matthau); the book was written by Evan Hunter and, what do you know, it was only 30 yr. after 'Last Summer' came out that I find out "Last Summer' is based on a novel by Evan Hunter. Guess a leopard can't change his spots. You will not regret viewing this movie when on the tube or if available in some media format.

The summary is not meant to be a put down, just an apt description of Frank Perry's provocative, compelling and generally unsentimental coming-of-age film. Last Summer has allegorical overtones; the isolated island setting without adult supervision suggests Lord of the Flies. All the expected elements of a loss-of-innocence tale are here: sex, booze, pot, and homosexuality, but the atmosphere, acting and the dialog avoid clichés, even if the director indulges in a few. The four leads embody their roles superbly, and Thomas and Burns are particularly affecting. Burns received an Oscar nod for supporting actress. The feelings of power and powerlessness, isolation, and the herd mentality are persuasively rendered. Despite being released on VHS some years ago, this film has pretty much remained obscure. Worth seeing, and it holds up as well as 1969's Best Picture winner, Midnight Cowboy.