The Long, Hot Summer

The Long Hot Summer is chiefly noted for the fact that Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward made their joint cinematic debut in this film. One of Hollywood's best personal and professional partnerships, Joanne had won a Best Actress Oscar for The Three Faces of Eve the year before and it took Paul thirty more years to match it for their mantelpiece in The Color of Money.

Based on some William Faulkner short stories, The Long Hot Summer commences when Joanne Woodward and Lee Remick, daughter and daughter-in-law of local patriarch Orson Welles give drifter Paul Newman a lift into town. Woodward's a repressed school teacher and Welles despairs of her finding a suitable match.

Because he started dirt poor and worked his way up to the top, Welles takes a liking to Newman and pushes, a little too hard for Newman and Woodward to team up. That's not sitting real well with Anthony Franciosa who is Welles's son and sees Newman displacing him in the family pecking order.

In fact my favorite in the film is Franciosa, he usually is in any film he's in. When he's on the screen, you don't pay attention to anyone else, not even Orson Welles.

Welles borrows a bit from Tennessee Williams's Big Daddy Pollitt from the Paul Newman film the year before, Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. His Will Varner though is a bit softer around the edges, also lends itself more easily to caricature. I think the creators of The Dukes of Hazzard used Welles in The Long Hot Summer as their model for Boss Hogg.

In fact it's interesting to see the contrast in The Long Hot Summer and Cat On a Hot Tin Roof. It's obvious to me that William Faulkner liked the people of Mississippi a whole lot more than the southerners that are in Tennessee Williams's work.

Almost fifty years later, The Long Hot Summer is still enjoyable viewing and still may be the best of Paul and Joanne's joint ventures.

...and loving it! This movie takes the best of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, SUMMER AND SMOKE, throws in more than a dollop of William Inge's PICNIC, borrows the basket auctioning bit from OKLAHOMA! and the digging-for-treasure-by-the-old-collapsing-house subplot from GOD'S LITTLE ACRE - hell, we even get a variation on the cotton gin burning from BABY DOLL - and somehow delivers an original and unforgettable entertainment, the kind of movie they truly don't make any more. Every member of the cast is superb, with Woodward being a standout and Lee Remmick being gorgeous. How audiences must have swooned in 1958! How many people left the theater thinking they had seen something truly naughty and adult! This film has great dialog, atmosphere to spare, stunning yet understated costumes by Adele Palmer, and gorgeous cinematography. This is all tied together by another fine Alex North score. Check out the scene - lasting no more that 45 seconds - when Newman and Woodward cross a small bridge to share a picnic lunch. This music cue is magical. Jerry Wald produced many high-class soap operas at Fox during the late 1950's, but this one is by far the best. Lansbury shines, Welles hams, and Newman takes his shirt off - what more could an audience ask for? A dreamy title tune crooned over the credits? You got it!

I've always loved a recording I have by Gordon MacRae of The Long Hot Summer, not knowing it was sung over the titles in this movie by Jimmie Rogers. Good songs always add to a movie I've always thought and this romantic drama gets a boost from this lovely melody. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward married either here or shortly after and went on to collaborate on many other movies. This must be one of the best although as I say, it is flawed. Mainly because Newman's Ben Quick couldn't really have taken on all the things he gets to do here in the space of just a few days.

Nevertheless I loved this movie and the stellar cast that included Lee Remick as Joanne's sister in law, Tony Franciosa as her disturbed brother, Orson Welles as their dominant bullying father, Angela Lansbury as Welles' girlfriend and Richard Anderson as Joanne's boy friend. Beautifully shot and superbly directed by Martin Ritt, the movies just sparkles thanks to these actors.

I saw this film again last night at an old-time movie palace, in an audience of about 2,000 people. The film, which I had seen before, was even more enjoyable then the previous times I had seen it on TV. For one thing, it has some very lovely and well executed uses of the CinemaScope frame. It shows both the dry openness of the landscape, as well as the lush extravagance of the plantation estate which belongs to Orson Welles' character. I'm not too familiar with Faulkner's stories, but the plot elements of this film flow together rather nicely, and there isn't really a dull moment in the whole picture. The only part which is still difficult for me to take, is the resolution of the conflict between Welles' and Franciosa's characters. That scene builds up to something in a matter of minutes, and then suddenly it's over. I could hear disappointment in some audience members in the theater as well, including one person who shouted "What the heck was that about?". This aside, it's still a worthwhile film to see, and the acting of Newman, Woodward, and Welles are standouts. There are also plenty of (probably unintentional) laughs to be had as well. One of the better soap opera-type films to come out of the late 1950s.

THE LONG, HOT SUMMER is one solid melodrama about tradition and family, which is based on some short stories by William Foulkner. One depressed, but confident drifter, who has a reputation of a arsonist, comes in a small town. The most powerful man in the town wants to try a young suspect. Thus, the rich man begins to respect the young man because of his determination. The young man understands job better than the rich man's reluctant son and it seems that he is the perfect opportunity for a rich man's daughter. However, desires of some of the protagonists will not match with hidden truths...

People will create a storm in a small and very hot town. This storm is full of greed, hate, lies and misunderstandings. The scenario is not bad. The sharp dialogues are tense and full of bitterness, contempt and sarcasm. Honesty is somewhat present, but it can not come to the fore. The atmosphere is constantly stretched through sexual charge and wild whim of individual protagonists.

The acting is good, but the chemistry between the main protagonists could have been a lot better.

Paul Newman as Ben Quick is determined and resourceful young man who will try to deceive members of one family in order to become the successor of wealth. His character is furious and disturbing. Real trouble in the city. However, he becomes a victim of his own manipulations and hidden vulnerabilities. Joanne Woodward as Clara Varner is an independent woman who is able to confront a brazen intruder and a vile old man. Her biggest weakness is "forlorn hope". It is difficult to deal with one's own own life ideals and the coming sexual attraction. Clara is the central figure in this film. Her performance is quite touching.

Orson Welles as Will Varner is a stubborn and vulgar local tycoon. Anthony Franciosa as Jody Varner is a weak son, who fought for his father's love. Lee Remick as Eula Varner is playful daughter in-law.

The last scenes are quite inconclusive. Birds of prey are quickly tamed and harnessed. They have to face the truth in crucial moments. Their confrontation was inevitable. However, melodramatic, generous and warm ending is a big flaw of this film.