Taglines: Suddenly, last summer, Cathy knew she was being used for something evil!.
Suddenly, Last Summer movie storyline. In 1937 New Orleans, Louisiana, Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift), working at the state run Lion’s View Mental Institution, is experimenting with a radical new treatment for hopeless cases of lunacy: lobotomy. Lion’s View is woefully underfunded, but a supposed savior comes forth in the form of the wealthy and aging widowed Mrs. Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn), the Venable name an institution in and of itself in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mrs. Venable had an extremely close bond with her poet son Sebastian (Julián Ugarte), with whom she vacationed every year, but who died the previous summer while on a European vacation with Mrs. Venable’s pretty niece by marriage, Catherine Holly (Dame Elizabeth Taylor). Mrs. Venable’s one million dollar donation to Lion’s View is seemingly predicated on Dr. Cukrowicz institutionalizing and lobotomizing Catherine, who Mrs. Venable states is mentally deranged.
Catherine, in meeting with Dr. Cukrowicz, states that she is not deranged, but that something is disturbing her from her vacation last summer with Sebastian. Catherine does not remember the specific incident which is causing her this grief. With pressure from Mrs. Venable (which is equally directed at Catherine’s mother in the form of one hundred thousand dollars to sign Catherine’s commitment papers), Dr. Cukrowicz has to decide to go forward with the operation against the vehement denials of lunacy by Catherine, or wait to try and find out exactly what happened last summer between Catherine and Sebastian.
Suddenly, Last Summer is a 1959 Southern Gothic mystery film based on the 1958 play of the same name by Tennessee Williams. The film was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and produced by Sam Spiegel from a screenplay by Gore Vidal and Williams with cinematography by Jack Hildyard and production design by Oliver Messel. The musical score was composed by Buxton Orr, using themes by Malcolm Arnold.
The plot centers on a young woman who, at the insistence of her wealthy aunt, is being evaluated by a psychiatric doctor to receive a lobotomy after witnessing the death of her cousin Sebastian Venable while travelling with him in Spain the previous summer.
The film stars Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, Gary Raymond, Mavis Villiers, Patricia Marmont, Joan Young, Maria Britneva and Sheila Robbins. The film was released on December 20, 1959 ir Los Angeles by Columbia Pictures.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, Gary Raymond, Mavis Villiers, Patricia Marmont, Joan Young, Maria Britneva, Sheila Robbins
Screenplay by: Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams
Production Design by: Oliver Messel
Cinematography by: Jack Hildyard
Film Editing by: William Hornbeck, Thomas Stanford
Costume Design by: Oliver Messel
Set Decoration by: Scott Slimon
Art Direction by: William Kellner
Music by: Buxton Orr, Malcolm Arnold (Themes)
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: December 20, 1959 (Los Angeles)
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