Taglines: They spent a summer of love – to the sounds of ‘Chicago’.
Summer Lovers movie 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.
Summer Lovers is a 1982 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Randal Kleiser and starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen. It was filmed on location on the island of Santorini, Greece. The original music score is composed by Basil Poledouris. Summer Lovers featured “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”, a No. 1 hit for Chicago, and “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters.
About the Story
Michael and Cathy, a young couple who have just graduated from college, have known each other about 10 years and have been together about half that time. They arrive on a nameless Greek island to spend two months for the summer of relaxing before going back to the real world. When they visit a nude beach crowded with other young tourists (a combination of American, British, French, German, Italian, Spanish, as well as Greek), they are hesitant at first but find themselves getting caught up in the uninhibited energy that surrounds them.
Cathy reads a book of sexual techniques, then ties Michael to the bed and drips candle wax on his chest that evening. Michael is very uncomfortable by her experiements. Cathy comments that everyone thinks she’s “such a Goody Two-Shoes” but she wants a little more adventure.
Michael, who says he has never been with another woman, keeps noticing Lina, a French archaeologist on temporary assignment at the nearby Akrotiri excavation. One day, at the beach without Cathy, he gets his chance to talk to Lina and ends up starting an affair with her. He then feels so guilty that Cathy immediately notices something is wrong, and he admits what he has done, insisting that he still loves Cathy.
Cathy is naturally disturbed by this, but tells him to “get it out of his system”, which he takes as permission to return to Lina. Cathy then goes to a local bar intending to sleep with another man as a way to get revenge against Michael for cheating on her. But in the end, she chickens out after getting picked up by an amorous local boy. When Michael comes home later after seeing Lina again, Cathy says she wants out of the relationship.
The next day, Cathy goes to Lina’s home to confront her. Lina assures Cathy that she does not intend to take Michael away from her, which seems to calm Cathy somewhat. Lina and Cathy end up spending several hours together getting acquainted, and talking, and find themselves fascinated by each other’s work; Lina’s archeology and Cathy’s photography.
Michael is confused when he learns that the two women are developing a friendship, but he quickly recovers and the three of them spend a few days gradually getting closer. Cathy knows Michael is still sleeping with Lina from time to time, but seems to accept it, although she says it would be difficult for her to see them in bed together. Nevertheless, she tolerates increasing signs of affection between Michael and Lina in her presence.
One evening, Cathy encourages Michael to kiss Lina. He gives Lina a light peck, but Cathy says it isn’t convincing. He gradually turns up the heat while watching Cathy intently for her reaction. He then kisses Cathy, checking to see how this makes Lina feel. The three end up spending the night together in bed. Lina moves in with them, and they continue enjoying the island paradise as a threesome.
Over the next several days, Michael, Cathy, and Lina enjoy their “household of three” and spending nights with all three of them having sex with each other. Just as the fantasy seems to be a total success, the natural complications of domestic life, like who does the laundry or dishes, come to the foreground. The three work through these problems, but then things come to a head when Cathy’s mother appears on a surprise visit and is shocked when she sees all three of them in a comprompising situation, which snaps everyone back to reality. Cathy tells her mother she’s never been happier in her life. Although Lina claims to be bad at relationships and prefers just “screwing”, the three actually seem to be falling in love all around.
Summer Lovers (1982)
Directed by: Randal Kleiser
Starring: Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valerie Quennessen, Barbara Rush, Carole Cook, Lydia Lenosi, Vladimiros Kiriakidis, Rika Dialyna, Janis Benjamin, Victor T. Salant
Screenplay by: Randal Kleiser
Production Design by: Bruce Weintraub
Cinematography by: Timothy Galfas
Film Editing by: Robert Gordon
Set Decoration by: Ann Coleman
Music by: Basil Poledouris
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Filmways
Release Date: July 16, 1982
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