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Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) 7.7
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth. Director:Joseph L. Mankiewicz |
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Elizabeth Taylor | ... | ||
| Katharine Hepburn | ... | ||
| Montgomery Clift | ... | ||
| Albert Dekker | ... |
Dr. Lawrence J. Hockstader
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| Mercedes McCambridge | ... | ||
| Gary Raymond | ... | ||
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Mavis Villiers | ... | |
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Patricia Marmont | ... |
Nurse Benson
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Joan Young | ... | |
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Maria Britneva | ... |
Lucy
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Sheila Robbins | ... |
Dr. Hockstader's Secretary
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David Cameron | ... |
Young Blonde Interne
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
A wealthy harridan, Violet Venable, attempts to bribe Dr. Cukrowicz, a young psycho-surgeon from a New Orleans mental hospital that is desperately in need of funds, into lobotomizing her niece, Catherine Holly. Violet wants the operation performed in order to prevent Catherine from defiling the memory of her son, the poet Sebastian. Catherine has been babbling obscenely about Sebastian's mysterious death that she witnessed while on holiday together in Spain the previous summer. Written by alfiehitchie
Taglines:
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
22 December 1959 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
De repente en el verano See more »Box Office
Budget:
$3,000,000 (estimated)Company Credits
Production Co:
Columbia Pictures Corporation, Horizon Pictures (II), Academy Pictures Corporation See more »
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company contact information
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
One of the few classic films to address smoking as an addiction that can affect the mood or attitude of the smoker. See more »Goofs
At the films opening a title says, "1935" but the films hair, makeup and costumes are obviously 1959. See more »Quotes
Catherine Holly: [being sedated] Who was it that said we were all a bunch of kindergarteners trying to spell God's name with the wrong alphabet blocks?See more »
In 1930's New Orleans, a wealthy and eccentric older woman named Mrs. Venable (Katharine Hepburn), wants a surgeon (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on her niece (Elizabeth Taylor), for reasons that become clear toward the end of the film. This macabre Tennessee Williams story, with overlapping adult themes, must surely have been a shock to audiences in 1959. The film provides a great vehicle for the talents of both Hepburn whose acting is engaging, and Taylor whose performance is superb.
The Mankiewicz script is very talky. The characters of both Hepburn and Taylor engage in lengthy and at times tedious monologues. In all that talking, at least there are some really good lines. My favorite is near the beginning. In a nonchalant tone, Mrs. Venable tells us about the daily vicissitudes of Lady, the Venus flytrap that Mrs. Venable keeps in her garden. "Lady must be kept under glass, and while she is under glass, we have to provide her with flies, flown in at great expense." Priceless.
As one would expect for a film derived from a stage play, cinematography and music are less important than dialogue and acting. "Suddenly Last Summer" is worth viewing for its unusual story, and for the acting accomplishments of Hepburn and Taylor.