Rent Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
3.7 of 5 from 107 ratings
1h 50min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Beautiful Catherine Holly (Elizabeth Taylor) is committed to a mental institution after witnessing the strange and horrible death of her cousin. Catherine's aunt, Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn) tries to influence Dr. Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift), a young neurosurgeon, to surgically end Catherine's haunting hallucinations. By utilising injections of Sodium Pentothal, Dr. Cukrowicz discovers that Catherine's delusions are in fact true. He then must confront Violet about her own involvement in her son's lurid death...
- Actors:
- Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Albert Dekker, Mercedes McCambridge, Gary Raymond, Mavis Villiers, Patricia Marmont, Joan Young, Maria Britneva, Sheila Robbins, David Cameron, Erik Chitty, Grace Denbigh Russell, Brenda Dunrich, Eddie Fisher, Anthony Lang, Aileen Lewis, Frank Merlo, Sheila Raynor
- Directors:
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Producers:
- Sam Spiegel
- Writers:
- Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal
- Others:
- Oliver Messel, William Kellner, Scot Slimon
- Studio:
- Columbia Tristar
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, Acting Up: British Actresses at the Oscars, Oscar's Two-Time Club, Remembering Maggie Smith, Top 10 Films of 1959
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 30/04/2018
- Run Time:
- 115 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 1.0, English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- Joseph L Mankiewicz Interview (1990, 10 mins): the renowned filmmaker discusses his career in a segment from the French TV series Cinema cinemas
- Elizabeth Taylor on Montgomery Clift (1966, 2 mins): the celebrated actress pays tribute to her friend and co-star in an interview conducted shortly after his tragic death in July 1966
- Gary Raymond on 'Suddenly, Last Summer' (2018, 6 mins): a new interview with the versatile British actor
- About Last Summer (2018, 16 mins): second assistant editor John Crome shares his experience of making Suddenly, Last Summer
- Remembering Last Summer (2018, 3 mins): continuity supervisor Elaine Schreyeck recalls working with Mankiewicz, Hepburn and Clift
- The Predator and the Prey (2017, 26 mins): critic and film historian Michel Ciment examines the film's production and explores its complex themes and concerns
- Isolated music and effects track
- Original theatrical trailer
- Trailer commentary with Dan Ireland (2013, 3 mins): a short critical appreciation
- Image gallery: on-set photography, publicity stills and promotional materials
- UK premiere on Blu-ray
More like Suddenly, Last Summer
Found in these customers lists
Reviews (1) of Suddenly, Last Summer
A cinema triumvirate - Suddenly, Last Summer review by RhysH
Taylor, Hepburn and Clift take it turns to dominate a scene.
Elizabeth Taylor cannot help looking glamorous even in those scenes in which she is suppose to be dowdy and when she is allowed to wear a "nice" dress she looks fabulous. She gives a nuanced performance and excels in the final speeches of the Tennessee Williams play. The speeches could have stood on their own without the background flashbacks.
Katherine Hepburn's voice oozes charm and vitriol, often in the same sentence.
it is said that Montgomery Clift had some difficulty completing the longer scenes. He had a car crash three years earlier and had some dependency on painkillers and alcohol. Sometimes the joins in scenes are clearly visible with Clift, in close up, repeating the line of another character or simply saying "go on". It is a great, understated, troubled performance.
Did Hepburn really spit in the face of the director Mankiewicz at the end of the film because of his treatment of Clift?
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.