The Long, Hot Summer

~ The people of Faulkner...the language of Faulkner...the world of Faulkner! ~

Overview:

Accused barn burner and conman Ben Quick arrives in a small Mississippi town and quickly ingratiates himself with its richest family, the Varners.

Director:

Martin Ritt

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$0.00

Key words:

small town
based on novel or book
arranged marriage
host family
family relationships
sexual tension
arson
class differences
false accusations
arsonist
sexual repression
overbearing father
stranger
based on short story
sharecropper
general store
father son conflict
summertime
father son relationship
father daughter relationship
southern gothic
seducer
charming man

Cast

Paul Newman

~ as ~

Ben Quick

Joanne Woodward

~ as ~

Clara Varner

Anthony Franciosa

~ as ~

Jody Varner

Orson Welles

~ as ~

Will Varner

Lee Remick

~ as ~

Eula Varner

Angela Lansbury

~ as ~

Minnie Littlejohn

Richard Anderson

~ as ~

Alan Stewart

Sarah Marshall

~ as ~

Agnes Stewart

Mabel Albertson

~ as ~

Elizabeth Stewart

J. Pat O'Malley

~ as ~

Ratliff

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
7
This reminded me a little of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1954) with Paul Newman playing the roguish "Quick" who arrives in a small town, dominated by the "Varner" family and quickly tries to ingratiate himself into their wealthy ways. They, indeed the whole town, are dominated by the patriarchal "Will" (Orson Welles) who seems determined that his daughter "Clara" (Joanne Woodward) will marry local dullard "Stewart" (Richard Anderson). She, on the other hand, takes an instant shine to the newcomer and when brother, and general loafer, "Jody" (Anthony Franciosa) starts to feel a little threatened by this man who is seemingly of much more interest to his father than he is, things start to become a little tense around the place - to say the least. It's a small point, but the audio from Welles isn't the best and sometimes its quite difficult to make out what he's saying, but as the family dynamic becomes more strained and the backstory fills in a tale of a group of people for whom it's really only money that has become the thing that matters now - we end up with a characterful study of avarice and ambition tempered with some dark humour and an increasingly engaging effort from Welles and a smouldering - if maybe a little too predictable - chemistry from Woodward and Newman. It can be a bit wordy at times, but Martin Ritt keeps the pace even and taut as these folks evolve before us. It's not as intense as it might be, but it's still an easy two hours looking at the less salubrious side of human nature.