The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

The Long Hot Summer is an engaging small town drama with a terrific cast.Orson Welles really was the stand out for me, as the patriarch and owner of the town. The film went up a notch every scene he was involved, meaning it did lack in other areas. The film isn't really about anything and the characters don't really grow or change at all, but I liked it.Will Varner: I was young myself once. I used to hide in the greenery and hoot and bellow. Clara: I'll bet you did. I'll bet you stayed longest and yelled loudest. Will Varner: Your mama listened. Clara: Mr. Quick, I am a human being. Do you know what that means? It means I set a price on myself: a high, high price. You may be surprised to know it, but I've got quite a lot to give. I've got things I've been saving up my whole life. Things like love and understanding and-and jokes and good times and good cooking. I'm prepared to be the Queen of Sheba for some lucky man, or at the very least the best wife that any man could hope for. Now, that's my human history and it's not going to be bought and sold and it's certainly not gonna be given away to any passin' stranger.Clara: You're too much like my father to suit me, and I'm an authority on him. Ben: He's a wonderful old man. Clara: One wolf recognizes another. Ben: Tame us. Make pets out of us. You could.

In 1956 actor Paul Newman established himself as someone with star potential when he was featured in SOMEBODY UP THERE LIKES ME. Two years later he found himself involved in this film, based on several William Faulkner stories. In addition to that Newman found himself involved with his co-star, Joanne Woodward, who he went on to marry and remain married to until his death in 2008.Newman stars as Ben Quick, a young man accused of barn burning and forced to leave his home. His reputation stems from the fact this was a favorite preoccupation his father had when angered at someone. Moving on Ben arrives in Frenchman's Bend, Mississippi, a town controlled and nearly all owned by wealthy Will Varner (Orson Welles).Varner is a hard man, disappointed in his children who seem to be following their own paths rather than what he'd like them to. Son Jody (Anthony Franciosa) would rather spend his days doing little and fooling around with his wife Eula (Lee Remick). Nothing he does pleases his father and any attempts he makes to do so seem to fail consistently.Then there is daughter Clara (Woodward). Uninterested in any of the businesses Will owns, she pursues her own dreams as a bookish style schoolteacher, unmarried and approaching spinsterhood at the ripe old age of 23. Clara has been dating Alan Stewart (Richard Anderson) for some time now, hoping he might make the decision to ask for her hand. As the film progresses we find out he has a reason not to, one subtly hinted at but controversial for the year 1958.Into this mix waltzes Ben. Self-assured, cocky and willing to do whatever it takes to move himself forward, he takes on a piece of property Will has that needs work. But in Ben Will sees a bit of himself, a man who takes action and wants to move up the ladder. Will may be a self-made man and wealthy but he will never be a part of the Southern aristocracy that comes from old money. In Ben he sees someone that could be a potential husband for Clara as well as someone to carry on his legacy. Of course this doesn't sit well with his real son Jody.Not only that, Clara has no interest in Ben either. At least outwardly. But he courts her, woos her and tries to get her to break down her defensive wall. It is this interplay between the two characters mixed with the forceful presence of Will and the maneuvering manipulations of Jody that brings out a dramatic tale that is enjoyable from start to finish.Directed by Martin Ritt (who would go on to direct Newman again in HUD and HOMBRE), you can feel the muggy warmth of the south oozing from the screen here. It just makes you sweat watching it. Newman offers an incredibly smooth performance here and Woodward shows that she his equal with her portrayal of Clara. Franciosa is a bit outmatched by these two and Remick is pretty much window dressing in the role of the town flirt. Welles comes off well in a role that calls for him to be pompous, forceful and caring at the same time.The movie is enjoyable to watch, one that somewhere along the line I've missed but was glad to finally get around to. Twilight Time has done their usual amazing job of offering this in a beautiful presentation in 1080p hi def. Extras include an isolated music track, Hollywood BACKSTORIES: THE LONG HOT SUMMER featurette on the making of the film, a Fox Movietone newsreel and the original theatrical trailer. As with all of their titles this one is limited to just 3,000 copies so if interested order one today.

Yes, this is another trip to "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" territory. Orson Welles is Will Varner, William Faulkner's version of Big Daddy, but this time, he has the rather frigid Joanne Woodward as his daughter, and Paul Newman (here much more sexually alive as Ben Quick than he was as Brick in that Tennessee Williams classic). Secondary couple Anthony Franciosa and Lee Remick play the Jack Carson/Madeline Sherwood parts, but are MUCH more likable. Drifter Newman arrives in town, having been accused of burning a barn nearby. Already, his name is known. He takes on Welles, who actually seems to like him in spite of his mistrust. Welles is desperate for a grandchild, and Newman seems to be a better studly match for Woodward than mama's boy Richard Anderson. There seems to be some homosexual undertones for Anderson's character who still lives with the seemingly overbearing Mabel Albertson (yes, Darrin's "Bewitched" mother, oh, those sick headaches). Of course, in 1958, it is not mentioned outright (as it wasn't as well in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"), but it's fairly obvious that there's something the handsome but closeted Anderson isn't revealing. While there isn't great chemistry on screen here consistently between Woodward and Newman (married in real life, and partners in quite a few films), they do heat up in a few moments. It is much more interesting to see the work between Newman and Welles. The heavyset patriarch seems at first that he'd never like someone like Ben Quick, but when Quick immediately stands up to him, he begins to consider him like the son he wish he had instead of weak Anthony Franciosa. Quick is soon working in his store, then moves into the Varner house, and finally is ordered by Will to marry his daughter. It seems that this Southern patriarch has no class dividers; He thinks that a studly man like Newman would keep his daughter satisfied and under his thumb as long as babies are being born. What he doesn't count on are two thing's: Franciosa's sudden twist of hate, and Newman's determination not to be controlled by a man he does admire, but would never let dominate him in the way he so obviously wants to. That makes for great drama.Unfortunately, the beautiful Angela Lansbury is wasted as Welles' gal pal; She has a few nice scenes in which she is excellent as always. She is also quite beautiful here, not the harpy of some of her MGM films and certainly not the monster mama of "Manchurian Candidate". Eight years later, she would win Broadway immortality as "Mame", and there are some hints of what she would do in that part here. The beautiful Joanne Woodward had come off her Oscar Winning work in "The Three Faces of Eve", and does fine, but her screen presence as a romantic heroine wasn't established yet. She seems to be one of those actresses more comfortable on stage than screen. She is also one of the few who seemed to get more beautiful as she got older, but it appears that she was being bred to be a new Grace Kelly since that actress had gone and left Hollywood to live with a man of some means in Monaco. When Woodward got films like "Rachel, Rachel" and "Summer Wishes, Summer Dreams", where she could really show her acting chops and not just be another beautiful Ice Princess, she was fantastic. She would have to wait until the studio years were fully done in Hollywood before she could command such roles.Newman, Welles, and Lee Remick get the most outstanding parts. Remick is another one who seemed to be another Grace Kelly on the rise, but here, she gets to be flirtatious even though married to Franciosa, who can't seem to tame her. A scene where local boys call for Remick while her entire family is present is very revealing of what this family is all about. The film is beautifully photographed and a lush musical score (including a lovely title song) adds to the luster of the movie.

A drifter comes into a Mississippi town and is taken under the wing of the town big shot in this drama based on multiple works of Faulkner. Newman is solid as an ambitious worker trying to escape his past. Welles steals the film in a wonderfully hammy performance as a larger-than-life character who rules over not only his two meek children but also the entire town. Franciosa is fine as Welles's wimpy son, but Woodward's performance seems somewhat wooden. Remick is given little to do except look pretty, which she does well. In the first of six films he made with Newman, Ritt creates an atmosphere befitting the title. The plot element concerning fire-starting is rather silly.