The Long, Hot Summer

The Long, Hot Summer is a 1958 American drama film starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa and Orson Welles.It was directed by Martin Ritt, with a screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., based in part on three works by William Faulkner: the 1931 novella "Spotted Horses", the 1939 short story "Barn Burning" and the 1940 novel The Hamlet.Some characters, as well as tone, were inspired by Tennessee Williams' 1955 play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a film adaptation of which – also starring Newman – was released 5 months later.Will is also disappointed that his 23-year-old daughter, Clara, has not married the man she has been seeing for five or six years: Alan Stewart, a genteel Southern "blue blood" and a mama's boy.Ben talks his way out by telling Jody about buried Civil War-era treasure he has supposedly found on a property that Will gave him, a down payment to seal their bargain over Clara.[8][9] The supporting roles were played by: Producer Jerry Wald hired former co-worker and Warner Brothers director Martin Ritt to shoot the adaptation of two William Faulkner novels based on a recommendation by script writer Irving Ravetch.[17] The final product was heavily influenced by Tennessee Williams' play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,[6] resulting in an "erotically charged" story.[27] On another review, Billboard favored the album, stating that it "makes for good listening out of the cinematic context" and that the financial success of the soundtrack may have been propelled by Jimmie Rodgers' "smooth vocal treatment".[27] Meanwhile, The Reporter highlighted the film's similarities to the play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and described the cast as "an impressive one", but remarked that the actors and characters "never seem to get together".[36] For The New York Times, critic Bosley Crowther noted Ravetch and Frank's "tight, word-cracking" script that featured fast-paced scenes with "slashing dialogue".The reviewer felt that the cast was "clicking nicely" until the story of the writers "plunged" from the dramatic scenes to "sheer story-telling make-believe", while Crowther concluded that it went from "superb" to a "senseless, flabby heap".While critic Phillip K. Scheuer failed to see the plot's relation to The Hamlet, he praised the work of writers Ravetch and Frank, as well as the "exacting direction" of Ritt.Scheuer perceived the southern accents of the cast and the use of redness on their make-up to be unauthentic, but he felt that the use of the Louisiana landscapes and the development of the characters gave the film a "comulative bite" and a "powerful persuader" that "you are there".[40] Also in Memphis, The Commercial Appeal defined The Long, Hot Summer as a "sizzler", that showed a "superior" performance by Woodward, as well as a "stellar" cast.The piece determined that the "tempestuous, earthy" plotline would not be suitable for the "immature", rather for the "adult" that would find it to be a "dynamic drama" for the "swirling turbulence" of the Varner family and the "frank omnipresence of sex".[47] Paul Newman's performance as Ben Quick brought him national fame,[48] as well as the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.[49] A television series of the same name aired between 1965 and 1966, featuring Dan O'Herlihy, Roy Thinnes, Nancy Malone, Lana Wood, Ruth Roman, and Edmond O'Brien.
Ben Quick talks to Clara Varner. On the left is Agnes.
Eula and Jody
Orson Welles as Will Varner
Publicity portrait for the film, featuring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
Advertisement from 1958
Long Hot Summer (disambiguation)Martin RittIrving RavetchHarriet Frank Jr.William FaulknerJerry WaldPaul NewmanJoanne WoodwardAnthony FranciosaOrson WellesLee RemickAngela LansburyJoseph LaShelleLouis R. LoefflerAlex North20th Century FoxSpotted HorsesBarn BurningThe HamletTennessee WilliamsCat on a Hot Tin Roofa film adaptationClinton, LouisianaActors StudioElia KazanWarner Bros.music scoreSammy CahnJimmie RodgersblacklistedBest Actor AwardCannes Film Festivalbarn-burningsharecroppermama's boygeneral storeCivil WarWarner BrothersRichard AndersonSarah MarshallMabel AlbertsonJ. Pat O'MalleyWilliam "Bill" WalkerFrancis SibleyThe Sound and the FuryWilliam ShakespeareHarriet Frank, Jr.Baton Rouge, LouisianaCinemaScope colorSouthern GothicSoundtrack albumLionel NewmanRoulette RecordsAABA formBillboarddeep SouthThe ReporterMoby DickVarietyCosmopolitanThe New York TimesBosley CrowtherLos Angeles TimesThe Miami HeraldThe Memphis Press-ScimitarThe Commercial AppealAustin American-StatesmanNew York Daily NewsChicago TribuneThe Boston GlobeThe Cincinnati Enquirerblacklisttelevision series of the same nameDan O'HerlihyRoy ThinnesNancy MaloneLana WoodRuth RomanEdmond O'Brienremade for televisionJason RobardsDon JohnsonCybill ShepherdList of American films of 1958Archive.orgAFI Catalog of Feature FilmsTCM Movie DatabaseEdge of the CityNo Down PaymentThe Black OrchidFive Branded WomenParis BluesHemingway's Adventures of a Young ManThe OutrageThe Spy Who Came In from the ColdHombreThe BrotherhoodThe Molly MaguiresThe Great White HopeSounderPete 'n' TillieConrackThe FrontCasey's ShadowNorma RaeBack RoadsCross CreekMurphy's RomanceStanley & IrisThe Long Hot SummerThe ArsonistBurningaccoladesThe Long, Hot Summer