Suddenly, Last Summer - Movie Review

The wealthy widow, Violet Venable has lost her only son Sebastian. While vacationing in Europe with his cousin Catherine Holly, Sebastian was murdered. Catherine witnessed the entire ordeal and has since slipped into madness, uttering incoherent rants for which Violet requests her to be lobotomized. It is up to Dr. Cukrowicz to agree to the procedure, but first he hopes to help Catherine come to terms with exactly what it was she saw which will also uncover the secret that Violet hopes to keep hidden.


Suddenly, Last Summer is originally a one-act play written by Tennessee Williams and is a monologue orated by Violet, so in order to turn this single person play into a full length feature film might seem tricky but director Joseph L. Mankiewicz and legendary screenplay writer Gore Vidal along with along with the original creator Tennessee Williams made the material transition from stage play to the silver screen in a smooth fashion, extending Dr. Cukrwicz’s involvement in the ordeal and expanding on Catherine’s character. The only issue that felt slightly forced was the growing romance between the Catherine and the doctor; it seemed out of place but Elizabeth Taylor was one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood back in 1959; I lost my breath a few times while watching this movie, so I’m sure Montgomery Clift didn’t object much.

As Violet, Katherine Hepburn turns in yet another memorable performance. Whenever she is onscreen she unleashes her talent upon the world and everyone else is just trying to keep up, even making everyone around her better actors. That year both Katherine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars for this film. Taylor does indeed shine as the emotionally vulnerable and mentally tortured Catherine while Montgomery Clift plays Dr. Cukrowicz with a granite-like expression as he acts powerfully with his mind and through his eyes throughout most of the film.

Suddenly, Last Summer is a powerful piece that keeps the mystery fresh, the tension high, and the audience engaged.