The Long, Hot Summer
The Long, Hot Summer is a
1958 film directed by
Martin Ritt, starring
Orson Wells,
Paul Newman and
Joanne Woodward. The film is based on stories by
William Faulkner, primarily "
The Hamlet".
Ben Quick (Newman) hitches a ride to Frenchman's Bend, MS, from Clara (Woodward) and Eula Varner (
Lee Remick). Clara's father and Eula's father-in-law is Will Varner (Welles), the domineering owner of most of the town. Will sees in the brash newcomer a younger version of himself, ruthless and ambitious. These qualities are sadly lacking in his son Jody (
Tony Franciosa). He is also disappointed with his schoolteacher daughter; Clara's boyfriend, Alan Stewart (
Richard Anderson), is a mamma's boy, not the kind of son-in-law Will wants. He schemes to bring his daughter and Quick together, to try to bring fresh, virile blood into the family. She however is (seemingly) unimpressed with the crude, if magnetic upstart. On the other hand, he sees something in her beyond the money and power Will offers. Meanwhile, widower Will's longtime mistress, Minnie Littlejohn (
Angela Lansbury), is dissatisfied with her situation. All these strained relationships come to a boil in the long, hot summer.
*It was filmed on location in Louisiana.
*Newman and Woodward were married after the completion of the movie.
*It was remade for TV in 1985, with
Jason Robards,
Don Johnson and
Cybill Shepherd (in the role of Eula). It received two Emmy nominations, for Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special.
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