Last Summer

1969's LAST SUMMER is a Holy Grail for many film buffs.  A movie that is said only to exist anymore in a 16mm print, one that was found in Australia and very rarely played in revival houses.  Turner Classic Movies has a copy but it appears to be edited somewhat.  A few years back I happened to catch the uncut version on DVD, not officially released.  Brutal.  I'm not sure if it was the original version seen in theaters back when.  From what I'd read about this picture I think the version I saw was largely intact, and no less disturbing than what writer Eleanor and director Frank Perry may had originally committed to film. 

Fire Island, Long Island, New York.  We meet three youths frolicking away the summer while their parents throw dinner parties. Dan (Bruce Davison), Peter (Richard Thomas), and Sandy (Barbara Hershey). They are attractive and playful, and form a close bond, a clique.  They swig beer and marijuana and dare each other to reveal something unsavory about themselves.  They wash each others' hair and get this side of sexual.  Dan is hot to bed the brunette temptress.  Peter is more evasive, even shy in moments.  Sandy torments him by removing her top and asking him to help her with a computer dating questionnaire.   The film gives us scenes of listlessness and carefree moments, but also an increasing uncurrent of something sinister.

Then comes Rhoda (Catherine Burns), a slightly overweight, pale, and plain looking girl who represents a buzzkill for our beautiful trio.  Beautiful on the outside.  The dark hearts gradually reveal themselves first through pranks and belittlement, eventually leading to a brutal climax that is hard to watch no matter what edit you come across.  Perhaps an inevitable conclusion.  Along the way, the Perrys have set up a coming of age drama that often seems aimless but is always purposeful and truthful - the way the cool kids subtly and not so subtly seek to destroy that which is not cool.  The cruel, fascistic behavior of youthful privilege and brio.  There is much political and social subtext for the inclined. 

LAST SUMMER suffers some period tropes, like how that shampooing scene is edited.  Some shots and dialogue are downright cheesy.  But the actors are all fine, especially Burns in a difficult role that earned her an Oscar nomination.  A complex performance where she doesn't exactly play a martyr, and we may get as annoyed with her as do her new "friends".   The film is all but lost to time and neglect, but worth the effort to find, for it portrays an evil that potentially lurks in each of us with an uncomfortable clarity.  Many viewers will identity with all four characters at various times. 

Note: Warner Archives is releasing the uncut version on Blu-ray tomorrow.