Review of Suddenly, Last Summer (2013) by Eyal D — 11 Apr 2014

Funny how from today's perspective such an old fashioned piece of high gloss melodrama must have seemed so ahead of its time back in 1959. Given that Tennessee Williams collaborated with Gore Vidal to adapt his own one act play, it's fascinating (if not shocking) that the topic of homosexuality, the very core of SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER, is conveyed most implicitly.

And yet the film can nonetheless be deemed so daring for its time. For this glossy, black & white cinematic 'presentation' of the play, the film has been honoured with such high end pedigree that it not only features three bona fide stars in the likes of Taylor, Hepburn and Clift but had scored Mankiewicz as its director, who at the time was a Hollywood visionary of the highest esteem, nearly a decade after his ALL ABOUT EVE scored Oscar Gold.

Truthfully though, SLS is not much more than a play delivered on the silver screen platter (not unlike many films from this period). Allowed to chew the scenery in their own special way, depending whom you ask, Hepburn outshines Taylor's typical (at times, hysterical) theatrics by being regal about every biting line that she spews out with carefully planted nuances.

This leaves Clift to be the only calm presence, with just enough subtlety to allow the film a dose of reality. And that's saying a lot here. Ultimately the film, even if shamelessly treacle, must be recognized for tackling such a hot-button, taboo topic and allowing a major studio to finance it using the best ensemble of talent to convey its message to a wide audience.