David Lean was, and still is, a wonderful director, one of my personal favourites. Summertime may not be one of his very best but it is still a very good film.
All of the films seen so far from him (Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, Great Expectations, Brief Encounter, Oliver Twist, Hobson's Choice, In Which We Serve, Summertime, Doctor Zhivago, Ryan's Daughter, A Passage to India and Blithe Spirit), in order of preference) have ranged from very good to outstanding, and Summertime is around the middle of those films.
There is very little to dislike here, the story is a bit thin and a little slow in places and the secondary cast, while good still, don't have a lot to do and do feel very secondary. The ending is also a touch abrupt. However, there are two main reasons to see Summertime. One is Katharine Hepburn, initially it does seem like unlikely casting but seeing the film it turned out to be inspired casting, in a sensitively vulnerable, poignant and very charming portrayal it is to me among her better performances from the middle of her very long career. The other reason is the scenery of Venice itself, it is simply gorgeous, aided by Jack Hildyard's fabulously sumptuous cinematography and quite rightly treated like a character itself.
On top of being so visually pleasing, it is very sensitively directed by Lean and the music is remarkably evocative and pleasing on the ear. Summertime is also a very well-written film, with some sparkling, witty moments and a lot of nuanced poignancy, and while the story could have easily been nothing special it has so much sweetness, charm and nuance that elevate it to a greater level. The ending, while a little abrupt, is also exciting and poignant with a Brief Encounter influence, while the touch with the flower is remarkably tender and the romantic chemistry between Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi is very sweet.
Brazzi has been known to be wooden, but he is far from it here, instead he brings suavity and charm to a smarmy character. The characters may not be the most sympathetic or well-developed in the world, but they're so well played it doesn't hinder the film at all. There have been films where the lack of likable characters has been a problem, but these characters were never supposed to be, at least they don't do anything stupid, are over-acted or underplayed to the point of their acting being non-existent or have irritating personalities or voices, so in this case this criticism is not a fair one.
In conclusion, while not one of Lean's best Summertime is still a very good film, that has Hepburn's performance and the beauty of Venice as its prime attractions. 8/10 Bethany Cox
All of the films seen so far from him (Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai, Great Expectations, Brief Encounter, Oliver Twist, Hobson's Choice, In Which We Serve, Summertime, Doctor Zhivago, Ryan's Daughter, A Passage to India and Blithe Spirit), in order of preference) have ranged from very good to outstanding, and Summertime is around the middle of those films.
There is very little to dislike here, the story is a bit thin and a little slow in places and the secondary cast, while good still, don't have a lot to do and do feel very secondary. The ending is also a touch abrupt. However, there are two main reasons to see Summertime. One is Katharine Hepburn, initially it does seem like unlikely casting but seeing the film it turned out to be inspired casting, in a sensitively vulnerable, poignant and very charming portrayal it is to me among her better performances from the middle of her very long career. The other reason is the scenery of Venice itself, it is simply gorgeous, aided by Jack Hildyard's fabulously sumptuous cinematography and quite rightly treated like a character itself.
On top of being so visually pleasing, it is very sensitively directed by Lean and the music is remarkably evocative and pleasing on the ear. Summertime is also a very well-written film, with some sparkling, witty moments and a lot of nuanced poignancy, and while the story could have easily been nothing special it has so much sweetness, charm and nuance that elevate it to a greater level. The ending, while a little abrupt, is also exciting and poignant with a Brief Encounter influence, while the touch with the flower is remarkably tender and the romantic chemistry between Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi is very sweet.
Brazzi has been known to be wooden, but he is far from it here, instead he brings suavity and charm to a smarmy character. The characters may not be the most sympathetic or well-developed in the world, but they're so well played it doesn't hinder the film at all. There have been films where the lack of likable characters has been a problem, but these characters were never supposed to be, at least they don't do anything stupid, are over-acted or underplayed to the point of their acting being non-existent or have irritating personalities or voices, so in this case this criticism is not a fair one.
In conclusion, while not one of Lean's best Summertime is still a very good film, that has Hepburn's performance and the beauty of Venice as its prime attractions. 8/10 Bethany Cox