Between the Pages

The Long Hot Summer, made in 1958, was the first film (of seven) in which real life couple Paul Newman and Joanna Woodward starred together.  Newman is Ben Quick, a man who due to his reputation for being a barn-burner, is usually chased out of whatever town he has settled in.  When he arrives in a small Mississippi town, he quickly ingratiates himself with Will Varner (Orson Welles) one of the town’s richest and most influential men.  Varner’s son Jody (Tony Franciosa) is unhappy about it, because he feels that Quick is usurping him in the affections of his father.  Varner’s daughter Clara (Woodward) is also unhappy about it because she feels that Quick is unscrupulous and untrustworthy.  She’s correct, but dammit if he isn’t incredibly charismatic too – a problem that Clara inevitably finds herself having to deal with!

Newman is terrific as Ben Quick – he was an incredibly accomplished actor and really brings Quick to life, and there’s no denying that he also looked stunning.  Woodward too is excellent as Clara, who is torn between being independent, and fulfilling her father’s (and her own) desire to get married and settle down.  Real life couples don’t always work well together on screen, but these two do, and the chemistry between them is sizzling.  The rest of the cast is not always so successful. Franciosa was not always convincing as Jody (although Lee Remick was a delight as Jody’s flighty wife Eula), and Orson Welles was just over the top for me.

The story was entertaining, although it sometimes became melodramatic, due in part to the soundtrack (something I’ve noticed in other dramas from the 50s), and the film is occasionally unintentionally hilarious.  However, Newman and Woodward keep it all together and make the film worth watching (see it for their performances, if nothing else).  The film as a whole reminded me somewhat of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, another Newman film set in the South with similar themes of parental expectations and disillusionment.

Overall, not a brilliant film and not one I’d rush to see again, but it was enjoyable enough and worth a watch.

Year of release: 1958

Director: Martin Ritt

Producer: Jerry Wald

Writers: William Faulkner (short stories ‘Barn Burning’ and ‘The Spotted Horses’, book ‘The Hamlet), Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr.

Main cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Orson Welles, Lee Remick, Tony Franciosa, Angela Lansbury