Remembering "The Long Hot Summer"
I'm not sure how popular this movie ever was, but it's been a sacred slice of life for me. I should probably first give this a little background. There was a movie theater in Harvard Square, Cambridge that used to show independent movies, cult classics, old & not so old movies. When I was about 18 I had a girlfriend (my first steady girlfriend) who wanted to see a movie being shown there. At the time "The Long Hot Summer" was already about a dozen years old. So, we indulged in a movie that was not only entertaining, but kind of fit where we were in our lives. I liked it, she loved it. It wreaked of romance. I think it was when I was in my 50's that I purchased the movie. Every year or two, usually when I'm alone and in the mood, I'll watch it again and remember what it was like to be so young.
The movie itself is based on a story/stories written by William Faulkner. He was a writer known for stories of the deep south. His stories were usually explicit punctuated with profanity, so the screenplay (which was very well written) did a little cleansing as well. Credit on the screen play goes to Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, but the main character (Ben Quick) is on the run (you'll have to find out why) and is intent on rebuilding his life and rising above his humble beginnings. He comes upon a small town in Mississippi and also gets slightly diverted. The diversion is played perfectly by Joanne Woodward, who would soon become co-star Paul Newman's wife. Yup, there was electricity there. BTW, Martin Ritt directed this work of art.
Well written, well acted and timeless, I hope anyone who hasn't seen it gets to see it and enjoy it half as much as I have.
There is a song which opens the movie, as Newman is hitching a ride aboard a barge, which grabs me and takes me right back to that little theater in Harvard Square. I don't think that style of music has ever been popular, but Iv'e become partial to that opening.
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