The Long, Hot Summer - Blu-Ray

Movie: When Ben Quick (Paul Newman) comes to Frenchman`s Bend, Mississippi, it`s just asking for trouble. After all, the reputation of being an arsonist follows the mysterious drifter. Still, Ben is able to earn the respect of Will Varner (Orson Welles), who owns much of the small town. Varner recognizes in Ben a younger version of himself and finds in him the very qualities his own son Jody (Anthony Franciosa) lacks. So not only does he get Ben a job at his store and let him live in his house, he'd also like to see him as a son-in-law. But his daughter Clara (Joanne Woodward) is still too attached to her fiancé, the mama's boy Alan (Richard Anderson), which Varner wants to change. The more he gives Ben his affection and attention, the more jealous Jody becomes of the stranger. And so disaster is soon inevitable...

In The Long, Hot Summer, director Martin Ritt combined several short stories and a novel by William Faulkner into a Southern drama that is still gripping after five decades, and was considered downright scandalous at the time due to ambiguous dialogue and a sexual undertone. The film also attracted a lot of attention due to several turbulent stories from the filming, which were especially the work of Orson Welles. From today's point of view, much of this may not be entirely comprehensible, as the staging seems rather buttoned-up and somewhat old-fashioned by modern standards. But that doesn't mean the film doesn't still captivate and entertain.

From the great images captured by cinematographer Joseph LaShelle in Louisiana, to Paul Newman's Cannes award-winning performance, to the somewhat overstuffed screenplay, which somehow still makes for a well-rounded picture in the end, Martin Ritt has succeeded in making an entertaining Southern drama whose strengths clearly outweigh the weaknesses that are definitely present. Neither the 1965/66 26-part TV series, nor the 1985 remake in the form of a mini-series starring Don Johnson as Ben Quick can hold a candle to this version, even if they were able to take considerably more time to flesh out the characters and dramaturgy.

So if you've got a soft spot for classic Hollywood and bottom-line, old-school light drama entertainment, this remake of The Long, Hot Summer is definitely not to be missed.

Picture + Sound: Since the film is already over 50 years old, drop outs and light smudges in the picture and a rather meager sound have been quite to be expected. Apart from that, the technical realization of the film on the Blu-Ray but can fully convince. The image sharpness is on a high level and the colors are mixed very strong. Especially in the shots of the Louisiana landscape, which had to serve here as the Mississippi, the reworking of the image comes into its own very well. And for this there is then, especially with regard to the age of the film, a more than deserved: good!

Extras: In addition to the German and English trailer, the disc still has a nearly 22-minute documentary about the film to offer. In the documentary, which was filmed a few years ago for US TV in the series AMC Backstory, some of the actors, including Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, have their say and talk about the filming, which was not always easy due to Orson Welles' oversized ego, among other things. In addition, they explain why the film, which seems rather prudish from today's perspective, was a real scandal at the time due to its sexual undertone and some not exactly hidden ambiguities. A very nice addition to the film, which is completed by the original trailer, a short news report on the film's premiere and a booklet included with the disc.

Conclusion: The Long, Hot Summer is a drama that knows how to entertain perfectly, even after more than fifty years. Featuring a superb Paul Newman and his eventual partner Joanne Woodward, director Martin Ritt has managed to build a crackling atmosphere that seemed downright scandalous at the time and still works over five decades later. Technically well realized and equipped with a worth seeing documentary as a bonus, this Blu-Ray is a very clear recommendation for all lovers of classic Hollywood cinema!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp