The Long, Hot Summer
A charismatic outsider unsettles a Mississippi dynasty when its domineering patriarch tries to turn him into the heir and husband his family needs.
Overview
A family's legacy hangs in the balance as new blood stirs old ambitions.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- sultry
- sardonic
- melancholic
- classic film night
- southern gothic double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly value the film's charged Southern atmosphere, strong performances, and adaptation of William Faulkner's family drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Will Varner attempts to choose Clara's husband and recruit Ben Quick as the heir who can perpetuate the Varner name.
Ben Quick arrives as a sharecropper under suspicion of arson, then becomes central to Will's plans for the family.
The Mississippi small-town setting, plantation wealth, sexual tension, and simmering resentments create a distinctly Southern Gothic atmosphere.
Clara's long relationship with Alan Stewart is pressured by Will's preference for Ben and by conventional expectations surrounding marriage.
Films like The Long, Hot Summer, and why
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Shared Southern family drama, patriarchal power struggle, sexual tension, and Paul Newman-led ensemble.
The Fugitive Kind
Shared Tennessee Williams-influenced atmosphere, class conflict, family dysfunction, and smoldering romantic drama.
The Chase
Shared small-town Southern setting, corrosive family ambition, and emotionally charged social pressure.
Movie Details
- Director
- Martin Ritt
- Release Date
- 1958-05-17
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (233)
Cast
- Paul Newman
- Joanne Woodward
- Anthony Franciosa
- Orson Welles
- Lee Remick
- Angela Lansbury
- Richard Anderson
- Sarah Marshall
- Mabel Albertson
- J. Pat O'Malley
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- FlixFling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Long, Hot Summer about?
- A charismatic outsider unsettles a Mississippi dynasty when its domineering patriarch tries to turn him into the heir and husband his family needs.
- What is The Long, Hot Summer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Long, Hot Summer as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Long, Hot Summer violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Long, Hot Summer as mild.
- What did critics think of The Long, Hot Summer?
- Critics broadly value the film's charged Southern atmosphere, strong performances, and adaptation of William Faulkner's family drama.
- Which films are like The Long, Hot Summer?
- Films with a similar feel include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Fugitive Kind, and The Chase.
- How long is The Long, Hot Summer?
- The Long, Hot Summer runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Long, Hot Summer?
- In United States, The Long, Hot Summer streams on FlixFling.
