Overview
A chilling exploration of memory and madness unfolds as a woman fights to reveal the truth behind her trauma.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- theatrical
- disturbing
- classic cinema night
- psychological drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly agreed that the film featured powerful performances and effective moments but was overextended, sluggish, and weakened by the effort to soften and expand the stage material.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Violet Venable attempts to secure Dr. Cukrowicz's agreement to lobotomize Catherine and suppress her testimony.
Sebastian's hidden sexuality and Catherine's revelations drive the family's efforts to control the story of his death.
Catherine's supposedly obscene, unstable account is investigated by Dr. Cukrowicz through recollection and competing family claims.
The Spanish vacation setting and its ominous natural imagery intensify the film's atmosphere of menace and repressed violence.
Films like Suddenly, Last Summer, and why
The Night of the Iguana
psychological melodrama, repressed sexuality, and theatrical confrontations within a dysfunctional family
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
tennessee williams adaptation with claustrophobic emotional conflict, sexual repression, and damaged characters
The Innocents
gothic psychological mystery centered on memory, family secrets, and a potentially coerced medical intervention
The Servant
stylized psychological drama about concealed desire, social judgment, and an enigmatic death
Movie Details
- Director
- Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Release Date
- 1959-12-22
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (326)
Cast
- Elizabeth Taylor
- Katharine Hepburn
- Montgomery Clift
- Albert Dekker
- Mercedes McCambridge
- Gary Raymond
- Mavis Villiers
- Patricia Marmont
- Joan Young
- Maria Britneva
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- YouTube TV
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Suddenly, Last Summer about?
- A young psychiatrist must determine whether a traumatized heiress is insane or being silenced by her powerful aunt's shameful family secret.
- What is Suddenly, Last Summer like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Suddenly, Last Summer as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Suddenly, Last Summer violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Suddenly, Last Summer as moderate.
- What did critics think of Suddenly, Last Summer?
- Critics broadly agreed that the film featured powerful performances and effective moments but was overextended, sluggish, and weakened by the effort to soften and expand the stage material.
- Which films are like Suddenly, Last Summer?
- Films with a similar feel include The Night of the Iguana, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Innocents, and The Servant.
- How long is Suddenly, Last Summer?
- Suddenly, Last Summer runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Suddenly, Last Summer?
- In United States, Suddenly, Last Summer streams on YouTube TV.
