Summertime (1955)
Katharine Hepburn was nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for the sixth time for her role in Summertime. In short, it’s a summer romance between a middle-aged straight-laced American spinster and a hot-blooded Italian. After all, the only circumstances in which a woman would even think of becoming involved with a foreigner would be when she’s in a foreign land surrounded by foreigners and no one back home could find out, right? Even from the premise, I found the story a bit politically incorrect, and as the film progressed, I found it more stereotypical than entertaining.
Kate the spinster starts out taking a timid vacation in Venice. She doesn’t let her hair down until she meets Rossano Brazzi, a kind, handsome, respectful shop owner. He doesn’t paw her or ogle her as the other Italians have, and she’s drawn to him. Then, of course, when the romance starts, his passionate nature—because he’s an Italian, you know—inspires her own hidden passion. In this Italian vacation, infidelity runs rampant, and the cultural differences are pounded into the audience’s head. There’s a little street urchin who harasses the tourists and tries to scam them out of their money, a character that puts the icing on the cake that isn’t particularly respectful to the Italian nationality.
If you love movies that show off on-location scenery, there are lots of other films that you can watch. Try Three Coins in the Fountain or A Room with a View for glorious Italian surroundings. Yes, Summertime was filmed in Italy, but the most entertaining souvenir that was picked up was Katharine Hepburn’s lifelong eye infection after falling into the filthy canals during filming.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!
Kate the spinster starts out taking a timid vacation in Venice. She doesn’t let her hair down until she meets Rossano Brazzi, a kind, handsome, respectful shop owner. He doesn’t paw her or ogle her as the other Italians have, and she’s drawn to him. Then, of course, when the romance starts, his passionate nature—because he’s an Italian, you know—inspires her own hidden passion. In this Italian vacation, infidelity runs rampant, and the cultural differences are pounded into the audience’s head. There’s a little street urchin who harasses the tourists and tries to scam them out of their money, a character that puts the icing on the cake that isn’t particularly respectful to the Italian nationality.
If you love movies that show off on-location scenery, there are lots of other films that you can watch. Try Three Coins in the Fountain or A Room with a View for glorious Italian surroundings. Yes, Summertime was filmed in Italy, but the most entertaining souvenir that was picked up was Katharine Hepburn’s lifelong eye infection after falling into the filthy canals during filming.
Want to watch it? Click here to watch it on ok.ru. And thanks "Classic Cinema Central Seleus B" for posting!
More Katharine Hepburn movies here!