Katharine Hepburn stars as Jane Hudson, an Ohio secretary on the verge of spinsterhood. Carefully saving her money, Jane takes an extended trip to Venice, half hoping to find the romance that has always eluded her. Luck of luck, she meets handsome Renato Di Rossi (Rossano Brazzi), who sweeps her off her feet. Jane's flight on Cloud Nine comes to a flaming crash when she learns that Renato is married and the father of a large family. Picking herself up and dusting herself off, Jane is determined
to keep her romance alive, and hang the consequences. She ultimately does what's best for everyone, and heads back to Ohio, wistfully clutching to the memory of the happiest summer of life. Gorgeously color-photographed on location by Jack Hildyard, Summertime was an adaptation of (and vast improvement upon) Arthur Laurents' play The Time of the Cuckoo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The challenge thus set of making Venice the moving force in propelling the play has been met by Mr. Lean as the director with magnificent feeling and skill.
The dialogue can be stagey and Venice is evoked at a tourist level, but it's beautifully photographed and Hepburn's loneliness and sadness look disquietingly real.
David Lean's restrained direction, Katharine Hepburn's nuanced turn as a spinsterish middle-aged secretary, and above all Venice's alluring sights compensate considerably for a plot that's borderline banal and schmaltzy.
Thanks to Hepburn's performance we can feel how this woman's past romantic disappointments have made a passionate affair seem so simultaneously appealing and frightening.
Fun Romantic film to watch. Great shots of Italy. and out of all the places in the united states ms. hepburn's charecter could be from, it happened to be from akron, Ohio.
Katherine Hepburn gives one of here finest performances in this very entertaining and touching film. The casting is perfect for the entire cast. Hepburn has such a tremendous understanding of her role, she's amazing. David Lean's direction is superb. The Venice setting is marvelous.
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