Peppermint Friday Review #25: Suddenly Last Summer

This film is quite a serious one, as the story touches on some pretty hardcore issues and the acting talent is brilliant and an amazing story. Next week will have alot more structure to it, and it will be lighter and less serious, to balance it out a bit. 

This is the first time I'll be talking about Katharine Hepburn, which is much needed and the second time I'll be talking about a Tennessee Williams classic. The story is about Catherine Holly played by Elizabeth Taylor she has had a mental breakdown and was sent to an institution due to her cousin Sebastian who died under mysterious circumstances whilst on holiday. Sebastian's rich mother Violet Venable played by Katharine Hepburn denies her son's truth over what happened, and tries to bribe by getting them a new wing for the hospital. Dr Lawrence J Hockstader and Dr John Cukrowicz both played by Albert Dekker and Montgomery Clift to perform a lobotomy to Catherine.

There's a million and one things that happen in this story that just so juicy, but that would be ruining such a brilliant story and I can't do that to you guys. First of all this story is quite an adult based one as its very dark and deals with some quite serious issues. Elizabeth Taylor's acting performance in this is just beautiful, she delivers a woman who is struggling with the terms of her cousin's death, going through a mental breakdown and having her Aunt want her to have a lobotomy thinking that will make things better. 

Katharine Hepburn is fantastic, although it is slightly predictable as thats the kinda character she usually plays, the sharp tongued, outspoken sometimes bitter woman. She did do a very good job, despite thats the role she usually plays but that can't be helped. I've always been a big fan of Katharine Hepburn's voice and backstory in particular as she is very intriguing she came from a political family with a suffragette mother and her brother committed suicide when she was only 10, it had a real affect on her growing up into the woman she is. I find her quite sharp voice very interesting and brilliant to listen to as there wasn''t that many Actresses at that time who had that sort of voice. 

Montgomery Clift was brilliant at conjuring what happened, he was the audience in the story if you will, he was asking all the questions that we as the audience were asking as to what was going on, and what happen to Sebastian. This was during Montgomery's later career, when he was even more moodier and sensitive, Albert Dekker was brilliant even though I haven't seen him in that many things he was very good. Montgomery's facial expressions were just brilliant he delivers the words so perfectly its just off the cuff and no second thoughts about it they were said they way they needed to be said. 

The costumes of the film were brilliant if a little boring, but then again the costumes for a film like this shouldn't be stylish but Elizabeth Taylor's swimsuit was beautiful, and her dress it fitted with her character so well, as did Katharine Hepburn's it was stylish for the elderly and that sounds like a backhanded compliment, but I didn't mean it that way, if I dressed the way Katharine Hepburn dresses in this film when I'm that age I'll be a very happy girl. Although her hair has alot to be desired, but each to their own. 

I love the dynamic between Catherine and Violet as they are so unique characters in their own right. Catherine is so vulnerable and Violet is very hard faced and a part of me wants to say she's conservative, if thats how you describe someone. The differences between them as actresses is amazing, you already have the age difference and different styles of acting overall they both act upon instinct, but Katharine Hepburn has had a much more formal training that Elizabeth as she's been doing it since she was a little girl.

I just want to reiterate how impressed I was with Elizabeth's performance she was going through a really tough time in real life. Her husband Mike Todd had just died in an airplane accident, and she cleverly used her real life situation while explaining what happened last summer with Sebastian, Catherine's cousin. When she was telling Dr John Cukrowicz about what Sebastian did to her on the beach and what he made her wear last summer, it was just one of the most emotional pieces of dialogue and acting I ever saw. In her performance I could feel all her emotions and I just got her, and it was brilliant.

                                                                

This story is amazing and it is hard to get into at first as I can agree its not the easiest film to watch. But when you get into it and you will, you won't regret it It is quite an adult film in terms of themes but its amazing with brilliant actors and the brilliant dialogue. I will talk to you all later and have a lovely weekend. 

Review: Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

This week is gonna be a lot less harder than it was last week, not to say it won't be intellectual and insightful, as this film is just different in genres. Plus this is a film that I really want to talk about, and I haven't done talked about Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman in this detail before or ever really, so thats what we're gonna do. 

Its about a Southern couple Maggie 'The Cat' and Brick Pollitt played by Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, Brick is trying to reconnect to his athletic high school days and tragically injures his knee. The next day he and Maggie visit to celebrate Big Daddy's 65th Birthday who is played by Burt Ives. Brick and Maggie find out that Big Daddy has cancer and will die in a year, Maggie wants the large inheritance and encourages Brick to spend time with him to get in Big Daddys good books. Throughout the film its parallels of family struggle and relationship troubles.

I love Elizabeth Taylor as an Actress and of course a Fashion Icon, there is no doubt she looks absolutely gorgeous in this film. It got me thinking that if Maggie was a middle aged woman or just hideously ugly would people still like her? Elizabeth Taylor makes the role look so sexy and brilliant. Her character was so real in a way as she did things that were so childish and irrelevant to this relationship and she did things that were quite grown up and mature in a way, for instance she got quite jealous when Brick had a best friend called Skipper who got to spend more time with him, Skipper committed suicide and she wanted to ruin their relationship, which to me makes no sense and just a stupid thing for someone to do. She portrayed this character so brilliantly and with such instinct to the role. 

Paul Newman was brilliant, he portrayed a man who lost all his glory days and was deeply unhappy. Its funny because he had a beautiful wife who loved him but was a very selfish woman. I haven't seen Paul Newman in many films, so I can't comment on he as an Actor too much as I haven't seen him in many roles, but I will watch him in more films. Brick as a character was so depressing and just sad to watch, but he is a better person than Maggie even though they are both incredibly flawed. The thing is both of them annoyed me equally so I don't have a favorite out of either of them.

Minor characters that are mentioned like Big Daddy was very good and the typical terrifying father figure, who deep down has a real insecurity like Brick has. Characters like Big Mama, Mae Flynn especially Mae Flynn were so annoying it was like fingernails to a chalk board just her voice was so irritating. I can understand the family aspect that was very Southern, or stereotypical Southern family. Being very friendly, polite and courteous, but it was very deep Mississippi accent, and particularly the style. 

                                                         
It was originally a Play by Tennessee Williams, and as we all know the works of Tennessee Williams is always brilliant and discussed everywhere. This film is fantastic to watch and I feel the best of Elizabeth Taylor's acting talents. Definitely give this film a watch for brilliant acting performances and gorgeous scenery set in the deep south of America.