Last Summer (1969)

Set during a languid summer on Fire Island, three privileged bored white teenagers (Barbara Hershey, Bruce Davison, Richard Thomas) form a close knit bond. When an awkward teenage girl (Catherine Burns in an Oscar nominated performance) attempts to join in the group, it intensifies their cruel streak. Based on the novel by Evan Hunter and directed by Frank Perry (MOMMIE DEAREST). When a film drops out of the public eye for whatever reason (a rights problem, original negatives lost, poor quality of surviving prints, etc.), it often receives an aura of "missing masterpiece" that enhances its reputation. For over 30 years, LAST SUMMER was known as a lost film until a 16 millimeter print was found in 2001 and eventually a 35 millimeter print was discovered last year and now the film has been restored to its original sheen. So was it a lost "masterpiece"? No but it's still a very good film. It's an unpleasant film, intentionally so. Aimless, bored privileged white kids with a streak of superiority that manifests itself in cruelty. Richard Thomas's character appears to have a moral backbone but it's made of rubber as he gives in to the demands of Hershey's bitch and Davison's mindless narcissist. All of them are excellent but the film's moral center is Catherine Burns' outsider. She has one acclaimed scene, a monologue on her mother's death and while she aces it, I wish it weren't so obviously incorporated for our sympathy. Then again, Frank Perry was never known for his subtlety. With Conrad Bain and Ernesto Gonzalez.