Film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955) German Blu-ray edition cover
In the 1950s, American audiences, especially female audiences, were obsessed with a genre of films known as "Hollywood melodrama." "Melodrama" is a narrative genre that combines drama and music in the precise sense, but is sometimes described only as a "popular romantic story".
Such melodrama often reacted to the conflict between women's professional and family responsibilities in the 1950s, but their arrangement of the fate of female characters was very progressive at the time. Although female characters are often still stereotyped (always beautiful and charming, of course), they are always the central characters of the story.
In the film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn arrives in Venice
Of course, in the story, the heroine with high moral integrity is always oppressed by the unfair social environment of bad morality or withdraws from the sadness of the key moments of love.
The director represented by this is Douglas Sirk (1897-1987), whose 1954 "Magic Obsession" and 1955's "Deep Lock spring house sorrow / All That Heaven Allows" are outstanding masterpieces in this regard, and also make Jane Wyman (1917-2007) outstanding in this regard. In middle age, they were reused by Hollywood again, which set off a group of middle-aged actresses who were invited back by Hollywood to shoot movies.
In the film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn is curious about everything about Venice
Summertime /Sunny Days Summertime (1955) is not the most famous of all the films made by British director David Lean (1908-1991), but he handles the love drama delicately, vividly and quite grippingly. At that time, David Lane had not yet produced such masterpieces as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) and Lawrence of Arabia of Arabia (1962).
SummerTime is based on Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) original play The Time of the Cuckoo by Arthur Laurents (1917-2011).
In the film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn sunbathes
For this film, Katharine Hepburn (1907-2003) and David Lane were nominated for the 1956 Academy Awards for Best Actress and Best Director, respectively.
Italian-born actor Rossano Brazzi (1916-1994) has the handsome appearance and romantic temperament characteristic of Italian men, and Catherine Hepburn's performance is impeccable, she is slim and slightly lonely, perfectly interpreting a bittersweet romantic experience in Venice of a middle-aged single, fantasistic American secretary.
On location of the film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), the cinematographer gives Katharine Hepburn a metering distance
"Summer Time" was filmed in Venice, with strong colors, carved galleries, and the scenery also had "shocking value". The director, cinematographer, heroine and audience seem to be shocked by the beauty. Many handheld photography scenes, can there be the influence of "Italian neorealism"? David Lane recalls filming at the time: "Shooting in Venice was expensive, but also because of the need to compensate local merchants, because the film crew scared away too many customers.
Catherine Hepburn interpreted this conservative old American maid rather sullenly. This sullenness is particularly tumultuous and albino in the Italian sun, and all kinds of avoidance and restraint seem to be nothing more than a desire to meet and refuse.
The film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955) is a cover for a Japanese video version
In "Summer Time", the single traveler played by Catherine Hepburn fully expresses her loneliness, loneliness, searching, helplessness, and longing when she unfolds with the plot, and when facing her lover, suspicion, temptation, consolation, joy, sweetness, satisfaction, entanglement, helplessness, panic and loss, and the difficult choices when breaking up, the inseparable, the desire to stop, and the courage to leave, all of which are thrilling.
Catherine Hepburn once said of her role: "She brings joy to everyone, but her heart is silently crying. "She used her mature acting skills to portray such a woman who maintained a love heart.
In the movie Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn drinks coffee
She revealed her inner longing with her eyes and penetrated the bitterness in her heart with her smile. This is a film that belongs entirely to Catherine Hepburn, but also to the beautiful city of Venice, and only in such a beautiful landscape can people believe in miracles.
Catherine Hepburn was 48 years old when she accepted David Lane's invitation to be the film's lead actress. Many film researchers believe that "Summer Time" is the favorite work of the film master David Lane. David Lane had told his friends that he was more involved in the film than any other film in the past.
In the film SummerTime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi
It can be seen how deep the position of this romantic and melodious romantic classic love drama occupies in his heart.
Under the Venetian sun, the air is full of the smell of love, and the lonely person is shameful, so a single old American woman who is so restrained and widowed is also unstoppable to meet a personable Italian handsome man - this is a classic Venetian encounter. The city of less than 8 square kilometers is interwoven with cobwebs of canals, which cut hundreds of small islands, and there are always countless stone arch bridges between the islands, and under the bridges there are constantly shuttles between the gondolas.
In the film SummerTime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Rossano Brazzi takes Katharine Hepburn on a tour of the sea
Since then, they have met in every corner, every trail, and every street café, as if everything was predestined. In fact, if it is not in Venice, if it is not in such a romantic urban atmosphere, what can such an encounter mean after all?
No wonder some people have long asserted that Venice is a water city designed for "lost", the winding water alleys are doubly stirred like water, all encounters are pre-covered with rose mist here, and people tacitly indulge, tolerate and indulge each other, like a dream floating on a spring water.
When Catherine Hepburn learns that Rossano Braz is married and has lied about previous relationships, her protective shell overcomes their happy flower-before-moon and romantic scenes.
The anger, loss and sadness caused by deception made her hard-open heart return to the previous closed state. But Rossano Braz's words awakened her: "You are expecting a handsome, rich, and preferably unmarried man, but unfortunately you are disappointed, I am just a small businessman in business, not handsome, rich, and married." But I'm a man, you're a woman... You have a voice in your head, be quiet, let it happen, I want it to happen. ”
The movie Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955) is an American DVD cover
In the face of Rosano Braz's bluntness, Catherine Hepburn was at a loss, her protective shell slowly faded, and her stubbornness slowly surrendered. I don't know if it was the scenery of Venice that gave birth to all this, or the electric flint at first sight. Why bother? Venice is so charming, and the sexual encounters of travel are also very beautiful.
The best of times always passed unconsciously, she was a passer-by in Venice, not a returnees, and on the return train that was already moving, she saw him galloping in the distance. He ran after the train, trying to hand over her favorite gardenia in his hand, and as the train pulled away, they reached out to each other's hands and made a sudden fold in the air and returned to their original position. There is no goodbye goodbye, and the afterscent of love is preserved.
Stills from the movie SummerTime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955).
The tragedy of Catherine Hepburn in the play stems from the character's own character weakness - cowardice. After staying in a small hotel in Venice, she quickly became acquainted with the hospitable lady of the innkeeper, but when the hostess invited her to a party, she refused.
Originally, a traveler came to a new place, and attending a local party was the best opportunity to learn about local life, but she refused for no reason, only because of her cowardly character. She is cowardly, always afraid of new things, often dwelling in her own little world, chewing on loneliness and desolation alone. She also craves friendship and love, but always within a safe range.
So, her only friend in Venice was a wandering local boy. This is the best proof of her character traits, because innocent little children are always safe and can be assured of bold interactions. Even in the process of interacting with Rossano Braz, we can see how her cowardly personality hinders her expression again and again, and if it were not for Rosano Braz's courageous progress, the love between them may always be in the cradle.
There are various obstacles to love, large and small time and space, ethnicity, door, personality, health, income, body, etc., any one of which can become a stumbling block to the progress of love.
However, the cowardly character that becomes a stumbling block to love is a major discovery of Summertime. This obstacle is so small and so powerful that it is so powerful that it is as crisp and clean as it is when it comes to destroying a hard-won love.
Life is precious, and love is equally precious. Summertime reminds us that some of life's major tragedies are caused by small factors. Some lovers can only cross each other in the end, and the story ends with a hint of regret.
Cover of the French special issue of the film Summertime/Sunny Days (1955).
David Lane had previously directed a similar work, Meet and Hate Eve Encounter (1945), while Italian director Vittorio De Sica (1901–1974) starred Montgomery Clift (1920–1966) and Jennifer Jones (1919–2009) starring Montgomery Clift (1920–1966) and Jennifer Jones (1919–2009). The Final Stop Stazione Termini (1953) is also a similar plot to SummerTime, and perhaps Europeans prefer this bleak and sad ending.
Location on the film Summertime/Sunny Days (1955), director David Rein David Lean next to a camera in the square
"Summer Time" also has similarities with Audrey Hepburn's (1929-1993) "Roman Holiday Roman Holiday" (1953), their stories are all set in Italy, both are depicted without endings, but if "Roman Holiday" has a comedic component, then "Summer Time" is full of faint sadness and melancholy, let people savor, endlessly evocative, the film photography is charming, interspersed with St. Mark's Church and squares, The Bridge of Sighs and many other scenic spots, the main theme of the song "Travel", which has been echoing continuously, is even more touching.
In the film Summertime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955), Katharine Hepburn sends a parting kiss
Catherine Hepburn specifically said of the film in her autobiography: "I think everyone is used to me playing independent women a lot, but in the real world, self-sufficient I am powerless against romance. When Summertime was filmed in Venice, I had the opportunity to work with a great director, David Lane, who had a talent for storytelling, and we had a great time working together on this film. ”
In the film Summertime/Sunny Hour (1955), it was this shot that made Katharine Hepburn's eyes burn through life
It is said that When Catherine Hepburn was filming "Summer Time", she had to fall into the Grand Canal of Venice due to the needs of the plot, and when filming the scene of falling off the Grand Canal, some dirty things entered Catherine Hepburn's eyes, causing her eyes to have inflammation throughout her life.
Someone once asked Katherine Hepburn why she kept crying in the movies. Catherine Hepburn explains: "In this film I have a scene of falling into a canal where the water of the Venetian canal is so polluted that my eyes are severely infected. I really shouldn't have insisted on playing on my own, it's stupid. ”
Poster for the Japanese version of the movie SummerTime/Sunny Days Summertime (1955).