Suddenly, Last Summer

Play trailer

Suddenly, Last Summer

1959

1h 54m

Drama

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

22 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, young socialite Catherine Holly (Elizabeth Taylor) is traumatized and committed after witnessing her cousin's violent death on a trip to Europe. Her aunt, Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn), wants to hide the events of her son's death and attempts to bribe young surgeon Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on Catherine. But John vows to find out the truth about Catherine's state before taking any action.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Kim Newman

Empire Magazine

Mar 23, 2011

4/5

Superbly adapted with blistering performances from Taylor and Hepburn.

Go to Full Review

TIME Magazine

Mar 23, 2011

The main trouble with the picture is not its subject or its style, but its length.

Go to Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Mar 23, 2011

The cast packs enough sexual ambiguity to satisfy the most rabid Williams fan (not to mention a screenplay by Gore Vidal), but Mankiewicz leaves much of the innuendo unexplored -- thankfully, perhaps.

Go to Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 11, 2021

3/4

Madness, homosexuality and cannibalism were just some of the ingredients that turned the picture into a cause celebre, with the end result alternating between stately serenity and outright hysteria.

Go to Full Review

Robert Hatch

The Nation

Jul 27, 2021

[Mankiewicz] has turned out a polished film, and one that deals boldly with the ugly theme, but he has certainly not wasted any subtlety on the job.

Go to Full Review

Augusto Martínez Torres

El Pais (Spain)

Aug 8, 2019

This is the best film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' oeuvre. A prodigious work from Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, and Elizabeth Taylor. This is one of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's best films. [Full Review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

j F

@LiberteBurrows May 3, 2026

Good, but not enjoyable

See more

Kalissa H.

@kali_416 Mar 20, 2026

Descent movie with good performances.

See more

John S

@RT40486670 Nov 22, 2025

The performances are HUGE. It's not a great movie but "Wow"!

See more

Ed .

@RT01276001 Aug 29, 2025

"Touching" story by TN Williams, elongated thanks to GO Vidal, that really tore me to pieces. Highly enjoyable despite some gaping holes and obvious questions, such as: How dumb and blind could Violet be? Surely, any empty headed sybarite such as Wallis Simpson would have caught on to Sebastian's modus operandi? Surely, Vi's sexual magnetism attracting males under 21 must have waned years earlier than just the most previous summer? How different would this story have turned out had Sebastian invited George along instead of Catherine? Or, if Sebastian's keen interests lie in young girls instead of the boys in the tin band? If offered today, it would be cancelled before opening day.

See more

Alec B

@Alec97 Aug 24, 2025

You can scarcely believe what your watching here and yet the movie is still hypnotic in a strange way. At a certain point you have to accept the hysterical pop psychology or simply turn it off.

See more

Dave S

@RT68722908 Nov 20, 2024

Despite same glaring flaws, Suddenly, Last Summer is a searing study of mental illness. Captive in a psychiatric hospital since witnessing the death of her cousin the previous summer, Catherine (Elizabeth Taylor) discovers that she is a candidate for a lobotomy, arranged by her aunt (Katharine Hepburn) to suppress the truth about her deceased son. Based on a play by Tennessee Williams, the movie is filled with an excessive amount of dialogue, eschewing potentially impactful visuals in favor of needless verbiage. The film is also filled with a handful of wildly overwrought scenes, including the insanely melodramatic piece where Hepburn’s character tells of the hatching of the sea turtles. Despite these shortcomings, Taylor gives a memorable performance, the story is intriguing, and the finale is sure to stay with the viewer long after the credits have rolled.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Director

Elizabeth Taylor

Catherine Holly

Montgomery Clift

Dr. Cukrowicz

Katharine Hepburn

Mrs. Venable

Albert Dekker

Dr. Hockstader

Mercedes McCambridge

Mrs. Holly

The Young Philadelphians

71%

80%

The Young Philadelphians

Watchlist

The Children's Hour

80%

84%

The Children's Hour

Watchlist

The Night of the Iguana

75%

85%

The Night of the Iguana

Watchlist

On the Waterfront

99%

95%

On the Waterfront

Watchlist

TRAILER

for On the Waterfront

Advise and Consent

79%

88%

Advise and Consent

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

In this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, young socialite Catherine Holly (Elizabeth Taylor) is traumatized and committed after witnessing her cousin's violent death on a trip to Europe. Her aunt, Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn), wants to hide the events of her son's death and attempts to bribe young surgeon Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift) to perform a lobotomy on Catherine. But John vows to find out the truth about Catherine's state before taking any action.

Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Producer: Sam Spiegel
Screenwriter: Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Horizon Films, Columbia Pictures Corporation
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1959, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 14, 2014
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: Mono, Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Flat (1.85:1)

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings