An American spinster's dream of romance finally becomes a bittersweet reality when she meets a handsome--but married--Italian man while vacationing in Venice.An American spinster's dream of romance finally becomes a bittersweet reality when she meets a handsome--but married--Italian man while vacationing in Venice.An American spinster's dream of romance finally becomes a bittersweet reality when she meets a handsome--but married--Italian man while vacationing in Venice.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 2 wins & 5 nominations total
David Lean
- Man at Café
- (unconfirmed)
- (uncredited)
Tanya Lopert
- Teenage Girl
- (uncredited)
André Morell
- Englishman
- (uncredited)
Angelo Puppin
- Man that falls into canal
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaKatharine Hepburn was more than impressed with her experience working with director Sir David Lean. She even asked to sit in on the editing sessions with him to watch him at work. In her autobiography, she wrote, "(Summertime) was told with great simplicity in the streets, in the Piazza San Marco. We would shoot in tiny streets only a few feet wide. The sun would come and go in a matter of minutes. It was a very emotional part, and I tell you I had to be on my toes to give David enough of what he wanted practically on call. But it was thrilling... He seemed to me to simply absorb Venice. It was his. He had a real photographic gift. He thought in a descriptive way. His shots tell the story. He was capable of a sort of super concentration. It made a very deep and definite impression on me, and he was one of the most interesting directors I ever worked with. Wasn't I lucky to work with him?"
- GoofsWhen Jane is leaving the antique shop after purchasing the goblet; there is a woman who appears to be a just regular passerby and not a hired extra. She reacted to the camera and crew with a surprising curiosity.
- Quotes
Renato de Rossi: You are like a hungry child who is given ravioli to eat. 'No' you say, 'I want beefsteak!' My dear girl, you are hungry. Eat the ravioli.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over various paintings, where the subjects are European scenes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Hollywood: The Great Stars (1963)
- SoundtracksSummertime In Venice
(uncredited)
English lyric by Carl Sigman
Italian Lyric by Pinchi
Music by Icini
Published by MCA Music, New York, NY
Featured review
Fragile bittersweet romance amid gorgeous Italian settings...
"Summertime" is more of a mood piece than anything else. It captures the loneliness of a traveler in a foreign land, in this case a spinster who is hungry for love but too repressed to accept the love Rossano Brazzi offers. It has a bittersweet ending, appropriate for a thin story that sets the tone early on and never once makes us believe that Hepburn is going to find her true love in Venice.
The photography is gorgeous and must have had everyone heading for the nearest travel bureau for a tour of Italy when the film was released. The performances are all excellent--but the film belongs to Hepburn. She creates one of her most moving and truthful portraits--sensitively showing us what this woman feels as she watches others pairing off for affairs, alone and unable to really connect. The sexual mores of the 1950s permeate the film--the sexual revolution was just over the horizon but not yet evident.
One of Hepburn's most subtle, yet affecting performances. With David Lean's sensitive direction, the gorgeous photography and the evocative background music, "Summertime" will put you under the spell of its fragile romance. Easy to see why Brazzi was the ultimate continental charmer.
The photography is gorgeous and must have had everyone heading for the nearest travel bureau for a tour of Italy when the film was released. The performances are all excellent--but the film belongs to Hepburn. She creates one of her most moving and truthful portraits--sensitively showing us what this woman feels as she watches others pairing off for affairs, alone and unable to really connect. The sexual mores of the 1950s permeate the film--the sexual revolution was just over the horizon but not yet evident.
One of Hepburn's most subtle, yet affecting performances. With David Lean's sensitive direction, the gorgeous photography and the evocative background music, "Summertime" will put you under the spell of its fragile romance. Easy to see why Brazzi was the ultimate continental charmer.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- David Lean's Production of Summertime
- Filming locations
- Campo San Barnaba, Venice, Veneto, Italy(Renato's shop; Jane falls in water)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Color
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