LAST SUMMER
US, 1969, 91 minutes, Colour.
Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, Bruce Davison, Cathy Bums.
Directed by Frank Perry.
Last Summer is a 20th century parable, starting with our ways of happiness and finishing with our ways of cruelty. Many critics saw it as similar to Golding's Lord of the Flies, a study of a microcosm of cruelty but this time with sexual implications.
The film was critically acclaimed and Cathy Burns received an Oscar nomination for her role as Rhoda. But many audiences found the language, the visualising of something of youth's permissiveness and the shocking rape at the end too much for the screen. Judgments differed - for example, the U.S. National Catholic Office for Motion Pictures classified the film as A - IV, morally unobjectionable for adults, but with reservations. The Australian version was cut by the censors by, it is said, up to seven minutes, including a minute or two of the rape scene.
The film is beautifully photographed and well acted, reminding one strongly of many of the attitudes and much of the language of to-day's adolescents. While most would not suffer the tragedy the film shows, it is a visual rendering of some of the consequences of their fantasies. Frank and Eleanor Perry were responsible for the film. Controversial but poetically rendered material is their field - David and Lisa, The Swimmer.
1. How typical are the language and the behaviour of these adolescents?
2. Does the film deal with the problems of young people of our time?
3. What did the fact that the four cams from broken families or parents uninterested in their children contribute to their attitudes?
4. What was the meaning of the symbol of the wounded bird, saving it and teaching it how to fly? What did it show of the adolescents as persons - sensitivity, interest, etc.?
5. Why did Sandy destroy the bird? Why did she lie? What were the boys' reactions to her lies?
6. What was your first reaction to Rhoda? What was the group's first reaction? Was it because she was ugly, strange, an outsider?
7. Comment on the bonds of friendship formed by each telling an ugly story about their behaviour?
8. How strong were the sexual instincts in the friendship? Comment on the two boys' attitudes towards Sandy. Who had the deeper feelings? Note the sexual fascination, their flirting, bravado, exhibitionism? Peter's curiosity, Darmy's talking about 'laying her', curiosity on the beach.
9. How did the befriending of Rhoda show the group's looking after the gull all over again?
10. What broke down the barriers between the group and Rhoda – note Rhoda 's story of her mother, the washing of each other's hair, and Rhoda's, Peter's teaching Rhoda how to swim.
11. What did the computer dating joke reveal about the group? Their baiting of Annibale and their leaving him? Cowardice and cruelty?
12. Was the rape scene well dramatically prepared for - heat, irritability, boredom, turning on Rhoda (like the killing of the gull?
13. The climax - Danny's lust, Sandy's looking on, Peter's cowardice. This time all have killed. The finale of Peter's stunned sorrow?
14. Some have likened the theme to that of Lord of the Flies, Golding treated of innate savagery but, in keeping to children, kept to basic cruelty without sexual implications. Is Last Summer a Lord of the Flies involving teenagers? If it is, what does it say about human nature? Is it pessimistic or realistic?
