Great Summer Themed Films

July 1, 2010

    
As we all know, June 21 marked the first day of summer. And since it felt like Summer was already here way before the actual first day came and went, I have decided that maybe it the time has come to compile a list of what I feel are some of the best summer themed films to ever hit movie screens. This is, by no means, a complete list. The intention is to shed the light on a few films with a summer theme that you may have seen and forgotten about or may have missed altogether. And, dear reader, if there are any you feel should have been included in this list but didn’t make the cut, feel free to email me at the address listed below the column.

So without further fanfare, here is a list of some great summer themed films. Who doesn’t love the idea of a great Summer romance? To take the idea even further, how about a star crossed summer romance? Well, that is the idea that forms the basis of director David Lean’s 1955 film, “Summertime.” David Lean is a director who started out making small films but then became addicted to the epic style of filmmaking with which his name would eventually become synonymous. “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago” are but two examples. However, back in 1955, Lean was still turning out small, character driven pieces such as this tale of a lonely spinster, played by Katherine Hepburn, who falls in love with a married man while on vacation in Venice.

Photo: Candy Clark (Debbie) & Charles Martin Smith (Terry the toad)
in American Graffiti

Hepburn was never better than here and the film also contains an early appearance by actor Darren McGavin, who would later on attain everlasting fame both as reporter Carl Kolchak in the “Night Stalker” television series and as the father in “A Christmas Story.” If you are looking for a great tragic romance set against beautiful locations and with a summertime theme, tune in. It is currently available on DVD from Criterion.
    
John Cusack may be a household name these days but in the eighties the actor was carving out a career starring in quirky comedies. Certainly one of his most inspired efforts would be the 1986 film, “One Crazy Summer.” The film also reunited the actor with Savage Steve Holland, the writer/director of his breakout hit from the previous year, “Better Off Dead.” To try and describe the film would do it a great disservice since it is filled to the brim with inventive sight gags and funny situations, not to mention a great early appearance by actress Demi Moore. I’ll just say that the film’s plot revolves around a misfit, played by Cusack, who winds up spending his summer in Nantucket. I’ll also say that the film is highly recommended if you are need of a great laugh or a reminder of what a unique talent John Cusack was and is.

No list of summer films would be complete without a film dealing with the subject of high school graduations and this list is no exception. In fact this list has two.

In 1973, four years before director George Lucas would go on to achieve everlasting fame with the first entry in his series of “Star Wars” films, Lucas both wrote and directed “American Graffitti,” probably the best film ever to deal with the subject of the transition from youth to adulthood. This is a film that is steeped in reflection. It is also a film that features great, great humor, yet it’s a film that also leaves one with a bittersweet melancholia. “American Graffiti” reminds us of music, our memories, and our hesitant farewells and the changes that life brings as we grow older. The film is also filled with a cast of actors such as Harrison Ford, Ron Howard, and Richard Dreyfus that would go on to achieve everlasting fame. ”American Graffiti” is a perfect summer film if there ever was one.

Photo: Cusack & Moore in ‘Crazy’

Another film that deals with the transition from the teen years to adulthood, using summer as a backdrop, is director Richard Linklatter’s 1993 film, “Dazed and Confused.” The film takes place during the 70s and focuses on a group of Texas teens graduating from high school in the summer of 1976. It is considered to be one of the best movies of the 90s and much like “American Graffiti,” contains a group of actors who would later go on to achieve everlasting fame. The breakout ensemble in this film includes Adam Goldberg, Matthew Mcconaughey, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, and an almost completely unrecognizable Ben Affleck.

Finally, a film that frequently turns up on best summer film lists is the 1989 film, “Do the Right Thing.” Director Spike Lee’s portrait of a Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood and the festering boil of racial tensions that come to a head on the hottest day of the year, was a political hot potato in its day. The film incited multiple riots in the theaters where it was shown during its original release and received much negative press. The fact remains, though, that this is a potent film that has lost none of its power during the last twenty years. It’s a summer film that makes you think and feel and you can’t ask for more than that.

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