Lord of the Flies on Fire Island!
Last Summer by Frank Perry. A coming of age movie about horny teens taking turns being mean, then nice, then really mean again.
Welcome back friends and readers! We’re in full summer swing, so I wanted to keep on theme with more beach flicks. Sun drenched movies that make you sweat. So this week we’re diving in with Frank Perry’s Last Summer from 1969.
The Quick Gist
Three young people form a quick and intimate bond while vacationing on Fire Island. What starts out as a story of an innocent summer tryst between three teenagers, turns into something more sinister when a nerdy outsider tries to integrate herself within the group.
Last Summer (1969)
Written by Eleanor Perry (Frank Perry’s wife), and based on the novel by Evan Hunter, Last Summer tells the sweltering tale of three blossoming youths vacationing on Fire Island, the beach getaway off New York City. An intimate bond quickly forms between the three after they team up to save a poor dying seagull. It’s a friendship that develops quickly, the kind of friendship that can only exist during those transitory summer vacations when you’re young, forced to develop fast because who knows if you’ll ever see these people again.
Their relationship is undefined. It blurs between close friends and shy lovers. The sexual tension between Sandy, Peter, and Dan is palpable, always moments away from boiling over. The young men’s desire for their new beautiful friend is overwhelming. There’s a moment when Peter, alone with Sandy on a sailboat, asks her to take her top off. But he then pulls back because he’s unsure if he’d be able to control himself. These are young people. It wasn’t so long ago they were children. They are impetuous, unsure of what they’re capable of; unable to fully grasp the consequences and weight of their actions.
In another scene, the trio head to the cinema to watch a movie — a Swedish movie. So, you know that that means. There’s gonna be sex, and they’re so turned on, that Dan and Peter can’t help but to feel up Sandy, crowd be damned, all the while never taking their eyes off the screen. Of course, the inclusion of the Swedish flick makes you think of a movie like Summer with Monika (even the poster of Last Summer seems to reference Bergman’s film). But what if it brings to mind images from The Virgin Spring — innocence lost through force and violence?
Because what starts out as a story of an innocent summer tryst between three teenagers, ready to explore their sexuality and insecurities, turns into something much more sinister when Rhoda — a nerdy outsider more innocent than the others — tries to integrate herself within the group. Because she too is lonely and looking for connection.
In between moments of real tenderness, a sense of foreboding creeps in. Suddenly, we get a shocking glimpse of Sandy’s capacity for cruelty, and the boys are far too eager to absolve her of any real wrongdoing. It’s clear Sandy likes to be in control. Woe to those who betray her.
The way Perry is able to carefully navigate these sincere moments of tenderness, the desire for connection, and the harmless naivete of these teenagers with increasingly off putting moments of subtle — and then not-so-subtle — cruelty is impressive. A sort of Lord of the Flies aspect begins to reveal itself. In fact, there are hardly any adults around at all, leaving these young people to exist mostly alone, allowing them to create their own world with its own rules and initiations.
At first, what seem like harmless rituals and games become ways to differentiate the in-group with the out-group. It becomes a way of “othering.” And we soon see the way in which young people can be so cruel to each other in one moment, then so loving the next; we see the lengths to which people will go to maintain a connection to their peers, and those they love. Or think they love.
But the movie isn’t without its flaws. There are moments, mostly early on, when the acting feels almost too over the top, almost to the point of parody — like you’re watching a scene from Wet Hot American Summer. While it can be a bit awkward, there’s still something charming about it. And the performances are mostly good, sometimes even great.
And of course, the film is also a product of its time, still tethered to its recent past where the Hays Code reigned supreme. But now, with more freedom, it feels like the film is trying to shake loose from that, to engage with something of substance. Something a bit edgier, brimming with sexuality and danger. Something trying to explore with the dark side of adolescence. It’s a look at the beautiful, ugly, and scary side of youth.
Last Summer was originally given an X-Rating, but was quickly cut down to get an R after it’s theatrical release, and I’m pretty sure that’s the version that we have here. It’s never been officially released on DVD, physically existing only on VHS — as far as I’m aware. Which is a shame because this is a really great film.
For me, the movie turned out to be surprisingly devastating and compelling. Again, it’s not perfect. I initially kept the characters at a distance, as if they were caricatures of youth, an old guy’s fantasy about young people coming of age. But that quickly changed. I came out of it moved, and with a sense that Perry was able to see an uncomfortable aspect of adolescence — maybe even people in general. Why do people torture each other? Why is it so easy to be swept away by mob mentality? How can it be so easy to betray and hurt someone you care for?
Look, ultimately what I’m trying to say is: young people are freaks! They’re scary! Beware of young people. Be wary of horny young people. They have no scruples and if they sense fear they will destroy you. That’s why when I see a group of teenagers, I always cross to the other side of the street. I advise you do the same.
With that, enjoy!
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Supplements:
Listen to Larry Karaszewski briefly talk about the film!
I just finished reading Joan Didion’s Play It as It Lays (borrow for free here) while hanging out in Castro, a small seaside village in Puglia, Italy. I absolutely loved it, and now it will always be connected to summer for me. And since Frank Perry directed the film adaptation (which was co-written by Didion and her husband John Gregory Dunne) I figured I’d link to it.
It stars Tuesday Weld (Thief, anyone???) and Anthony Perkins. So here it is, available on the Internet Archive. While I’m not sure the movie was able to really capture the mood and feel of Didion’s devastating little book, it’s still somewhat interesting. I don’t think this film ever made it past a VHS release either.
And lastly, The Swimmer, also available on the Internet Archive. Another Frank Perry film, starring Burt Lancaster. About a man who likes to swim in pools. Who doesn’t??? There’s gotta be more to it than that though, right? Well, here’s what my pal Derek had to say about it when he featured it in his newsletter, The Watch List:
“So we have a guy living in a seemingly idyllic upper class enclave of outsized homes on hills, where swimming pools dot every yard. On the surface all is bright…but underneath something’s definitely rotten in Denmark…or in this case, Connecticut. We can feel “Black Hole Sun” looming on the horizon. To illustrate the putrid state of affairs, the premise will do well enough: Burt Lancaster, wandering out of the woods, with nothing but a navy blue pouch cradling his junk*, has decided, inexplicably, to “swim home,” visiting all the pools of his neighbors’ palatial estates on the way back to his own.”
What I’ll say is that Burt should probably work on his dive. But still, a perfect fit for the summer theme!