The Long Hot Summer
| The Long, Hot Summer | |
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| Directed by | Martin Ritt |
| Produced by | Jerry Wald |
| Written by |
William Faulkner Irving Ravetch Harriet Frank, Jr. |
| Starring |
Paul Newman Joanne Woodward Anthony Franciosa Orson Welles |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Joseph LaShelle |
| Edited by | Louis R. Loeffler |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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115 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,500,000 |
| Box office | $2,853,700 (US) |
| The Long Hot Summer | |
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| Soundtrack album by Jimmie Rodgers, Alex North, Lionel Newman | |
| Released | June 1958 |
| Length | 35:58 |
| Label | Roulette Records |
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The Long, Hot Summer is a 1958 film directed by Martin Ritt. The screenplay was written by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank, Jr., based in part on three works by William Faulkner: the 1931 novella "Spotted Horses", the 1939 short story "Barn Burning", and the 1940 novel The Hamlet. The title is taken from The Hamlet, as Book Three is called "The Long Summer". Some characters, as well as tone, were inspired by Tennessee Williams' 1955 play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,a film adaptation of which -- also starring Paul Newman -- was released five months after the release of The Long, Hot Summer.
The plot follows the conflicts of the Varner family after ambitious drifter Ben Quick (Newman) arrives in their small Mississippi town. Will Varner (Orson Welles), the family's patriarch, has doubts about his son, Jody (Anthony Franciosa), and sees Ben as a better choice to inherit his position. Will therefore tries to push Ben and his daughter Clara (Joanne Woodward) into marriage.
Filmed in Clinton, Louisiana, the cast was composed mostly of former Actors Studio students, whom Ritt met while he was an assistant teacher to Elia Kazan. For the leading role, Warner Brothers loaned Newman to 20th Century Fox. The production was marked by conflicts between Welles and Ritt, which drew media attention. The music score was composed by Alex North, and the title song, "The Long Hot Summer", written by North and Sammy Cahn, was performed by Jimmie Rodgers.
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