Last Summer (Blu-ray)

Frank Perry's little seen existentialist gem involving a young John Boy, Barbara Hershey and a seagull. Two young fellas meet a young girl on the beach whilst vacationing and embark on a long summer of frivolous teenage escapades. The three soon meet a charmless waif, which leads to ultimately tragic consequences. It's a bit of a slow burn, but a beautiful new transfer courtesy of WA makes it well worth a look, especially if you enjoyed Perry's Burt Lancaster led "The Swimmer".

Last Summer is a movie from 1969. Directed by Frank Perry (best known for directing Mommie Dearest), it stars Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas and Bruce Davison. The plot involves a trio during one summer on Fire Island. During the course of the summer, a girl named Rhoda, played by Catherine Burns, tries to infiltrate the group. This creates jealousy between her and Sandy, played by Barbara Hershey. The results are quite brutal. This movie will leave a lasting impression. I'm so grateful that Warner Archive has rescued this forgotten gem, which has been out of circulation for many years. The bluray restoration is truly sublime. The audio and visual restoration is definitely up to Warner Archive's usual outstanding standard. The bluray also comes with a slip cover which is a nice touch. I truly urge all film buffs to seek this one out. You won't regret it. You will be thinking about it for days aftewards.

A fascinating and provocative film, Last Summer is certainly not an easy watch - often awkward and occasionally unpleasant - but then, that's precisely the point. For a title notoriously MIA on disc, this stunning release was well worth the wait, with extensive extras, a booklet, and even a slipcover!

I have a lot about this film especially the past year and was curious to see if it lived up to its reputation and I have to say it did. Very good performances from a young cast who go on to bigger things.The film is at times dark and a little disturbing but still compelling. I would definitely recommend if you like classic coming of age movies.