OVP: Last Summer (1969)

Film: Last Summer (1969)
Stars: Barbara Hershey, Richard Thomas, Bruce Davison, Catherine Burns
Director: Frank Perry
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Supporting Actress-Catherine Burns)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 4/5 stars

Occasionally, Oscar throws some uncharacteristic films in your way.  The movies of Frank Perry are not what you would consider "Oscar-Bait," even when the little gold man was going through a bit of a rebellious stage in the 1960's and 1970's.  And yet, Oscar deemed his classic David and Lisa worthy of two nominations, and seven years later, they threw another look his way by nominating Last Summer for Best Supporting Actress.

For those unfamiliar with the film (which I would imagine would be most people-this isn't a well-known film, and honestly I didn't know going in that it had three "name" actors starring in the movie until Robert Osborne told me right before the show), it's a coming-of-age story of three teens on the threshold of adulthood (Hershey, Thomas, and Davison), who slowly develop strong feelings (in a variety of directions) for a fourth member (Burns) who desperately wants into their tight-knit clique.

The film, despite it's 43-year-old date, ages fairly well-the cruelty of Hershey's character in particular is oddly reminiscent of some of the bullying stories that have come out in the last year.  Even at a young age, the beautiful Hershey was able to find that wicked blend of malice and allure that she would later exhibit in films like The Natural and Black Swan.  You can't help but be drawn in to her.

Thomas looks like a cross between Nic Hoult and Taylor Lautner in this movie, and aside from Burns, is probably the best actor on display.  He plays teenage angst with the most believable share of uncertainty, drawn to both the girl that he's supposed to fall for (Hershey) and the girl he is falling for (Burns).  As the film continues, sex and violence start to sneak into the natures of Hershey's and Davison's characters.  (SPOILER ALERT) Toward the end, the film moves back to Hershey's true nature, which is exposed when she kills the bird at the film's halfway point, when she convinces Thomas's and Davison's characters to rape Burns character as punishment for encroaching on her territory.

While the others are all strong, Burns is the obvious reason to invest yourself in the film.  In the best scene in the movie, she does a superb monologue about her mother's drunken drowning death, alternating between confused anger and, in a need to feel accepted, a casualness that only a teenager can muster when faced with emotions they cannot understand.  Burns was making her screen debut in the movie, and after only two more films and a couple of television appearances, would disappear from acting completely.

She also, obviously, received an Oscar nomination for the film, and if you want a smirky treat, go look for her rolling her eyes as Fred Astaire announces her name as a nominee.  Clearly, she didn't care that Goldie Hawn was going to take the eventual trophy.  While Burns is excellent, and I'm still missing two performances (the aforementioned Hawn and Dyan Cannon's spouse-swapping wife in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice), don't worry Catherine, I'm not going to be choosing you as the winner.  That slot for the time being is held by Susannah York, whose excellent and eccentric Alice in They Shoot Horses Don't They? still resonates years after I've seen it (the fifth nominee, blink-and-you-miss her Sylvia Miles, seems destined for fifth place).

What about you-who is your favorite supporting actress of 1969?  Does it seem odd that Richard Thomas never got the Oscar nomination that his three costars eventually did?  What was with the seemingly random gay make-out scene on the beach (were we supposed to recognize those characters?)?  And do you think that Katy Perry has seen this (or any film) in her great uncle Frank's filmography?