Ein schicksalhafter Sommer

Too many people are missing a great story and a great movie.

Since I discovered this movie during the Summer of 1996, I've watched it about once a year. I was completely drawn into the story and the characters. So beautiful and so sad. I could not believe the way things ended. I was so very, very sad.

I wish it was out on DVD, but I can still watch my old VHS copy and have heartaches just the same. I gave it a "10" as I am seldom "moved" by this type of story. Being an action, sci-fi, and thriller type of guy, I think it speaks highly of the film that I enjoy watching this story over and over.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

I found this film on ebay and was the only person who bid on it, many people are evidently missing out on never seeing this beautiful film. I wasn't sure what to expect cause I bought it on a whim because of the ratings it had gotten in some review books and because James Wilby is in it who I think is one of the most underrated actors alive. Imogen Stubbs is just wonderful, you really feel her pain. You also feel his - he lives his life regretting the choices he made and doesn't seem very happy. I don't want to give anything away but I can't recommend this film enough. It's beautifully directed, top notch acting, and for such a simple story it's amazingly effective. Anyone whose ever loved and lost will feel what the characters are feeling in this film! It will make you cry aswell, otherwise you don't have a heart. ;-)

I first saw this great little movie a few years ago while overseas in the Middle East on a late night movie channel that carried older "B" movies. I was so mesmerized with this tale, when it was over I spent 30 minutes long distance on the phone with my wife explaining the plot. When I got back to the States I some how found an old DVD of the movie on the internet and bought it immediately. My wife and I watched this wonderful movie again recently (Jan 2017) and ended up crying together all over again! A Summer Story is so well cast (Imogen Stubbs in the lead female role and James Wilby as the lead male) and with a story that is so beautifully written. The production values are extremely well done that you feel transported to the 1904 Dartmoor countryside and the lovely coastal town of Torquay. Beware to be supplied with a box of tissues for the plot climax at the end!

Technical Note: The DVD this viewer watched had high contrast, with narrow dynamic range, resulting in poor image detail in the shadows and highlights, and loss of screen resolution. Film chain transfer is of low quality and accomplished on a non-CCD device, with no digital post-transfer correction, and displayed reverse screen vignetting.

This film, though little noticed by the general moviegoing public, is a beautifully photographed and acted masterpiece. It is a bittersweet tale of lost love, based on a short story ("The Apple Tree") by John Galsworthy. Most of the film, in writer Penelope Mortimer's skillful adaptation, is presented as a flashback -- sandwiched by an introduction and coda that are devastatingly poignant. Piers Haggard directs with a lighthanded touch that makes the characters seem utterly real. I cannot recommend this film too highly. Every time I view it, I am overwhelmed anew by its intense vision of human nature. A gem!

If you are thinking of watching this movie, make sure you have a box of tissues ready - because unless you are emotionally constipated this film will make you cry. I watched it on my return from the hospital after giving birth to my daughter and I wept buckets. It is beautifully acted, particularly by Imogen Stubbs. I can't understand why we do not see more of this talented actress. The music by George Delerue matches and enhances the heart rending story, and sounds pretty darn good without the film, too. The story is about an upper class young man(James Wilby) who, whilst on a walking holiday, falls in love with a beautiful young farm girl. I really don't want to give any more of the plot away. I loved it. If you never enjoy romance, or poignant tales of lost chances and heartbreak, then you probably won't love it!