A Summer Story

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!

I am happy to know that I am not the only person this movie had a profound effect on. How can it be so good and yet so many people have no clue about it.

I saw it around the year it came out. I was living in Toronto and I can't remember whether or not it came to the theatres but late one night I looked at it on the movie Channel. I was bored and had nothing else to do. Fantastic movie, the ending was so sad.

For years I would recommend this film to friends and nobody would really know what I was talking about. For months after I had seen the film I would think about it and the way it ended.

I have never forgotten the name Imogen Stubbs. I looked out for her for years. I saw her in one film with Robert Duvall but nothing after that. I was always on the look out for her in the nineties. A few years ago I looked her up on the net and found out she had more or less married and settled down.

This movie and Imogen Stubbs had a profound effect on me. A great romantic tragedy that far too few people know about.

Veersen

In 1922, a man returns to the rural countryside with his wife remember a pre-war love affair. In 1904, lawyer Mr. Ashton (James Wilby) and his friend Dr. Garton from London are walking. Ashton twists his ankle and encounters country girl Megan David (Imogen Stubbs). She brings them to her auntie Mrs. Narracombe (Susannah York) and her possessive son Joe (Jerome Flynn). They aren't really related. Narracombe took her in after her mother's death. Garton takes off the next morning. Ashton is intrigued and he starts an affair with Megan. It drives Joe jealous who expected to marry her.

It's a heart breaking romance. It's kind of a reverse romance. Ashton's weakness is the bane of this movie. I never really liked the chemistry of the couple because of his character. I would like to follow her story more than his story. The ending is harsh but that's what so good about this movie.

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.

I watch this gem about twice a year, when I feel like having a good cry. This film truly transports me to another time and place.

There are timeless morality issues dealt with in the story, and the unforgettable ending gives a person goose bumps. Seeing the film inspired me to read the story it's adapted from(The AppleTree.) There are some differences between the story and the film, of course, and the endings are somewhat different, although the overall idea is on the same wavelength. I feel the ending of the film is very,very strong and extremely suited to the film genre as compared to the written page.

The music is exquisite. Not only does it cast a beautiful spell from the very first note, but it remains in your mind long after the film is over.

A precious, precious film.