Last Summer, directed by Frank Perry and written by his wife Eleanor, based on a novel by Evan Hunter, is a poignant coming-of-age tale about a group of aimless, pleasure-seeking teens, who get together for sex, drugs and music on Fire Island.
They include the timid, overweight Rhonda (Catherine Burns), who’s manipulated into bad behavior by her peers, especially by the promiscuous Sandy (Barbara Hershey), leading to embarrassment and discomfiture.
Sandy encourages the boys to gang-rape the poor girl. It was this scandalous scene, the first of its kind in an American picture, and the raunchy language (“fuck”) that earned Last Summer its initial X rating. The film was later trimmed to qualify for an R rating.
Oscar Nominations: 1
Supporting Actress: Catherine (Cathy) Burns
Oscar Awards: None
The winner of the Supporting Actress Oscar was Goldie Hawn for “Cactus Flower.”
MPAA: R
Running time: 97 minutes.
Credits:
Directed by Frank Perry
Written by Eleanor Perry
Released: June 10, 1969
