A Summer Place (1959) is what was called at the time, “A Potboiler”. It was considered to be like a soap opera in movie form. But the genre of Melodrama became significant by director, Douglas Sirk’s take on the genre. He used these films to examine family relationships and challenge social norms that were restrictive. His goal was to get people to examine what they had taken for granted.
Delmar Daves, the director of A Summer Place and other melodramas, followed Sirk’s example. This is a story of a self-made businessman who decides to see if his memories of his time on Pine Island when he was the lifeguard and the young woman he loved are real, or fantasies. When he and his former girlfriend rekindle their love, their teenage children have a romance of their own with drastic consequences for both couples. Ken, the businessman, has an iconic speech denouncing the hate his wife spews and that he and his daughter have had to live with for so long. It’s no wonder their marriage crumbles. This movie examines so many important themes, racial hatred and sexual repression, alcohol addition, rekindling and finding love which heals the wounds of the past.
Celeste and I hope you will watch the film, follow our channel, and then make comments. We’d love to have a discussion about the movies we discuss. Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.
Sage Woman Chronicles 