As far as I am concerned, Martin Ritt made one of the greatest films in the history of English-language cinema in the form of his dark social western, Hud, a landmark of filmmaking. This film was so magnificent and powerful in both its themes and the deep exploration of some striking ideas, it made him a filmmaker whose work I will immediately give a chance, even if they don’t always match up in quality or pedigree. This principle was very helpful with The Long, Hot Summer, a film that could have so easily fallen apart had it not been for Ritt, a journeyman director who was able to work his way through the era of literary and stage-to-screen adaptations that were often nothing more than opportunities for cherished works to be brought to the screen for a wider audience, since they don’t require as much work as original stories, and often attracted major stars, who find the opportunity to have Tennessee Williams or Eugene O’Neill on their resume quite an appealing prospect. William Faulkner may not have the same godlike status, particularly through the majority of his work being in the form of novels and the written word, but he did bring with him some form of pedigree, such as in the three short stories Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr. wove into the screenplay for this film, so much more than just a sun-baked Southern gothic drama, serving as a poignant and often bitingly satirical human story of the pratfalls of success, and the dangers of becoming interweaved in a web of deceit that normally looms above those families that appear to be living an idyllic life, but actually have some darker secrets that they harbour, kept far from public view. The Long, Hot Summer scrutinizes many cherished ideas, and goes in search of something much deeper, and in the process uncovers a wealth of rich, varied commentary that still feels remarkably fresh, even if the film it comes in functions as mostly a remnant of a particular era in filmmaking.

The story of a drifter finding his way into a town that is essentially owned and operated by one very wealthy man, and weaselling his way into his good graces, and in the process rising to the top, is one that bears a lot of potential, and Ritt was a solid choice to bring these wildly disparate ideas together into something coherent, especially when there has been a long line of similarly-themed films that feel overlong, and perhaps unnecessarily convoluted in their exploration of familial dynamics. There’s so much that could be done with this premise, especially with the vivid characters that the screenwriters concoct through combining three distinct works by Faulkner, each one serving as the basis for some fascinating angle that the film ventures towards. It’s certainly an interesting approach, but not one that immediately stands out, since so much of what makes The Long, Hot Summer so compelling comes from its simplicity. This is essentially nothing more than the tale of a young man retreating from his past and hoping to start afresh in a new town, only to find his reputation precedes him, but not his resourcefulness, which serves him well as he gradually rises in stature amongst the people he initially viewed as mindless hicks, but actually turn out to be some of his most fervent allies. There’s nothing necessarily complex about this premise, which allows Ritt and his cohorts to instead pay attention to developing the story in such a way that it exuded something deeper than it actually contained – less a case of trickery, and more an instance of cinematic resourcefulness, The Long, Hot Summer goes in some expected directors, but has such a compelling atmosphere around it, it’s easy to look beyond the simple confines of the genre and instead find something special lurking beneath the surface.

The Long, Hot Summer is populated with a few remarkable performances, particularly by those who were still relatively young and new to the industry. The film is led by Paul Newman, whose blue eyes have rarely been more piercing than here, where they hide a plethora of secrets harboured by a man running away from his past. Newman had such an effortless swagger, being able to extract nothing but the most potent, earnest emotion from every scene, even those in which he takes a backseat to more bombastic performers. This film also features Newman’s future wife Joanne Woodward in their first of many collaborations (and being the film in which they rekindled a previous relationship, which would last decades and be one of the most inspiring in Hollywood history), playing the steadfast Clara, a young woman who quite rightly knows exactly what she wants, and has the pluck and conviction to pursue it. Orson Welles occupies one of the other central roles, playing the bombastic Will Varner, and stealing every scene he is in. Welles was the kind of actor who had insatiable chemistry with any actor he appeared across, boosting the weaker ones and supplementing those who could rise to his mammoth talents. As both the vaguely-sinister villain (who turns out to be quite admirable by the end), and the comedic relief of the film, Welles is fantastic, particularly in the few scenes he has across from Angela Lansbury, who was already in the midst of playing characters coded as much older than herself, but still gives a solid and very memorable performance as the rambunctious mistress who yearns for a better life. Without a solid ensemble giving strong performances, it’s unlikely that The Long, Hot Summer would’ve been as good as it turned out to be, with each member of the cast a pivotal piece in Ritt’s fascinating social puzzle.

As evident by this discussion on the performances, its clear that The Long, Hot Summer is a film that prioritizes the development of its characters above anything else. This is very interesting, since so much of the film focuses on how these individuals co-exist, and the manner in which they pursue their own idealistic goals, while still being a part of a close-knit community. It may not have been intentional, but there is a sense of socialism pervading this film. The town of Frenchman’s Bend is one that is governed (albeit unofficially) by one man, as evident by an early shot of the entrance to the town, where a sign lists all the institutions and business owned by Varner – and while it may not have any real correlation with the social and cultural milieu at the time (in which Communism was a hot-button issue, and Ritt himself had been blacklisted for his alleged ties to accused Communists and sympathizers, which adds a degree of complexity to the proceedings here, and makes us wonder how much he drew on these ideas in the creation of this film), there is a sense of emphasizing community and dependency, particularly in how the film focuses on a loner venturing into a town with the intention of making his own way, but soon comes to realize that it simply doesn’t work that way in this little hamlet, where self-dependency is a foreign concept. The relationships, both professional and personal, formed between these characters is fascinating – each one is reliant on one another, as much as they actively try and work against that. It’s a very interesting approach that bears substantial fruit, far more than just being an overwrought Southern melodrama about broken romances and the tyrannies of capitalism. It extracts so much humour from every situation, almost veering towards becoming a comedy, but showing enough restraint to never become too flippant about an array of issues that are integral to its success.

The Long, Hot Summer should be a film that appeals to a lot more potential viewers than we’d expect based on a cursory glance. For devotees of this kind of melodramatic Southern drama, the film offers an abundance of thrilling detail, enough to satiate one’s desire for intricate plots filled with intrigue and romance. For those who aren’t particularly enamoured with such storytelling devices, the film does offer a decent amount of contrast in how it seems more intent on getting to the heart of these characters and understanding who they are, above and beyond mere archetypes. Ritt had a peculiar way of bringing out the humanity in every story, and whether through his methods of directing his actors, or simply framing a scene, there is a sincerity to his work that is quite meaningful, if not outright inspiring. A charming sense of humour and a very humane understanding of the human condition serves as the foundation to The Long, Hot Summer, which manages to have a lot more nuanced than we’d predict based on a brief glance. Deviant in ways that some would expect it to be very much aligned with similar films, and made with a loving tenderness that goes above and beyond any sense of being too heavy-handed in its emotions, Ritt succeeded wholeheartedly with The Long, Hot Summer, a breezy, fascinating human drama with a tendency to be wonderfully entertaining when it isn’t deconstructing some of the most intricate recesses of postwar society, which is a fascinating contrast and yet another reason why this is an unexpected triumph of a film.