When one thinks of Sir David Lean, we don’t normally associate him with breezy, lovable romantic comedies, despite the fact that he directed arguably the greatest screen romance ever committed to film in the form of Brief Encounter. Most of his career was defined by epic historical dramas and literary adaptations that were as lavish as they were long (without ever being excessive, in both form and content), which positioned him as one of the most reliable filmmakers working at the time. However, he was not someone who could always be pinned down to a particular kind of film, as made very evident by Summertime, his adaptation of Arthur Laurents’ play The Time of the Cuckoo, a remarkable piece of theatre in its own right. Laurents himself was a notable figure, having written numerous iconic plays as well as working as a screenwriter on a number of instantly recognizable films. Lean and Laurents turned out to be exceptional bedfellows, as we can see throughout this film, where their two wildly different artistic sensibilities came together to form an unforgettable story of a middle-aged woman venturing off to Venice on a holiday she has been waiting to undergo for her entire life, and in the process finding the love she has been secretly seeking for years. Summertime is a remarkable film, and it’s hardly surprising that Lean would consider this his personal favourite of all the films he made – it’s a simple, beautifully and blisteringly funny romantic comedy with some soaring overtures of self-determination, a lot of heart and a performance at the centre that stands as some of the best work ever done by a particular actress. It’s all tied together by a lovable sense of humour that shows that, despite traversing some very deep themes, Summertime is not a film that takes itself too seriously, even when it is at its most profoundly moving, only further contributing to the sense of wonder and amazement that serves as the foundation for the film.

Venice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, functioning as a location that exists more in theory than it does in practice, solely due to the fact that it has taken on a particular image that has been romanticized by centuries of beautiful work. It’s a mythical place, which is precisely why the decision to set Summertime amongst the iconic canals all the more satisfying. Location plays an imperative role in this kind of story – we’re supposed to follow the main character as she traverses the various beautiful locales within this city, watching her experience the unimpeachable beauty that defines Venice. Lean was certainly not setting out to adapt Laurents’ play as a simple melodrama about a woman going on holiday, and it’s clear from the first moment that what we’re going to witness is something much deeper, and far more profound. Ultimately, Summertime is a film about a woman falling in love – the most basic exemplification of this is found in her growing relationship with the handsome shop owner she encounters by chance. However, looking deeper, we realize how much of a MacGuffin this is, existing only in the periphery in comparison to the more endearing romance that occurs between the main character and the city she has been admiring from afar for years, and now finally has a chance to consummate a relationship she has been hoping to form for her entire life. Summertime is a remarkable document of a city, and how it can take on a life of its own, to the point where people travel from the furthest corners around the world just to feel the unique vibrations that exude from such locations. The traditional romance at the heart of Summertime is really only useful for setting a foundation, since what really captivates us and keeps us engaged is how intricately the director portrays Venice, showing both the mystique and grandeur of one of the most mesmerizing places in the world.

Katharine Hepburn anchors this film, and there is a legitimate argument to be made that this is her finest work. What is most significant about her performance here is how radically different it is from anything else she has done. The role was originally written for Shirley Booth, who played the role on stage and was intended to reprise her role – but in the same way that Lean changed the title, he also changed some aspects of the plot, including slightly altering the character of Jane Hudson, making her more of the brassy, intelligent “fancy secretary” that we see on stage. However, while this role is still very much within her wheelhouse, Hepburn never fails to captivate us, taking a brief sojourn from playing the self-assured and confident modern woman she often portrayed, and instead going on a more intimate journey into the mind of Jane. She shows incredible vulnerability and a forthright earnestness that we don’t often expect to see coming from an actress as confident as Hepburn – she’s not necessarily meek, but she’s far from playing Jane as the eccentric, quick-witted older woman we often enjoyed seeing her play. This is a more internal version of Hepburn, one that is more self-reflective and intimate, while still featuring the same inherent traits we adored about her from the beginning. If anything, while it may not be the most popular choice when it comes to citing her best work, it is the one that really started the next stage of her career, where she took on a multitude of fascinating roles that allowed her to step away from the expectations of what a leading lady should aspire to be, and instead drawing on her own instincts as a performer – Jane Hudson is a compelling character precisely because Hepburn interprets her exactly as she should, an older woman seeking a sense of belonging in a city far from her home, and finding it when she least expected to. It lead her down various fascinating avenues where she turned in a number of exceptional performances – all because she managed to take a role made popular by one of the most beloved veteran stage actresses of the time, and made it her own.

Summertime is not a film built very strongly on the idea of a straightforward plot, at least not in the traditional sense. Lean made a brilliant film that doesn’t need to focus too heavily on the progression of the story – the general narrative is there in the form of being Jane’s exploration of Venice, her encounters with various eccentric characters and the budding romance that develops between her and the handsome Renato, played wonderfully by Rossano Brazzi, who is perfectly at ease throughout the film, despite the presence of his formidable, undeniably intimidating co-star. This plot is there, and it runs through the entire film – but it’s ultimately only supplementary to the real intentions of Summertime, with Lean aiming to make something that is defined less by the machinations of the plot, and more by a particular atmosphere. From the first moment, Summertime is a film that sets a specific mood – we’re transported into Venice by way of an arriving train, and we follow the protagonist as she navigates the streets and canals, learning about the city’s culture and the people who populate it alongside us. This is a film built less on the story, and more on a series of sensations that persist throughout it. Lean’s camera captures the splendour of Venice in such vivid detail – the city is never presented as being anything different than what it is (rather than the heightened, often ridiculously convoluted, portrayals of these iconic European cities), but rather a welcoming world that functions as the location of the main character’s voyage of self-discovery. It’s a subtle but meaningful exploration of the city, one that is a lot more easygoing than it is driven by plot. We certainly do become enamoured with the storyline, and the presence of a number of supporting characters only bolster this sensation (in particular, Isa Miranda and Gaetano Autiero are both scene-stealers who are doing some remarkable work, especially in their own individual scenes with Hepburn), but what we’re most invested in is this stunningly beautiful image of Venice, as well as how Lean uses it as a platform to explore the inner quandaries of a lonely woman seeking a change from her humdrum life, and finding herself falling more in love with the city and its people.

Summertime is an absolute delight, and Hepburn is doing some absolutely staggering work throughout this entire film, complemented by the incredible direction of Lean, who knows exactly how to extract the right amount of emotion from arguably the greatest English-speaking actress in the medium. The film is extremely simple, and hinges less on the development of a particular storyline, and more on the vivid exploration of two wildly different entities. The first is Venice, a city consolidated into history through its iconic architecture and canals, and the subject of innumerable works of art across every conceivable medium. The second is the mind of one of the myriads of tourists that find their way to the Italian city every year, in this case a lonely secretary from Ohio looking for a break from her ordinary life, not expecting to have it changed the moment she sets foot onto the overcrowded “bus” that floats through the canals of a part of the world she has been dreaming to visit for as long as she has known about it. Summertime is truly a wonderful film, and while it changed hands in terms of both the director and star many times, it’s undeniable that the version we got, where Laurents’ fascinating character-driven story was placed in the care of Lean and Hepburn, was more than sufficient in realizing the themes and intentions of the original work. The film is a breezy, charming slice-of-life story with broad overtures of tender comedy, and soaring romance (including the final scene, which is one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful sequences in the genre’s history), and a really strong sense of self-assurance and honesty, which only makes Summertime all the more endearing, since there is a great deal of depth lurking beneath what appears to be a relatively run-of-the-mill drama about venturing into the unknown and finding yourself through engaging with new surroundings, making new friends and nurturing one’s own understanding of the world, which tends to be changed when submerging ourselves in another culture, and having that irrepressible, joyful feeling of getting lost in an entirely different world, from which we never want to emerge – all of which is exactly what makes Summertime such a remarkable, heartfelt achievement.