mark.waltz Those who have seen Tennessee Williams' play "Garden District" on stage will appreciate this probably more than the 1959 Katharine Hepburn/Elizabeth Taylor movie because this is obvious closer to the play than the more famous screen adaption. With just one setting (the grounds of Mrs. Violet Venable's eccentric southern plantation), everything that was fleshed out for the big screen is condensed into two seamless acts where every secret comes out over a short period of time rather than the extended time obviously played out in the movie. Catharine Holly (Natasha Richardson) is the institutionalized niece of Mrs. Venable (Maggie Smith), having suffered a breakdown after Mrs. Venable's son Sebastian was mysteriously killed while they were on vacation together. Obviously obsessively jealous over Catherine's replacement of her on the regular summer holiday she usually took with her son, Violet utilizes psychiatrist Rob Lowe to try and get the memory of what Catherine saw out of her mind so Sebastian's secrets will not be revealed. She utilizes her son's estate to manipulate Catherine's family into going along with the lobotomy, but Catherine is anything but willing to allow herself to become a guinea pig for her wealthy aunt's sake. This sets the drama up for some revealing secrets, already familiar to those who saw the original movie or a stage production, but possibly shocking to others. The usual usage of metaphors and symbolic images from the mind of Tennessee Williams may be convoluted for some, but still makes for powerful theater whether on stage or on screen.To see the legendary Maggie Smith with the wonderful Natasha Richardson (a member of one of England's royal theatrical families) is a treat in itself, and reminds us of the loss of this gem of a young actress way too soon. Richardson is far from Elizabeth Taylor's sex kitten performance from the movie, while Smith is more volatile than Katharine Hepburn's somewhat subdued but sometimes campy version. Like Montgomery Clift in the movie, Rob Lowe is caught between two tigresses, like a puppy among wildcats. The psychiatrist role is not as memorable as the women. The fact that the film does not utilize flashbacks (only a few still shots of what Sebastian looked like years before his death) makes it even more theatrical and increases the power of the drama. The usage of color makes Mrs. Venable's garden much scarier than the original.

Sammi Kat "Suddenly, Last Summer" (1993 TV Version) I taped this version way back in 1993 & it is supremely faithful to the text (unlike the original version with Elizabeth Taylor). Maggie Smith is reserved where Katherine Hepburn is effusive. Similarly, Rob Lowe smoulders where Montgomery Clift languished. Natsha Richardson is not Elizabeth Taylor, but the Catherine of the original text is not the Catherine in the original film. The character is not seen until almost halfway through the play; the impact of her story is heightened that much more by her late appearance. Gone are the flashback location shots (mercifully), Natasha Richardson's delivery of her final monologue doesn't need flashbacks, one is able to visualize what she describes perfectly. This is truly superior to the original version.

bsamdahl I saw this movie on PBS several years ago by accident because I saw that Rob Lowe was in it. A good theatrical southern drama that takes place in the 30's I think. I would like to see it again as I think I might appreciate it more. Rob Lowe enters a family's lion's den as Dr. Sugar hoping to obtain funding for his project. He plays a southern doctor during the 30's very well, accent and all..Dr. Sugar does this delicate balancing act while the rest of the family members are being melodramatic in the old southern aristocracy way. He ends up hypnotizing Miss Foxhill and starts falling in love with her.I'm surprised this movie has not been on television more. It does bring out a different acting style to what we are used to seeing Rob Lowe do. If you get a chance to rent it, it is worth seeing just for the classical southern dramatics.

cope2 Mrs. Venable has to be one of Maggie Smith's most powerful small screen performances, her rendition of the crippled yet revenge ridden widow is a gothic portrayal which is matched with an equally memorable Natasha Richardson as Catherine. Every facet of this Richard Eyre production reeks of class, the supporting cast are divine with Rob Lowe turning in an understated Dr. Sugar who is pressured to perform a dangerous lobotomy on Catherine in return for substantial research funding by Venable. As the film progresses the viewer is drawn into the tense narrative and the final scene where Catherine is summoned to the house to relive the death of Venable's son before the unbelieving harridan is just phenomenal. Only seen once on BBC2 back in November 1993, this film surely deserves a video release or even a repeat showing. Why it has only had one British outing is beyond me.