The Long, Hot Summer

The Long, Hot Summer
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Ritt
Screenplay by	Irving Ravetch Harriet Frank Jr. William Faulkner (stories)
Produced by	Jerry Wald
Starring	Paul Newman Joanne Woodward Anthony Franciosa Orson Welles Lee Remick Angela Lansbury
Cinematography	Joseph LaShelle
Edited by	Louis R. Loeffler
Music by	Alex North
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	March 13, 1958 (1958-03-13)
Running time	115 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.6 million[1]
Box office	$3.5 million (US/Canada rentals)[2]

The Long, Hot Summer is a 1958 American drama film starring Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Anthony Franciosa, and Orson Welles. It was directed by Martin Ritt, with a screenplay by Irving Ravetch and Harriet Frank Jr., based in part on three works by William Faulkner: the 1931 novella "Spotted Horses", the 1939 short story "Barn Burning" and the 1940 novel The Hamlet. The title is taken from The Hamlet, as Book Three is called "The Long Summer". Some characters, as well as tone, were inspired by Tennessee Williams' 1955 play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a film adaptation of which– also starring Newman – was released 5 months later.^[3]

The plot follows the conflicts of the Varner family after ambitious drifter Ben Quick (Newman) arrives in their small Mississippi town. Will Varner (Welles), the patriarch, has doubts about his son, Jody (Franciosa) and sees Ben as a better choice to inherit his position. Will tries to push Ben and his daughter Clara (Woodward) into marriage.

Filmed in Clinton, Louisiana, the cast was composed mostly of former Actors Studio students, whom Ritt met while he was an assistant teacher to Elia Kazan. For the leading role, Warner Bros. loaned Newman to 20th Century Fox. The production was marked by conflicts between Welles and Ritt, which drew media attention. The music score was composed by Alex North and the title song, "The Long Hot Summer", written by North and Sammy Cahn, was performed by Jimmie Rodgers.

The film was well received by critics but did not score significant results at the box office. Its critical success revitalized Ritt's career, after his having been blacklisted during most of the 1950s. Newman won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival.