Summertime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Summertime Blu-ray Movie Review

Venitian blinders.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 5, 2023

Nothing like watching David Lean's Summertime in the first week of January, right? But the point of this film is escape, which it most certainly offers in the tale of middle-aged Ohio secretary Jane Hudson (Katharine Hepburn) and her long-overdue drip to beautiful Venice. Though impossibly beautiful streets, back roads, and canals with her 16mm camera in-hand, Jane makes her way to the Pensione Fiorini hotel where she meets fellow Americans Lloyd and Edith McIlhenny (MacDonald Parke and Jane Rose) as well as artist Phil Yaeger (a young Darren McGavin) and his wife Phyl (Mari Aldon). Yet aside from her unlikely friendship with a street-smart boy named Mauro (Gaetano Autiero), Jane couldn't feel more alone in the picturesque city: there's sights to see, of course, but what she's really looking for is love.

That eventually arrives in the form of Renato de Rossi (Rossano Brazzi), who first ogles Jane at a café and, quite coincidentally, happens to own an antiques shop where she spies a lovely red goblet with a questionable backstory. (He's got his own questionable backstory too, just for fun.) Not surprisingly, the bulk of Summertime is tasked with stretching out a fairly fragile "will they or won't they?" narrative with no shortage of near-misses, somewhat flimsy misunderstandings, and even some physical comedy that includes Jane's fall into a canal which left Katherine Hepburn with an eye infection that lasted the rest of her life. Not the greatest souvenir, but at least it was free.

This isn't much of a plot and, if I'm being perfectly honest, the majority of Jane and Renato's limited time together doesn't exactly crackle with chemistry. It can't hope to match the spark of "fleeting love in a foreign country" achieved in better films like George Roy Hill's A Little Romance or Richard Linklater's Before Sunrise (nor should it be expected to, since Summertime is obviously more of an adult romance), but this isn't an example of air-tight casting.

Luckily at least half of Summertime walks away unscathed on the strength of its Technicolor cinematography and Lean's directing prowess, both of which make Venice a more compelling character than almost everyone in it. The film almost approaches travelogue territory, which sounds like a subtle dig... but the beauty of its backdrop is infectious (tasteless pun intended) and partially makes up for the nagging absence of sexual tension and reliance on padded plot detours. Summertime's unforgettable and timeless locations are served rather well on Criterion's long-awaited Blu-ray, which fully replaces both of the studio's earlier home video editions (a laserdisc and a non-anamorphic DVD, both from the 1990s) with much-improved A/V merits and a small but appreciated collection of bonus features.

Summertime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

About the framing: Much like their 1998 non-anamorphic DVD edition, Criterion presents Summertime in an open-matte 1.37:1 aspect ratio rather than its intended 1.85:1 format. (The booklet even advertises the 1.37:1 aspect ratio as "correct", but this is false.) Much has already been said about the issue on our forums and elsewhere, so I'd imagine anyone who'd consider it a deal-breaker has already made up their mind. As for me, I consider it an unfortunate if not outright lazy decision (especially considering the existence of "multiple aspect ratio" Criterion packages such as On the Waterfront), but one that at least doesn't lose information. In any case, this OAR snafu won't factor into my overall VQ rating of this disc -- just putting it out there in case any latecomers didn't know about the discrepancy.

Criterion's 1080p transfer is advertised as being sourced from a "new 4K restoration", which is helpfully expanded upon in the Blu-ray's included booklet. We're told that the original camera negative was primarily used, but certain segments had duplicates inserted into the negative; in those instances, 35mm separation masters were subbed instead. It's easy enough to pick out one type from another but the secondary elements are few and far between, meaning that the wide majority of Summertime looks as rich, vibrant, and grainy as you'd expect from a three-strip Technicolor release of this caliber. As such, fine detail and textures are quite good, really showing off those stunning landscapes that clearly favor the "magic hour" shooting window with long, imposing shadows and lots of warm tones for contrast. Even the indoor scenes fare remarkably well considering their overall lack of artificial light, with reasonably strong shadow detail and a suitable grain structure to match. Perhaps the only small area of concern is very light macro blocking, which isn't all that unusual for Criterion releases and, to be fair, is almost always partially masked by the heavy organic textures of its source format. (The same goes for a few light speckles, which pop up even less frequently.) By and large, it's a faithful representation indeed and will certainly please anyone eager to retire their now 25 year-old DVDs.

Summertime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Criterion's lossless PCM 1.0 audio mix, likewise restored from the original 35mm optical soundtrack negative, reaches similar heights but is slightly limited by its source material's dynamic range limitations. Still, its overall sonic presence is good with a careful balance between dialogue, background effects, and Alessandro Cicognini's original score, which sounds a bit strained on the high end but nothing out of bounds for a mono film from this era. Conversations are mostly crisp and clear regardless of language, although sibilance issues can be a problem and a slightly distracting one at that. Luckily, though, the majority of this mix is quite excellent and the included English (SDH) subtitles -- which, fittingly enough, don't translate the Italian dialogue -- are on hand for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Summertime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in Criterion's typical stocky keepcase with colorful artwork, an interior print, and a leaflet with technical specs, cast/crew credits, and the essay "Souvenirs" by Stephanie Zacharek. The bonus features are a bit thin but still advance upon the studio's laserdisc and DVD editions, which only included a trailer.

• David Lean (22:05) - This vintage black-and-white interview, first broadcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's show Close-Up on April 7, 1963, features the director speaking about his childhood, early career, and life in movies. The audio sounds quite rough, however, and unfortunately no subtitles are included.

• Melanie Williams (21:48) - The noted film historian and author of the 2014 British Film-Series book David Lean. offers insight about the director's life and career in this recent interview, subtitled The Most Beautiful Things in Life, which was recorded exclusively for The Criterion Collection in March 2022.

• Jack Hildyard (13:01) - This audio-only extra is paired with candid photographs from the set and includes excerpts from an interview with the film's cinematographer; conducted by Alan Lawson on January 7, 1988, it was produced for the British Entertainment History project. Among other topics, Hildyard speaks about his early career and working with David Lean on Summertime. Optional subtitles are included this time.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:15) - This vintage promotional piece is in rough but watchable condition.

Summertime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

David Lean's Summertime was the director's personal favorite project, more than likely because the sights and sounds of Venice captivated him enough to buy an apartment there. But while this is certainly a beautiful-looking drama that approaches travelogue territory, the majority of its main character's romantic pursuits just aren't all that interesting or even believable. This doesn't fully sink the ship, of course, but you're going to need to add you own nostalgic bias or wanderlust to be fully captivated by its mostly visual charms. The good news is that Criterion's Blu-ray edition serves up a great (albeit wrongly-framed) 1080p transfer and adds in a few new extras not present on their now 25 year-old DVD, which makes this a very solid upgrade for established -- and extremely patient -- fans of the film.