Customer Reviews

A Summer Place

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Saw this years ago, and wanted to revisit. It was as good as I remembered. Very open family discussions for the era.

This is one of my all time best movies. It was the first adult movie
I ever saw. It's true to life, and the acting is great. I could never
get sick of watching it!

I was so very disappointed! I want to build up my "library" with good DVDS, and based on the glowing reviews and the fact that the adorable Sandra Dee is in this movie I bought this DVD. It did not live up to the hype for me or for my daughter whom I watched it with. It is very dated but normally, that fact does not bother me-- If the story line is great, and the acting engaging, the fact that the movie is dated is of no consequence. I found many parts cringe educing. I know that they were going for a liberal open and understanding relationship between the daughter (Sandra Dee)and her dad (Richard Egan) but some lines and situations were off the mark leaving you feeling,"this feels kind of sexual-creepy-wrong"... The acting was forced and stilted especially on Troy Donahue's part and the relationship between the Dad and his old paramour not as warm as I'd imagine. Generally, I can find some redeeming tidbit, but because of the overall tone of the movie I really can't recommend it.

I bought this for my children (in their 30s to watch as there are scenes of one of Frank Lloyd Wright's houses and two of my children are designers).... they were fascinated with the attitudes (pre-war) of the parents regarding sex and young people's behaviour and parental expectations. It was a good example of the life and times of that era.

This is definitely one of the best teen movies ever made. Every time I hear the beautiful theme song it takes me back to my own innocent youth. I sincerely hope that Amazon will be offering the movie again, in the DVD format.

This film makes for wonderful Sunday afternoon viewing, filled with romance and a bit sentimaental fluff. The story centers around the "coming of age" of two "kids", who eventually learn of their parents "sordid" past. It turns out that each set of parents had spent their best years in a loveless marriage of convenience, while the girl's father and the boy's mother had been "sweethearts" before they each married the "wrong" spouse. Complete with the obvious "troubles", the lovebirds (all of them!), go off into the sunset of happiness.

The famous "Theme from A Summer Place", written by Hollywood veteran composer Max Steiner, magically envelops the bitter sweet story. Considered "smutt" by some prude reviewers of the day (1960 America was much more goody-goody than it is today), A Summer Place nontheless enchanted generations of romantic movie goers, and now VHS tape owners. This film is a winner in my book!

This super teen movie from 1959 is still a great date movie today. Sandra Dee and Troy Donahue play innocent teens whose parents are having an affair. The kids fall in love, spend some time at the beach, and everything is great...until Sandra gets some bad news from the doctor....

Dee and Donahue were the perfect teenage couple then, and they are still adorable. This film was considered quite racy when it was released; it's more PG today, but still dramatic, intense, and thought-provoking. The stars are such a pleasure to watch; they were so young and beautiful. And could anyone ever forget that gorgeous theme music? It IS the music of young love. This is still a great movie to watch with someone you love...or a bowl of popcorn!

Forget the dated dialogue and social mores, the real story is about love and its triumph for a generation who believed in it and all it's impossibilities. Enjoy this beautiful old romance in its sweeping seaside settings and poignant dialogue. The latter often at the cost of being sacharine. But no, the splendid, simple story is there. And it is timeless. Love conquers all. Dorothy McGuire, in her usual restrained performance,generally says it all. Just listen to the delivery of "You have an infinite capacity for hate" to the evil mother on the prowl for dirt and McGuire's self derogatory "I'm sorry I'm not pretty anymore", while all the time peering from the most beautiful face and eyes one has ever to see. The story is simple, the scenery is breathtaking in audacious color and the musical score, and the musical score and the musical score had a generation humming and trotting to the beach.There has been nothing like it since. Watch it and be innocent and full of life again.

This was most definitely one of the best feel good movies I have ever seen.Two teen agers fall deeply in love over the summer. Unknowing to the kids their mother and daddy were old flames from the past. The mother and daddy leave their mates and marry.This was definitely one of Richard Egan's all time great movies. The young lady(Egan's daughter)comes up pregnant. She and Troy Donahue (his mother is Egan's new wife) marry in the end. This is without question one of the most romantic movies you will ever see. You finish this movie feeling good. I wish they would play it more on the late show. If you have never seen this movie buy the video,you will always be glad you did. A must see.

I enjoyed it as much as I did when I was a teenager.. an old fashioned simple movie with great music