Summer of '42 (1971)

 

Summer of ’42 is a film told from the point of view of a 15-year-old boy just coming to terms with his first stirrings of sexual attraction and, maybe, love. That perhaps sounds prurient at first read, especially when you note that the object of his attentions is an older married woman, but in fact, it’s really quite a sensitive film that manages to avoid many of the stereotypes that might be associated with such a story. This success is primarily due to the casting of Gary Grimes as the lead character, Hermie, a young man living on an island for the summer with his parents and spending almost all of his time with his two best friends, Oscy (Jerry Houser, who has managed to have a long career as a character actor and voice artist) and Benjie (Oliver Conant). That is, until he begins to develop a relationship with Jennifer O’Neill’s Dorothy, a young wife whose husband has left her on the island to serve in World War II. Even though Hermie finds her fascinating within the first few minutes of the movie, it’s small moments later on—the simple act of helping her carry her groceries home or assisting her in moving some heavy boxes to the attic of her home—that cement his affection for her. It’s humorous to watch Hermie try to act mature when he’s around Dorothy; he's a dreamy, smart kid, but his attempts at more intellectual-sounding language make you smile. It helps that Grimes was actually 15 years old at the time of filming, so he can naturally convey the kind of naiveté and earnestness associated with boys his age. It’s kind of surprising that such a sensitive young actor like him didn’t have a longer career. Grimes’ interplay with the other young actors is strong as well. They don’t know very much about sex other than what they discover in a book filled with Latin terminology, which only makes it more confusing to them, but their conversations about how to engage in sex are hilarious. Equally fun is the sequence where Hermie tries to purchase condoms at a drugstore while Oscy watches from outside; it’s one of the best and most accurate depictions of the awkwardness teenage boys feel when making that initial purchase. Most of the subject matter of the film is handled rather delicately. For example, the sex scene between Hermie and Dorothy, after she learns that her husband has been killed in the war, is dialogue-free with only the sound of the waves crashing on the shore outside the bedroom window. That’s a cliché now, no doubt, but it would have seemed more romantic and gentle at the time of the film’s release. Overall, the film has many qualities that make it still worthy of attention. O’Neill, a former model, is stunningly beautiful, a natural object of affection for a young man, but she’s actually a good actress as well, able to play wordless moments with great empathy. The voice-over narration by director Robert Mulligan, is thankfully, rather unobtrusive, and the soft-focus cinematography creates somewhat hazy images throughout the film, a sense of fuzziness that could easily be linked to memories like those shared by the narrator. One of the best aspects of Summer of ’42 is its music, composed by the great Michel Legrand. The theme song, “The Summer Knows,” is magnificent, and the score deservedly won an Oscar. A couple of moments of gay taunts between Oscy and Hermie detract from the overall impact of the film, but I suppose they are consistent with the ways that teenage boys acted in 1971 when the film was made and probably even in 1942 when the film is set.

Oscar Win: Best Original Dramatic Score

Other Nominations: Best Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing