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The Long, Hot Summer

The Long, Hot Summer

Drama · 1958

Accused barn burner and conman Ben Quick arrives in a small Mississippi town and quickly ingratiates himself with its richest family, the Varners.

Movie details

The Long, Hot Summer

“The people of Faulkner...the language of Faulkner...the world of Faulkner!”

1958 Drama 1h 55m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Accused barn burner and conman Ben Quick arrives in a small Mississippi town and quickly ingratiates himself with its richest family, the Varners.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Long, Hot Summer?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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To Kill a Mockingbird

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Martin Ritt

Written by

Harriet Frank Jr. · Irving Ravetch

Paul Newman

Paul Newman

Ben Quick

Joanne Woodward

Joanne Woodward

Clara Varner

Anthony Franciosa

Anthony Franciosa

Jody Varner

Orson Welles

Orson Welles

Will Varner

Lee Remick

Lee Remick

Eula Varner

Angela Lansbury

Angela Lansbury

Minnie Littlejohn

Richard Anderson

Richard Anderson

Alan Stewart

Court is in session

Put The Long, Hot Summer on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.