This 1971 coming-of-age drama written by Herman Raucher (who based the story on a key incident in his life) and directed by Robert Mulligan tells the story of a 15-year-old boy (Gary Grimes) vacationing on Nantucket with his family during the title summer who develops a crush on an "older" (22) woman (Jennifer O'Neill) -- the young bride of a man who has gone off to fight in WWII. The boy helps the bride carry groceries and move boxes and otherwise makes himself useful to give himself an excuse to hang around her, but she is unaware of his crush until one fateful night when she gets word that her husband has been killed in action, gets drunk, and things happen.
It is unlikely this film would be made today, as it depicts a sexual encounter between an adult woman and an underage boy. However, there's nothing lascivious about the story or the movie -- it's a tale in which sex is used as a vehicle for comfort, connection, and solace. It's also a story about a young man's realization that people, love, and sex are much more mysterious and complex (and complicated ) that he and his two immature buddies (Jerry Houser, Oliver Conant) can possibly imagine as they fumble their way through their extremely awkward adolescent attempts to understand sex and girls. In other words, it's a story about growing up. The film is episodic in nature -- the rest of the narrative is really only there to lead to the encounter between the boy and the young widow. It's shot in poetic fashion -- as if the whole thing is being played through the haze of memory and recollection -- by Mulligan and DP Roberts Surtees. The three boys come across as real teenagers, not like polished performers. O'Neill is presented in an idealized fashion and is always somewhat remote, which is the way a young boy would probably see someone like her in real life. The iconic theme by Michel Legrand will be instantly familiar, even to people who have never seen the film. This is a sad and sweet and touching movie that will probably make some people quite upset, but really struck a chord for audiences of the day -- this movie was a really big hit half a century ago. My friend Adam Long of the Movie Geeks United podcast recently put together a 50th anniversary reunion of cast members O'Neill, Houser, and Conant, who shared their memories of the movie and its making.
