Suddenly, last summer, Cathy knew she was being used for something evil!
The only son of wealthy widow Violet Venable dies while on vacation with his cousin Catherine. What the girl saw was so horrible that she went insane; now Mrs. Venable wants Catherine lobotomized to cover up the truth.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) is a thriller, drama and mystery film directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, released on December 22, 1959 with a runtime of 1h 54m. It stars Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift and Albert Dekker. Viewers rate it 7.3 out of 10 across 325 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Suddenly, Last Summer before you stream it.
Elizabeth Taylor
as Catherine Holly
Katharine Hepburn
as Violet Venable
Montgomery Clift
as Dr. Cukrowicz
Albert Dekker
as Lawrence Hockstader
Mercedes McCambridge
as Grace Holly
Gary Raymond
as George Holly
Mavis Villiers
as Miss Foxhill
Patricia Marmont
as Nurse Benson
Joan Young
as Sister Felicity
Maria Britneva
as Lucy
Sheila Robbins
as Dr. Hockstader's Secretary
David Cameron
as Young Blonde Intern
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, written by Tennessee Williams, Gore Vidal and Tennessee Williams, produced by Sam Spiegel.
Average viewer score of 7.3/10 from 325 ratings.
Talk is never cheap when sourced from Tennessee Williams. Millionairess, Violet Venable is obsessed with her now dead son, Sebastian. Sebastian met his untimely end whilst on vacation with his cousin Catharine, an end that has sent Catharine almost to the edge of insanity. Violet, very concerned about Catharine and her hurtful ramblings, enlists brain surgeon Dr. Cukrowicz to see if he will perform a lobotomy on…
Reviewed on September 25, 2014
Howard Hawks defined a good film as “three good scenes and no bad ones.” Suddenly, Last Summer has four very good scenes dominated by one of the two great great actresses who play the leads – or, in one instance, both. These are long scenes but never boring, and we are at all times bolted to our seats, our eyes glued to the screen; Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor give different, even contrasting performances…
Reviewed on August 28, 2022
Simone Signoret pipped both of these women to the Oscar but Liz Taylor did take a Donatello for her powerful performance in this controversial psychological drama. She is the young “Miss Catherine” who looks like she is destined to go under the scalpel for a lobotomy. Why? Well her ostensibly well-meaning and very wealthy aunt “Violet” (Katharine Hepburn) is convinced that she is a danger to herself and those…
Reviewed on November 15, 2025
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Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) is available to stream on YouTube TV, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) includes Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, Albert Dekker and Mercedes McCambridge. The film was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Suddenly, Last Summer was released on December 22, 1959 and runs for 1h 54m.
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) holds an average rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 325 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy thriller, drama and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Suddenly, Last Summer trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
