''Passionate Summer'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, excl ...

and starring

Virginia McKenna Dame Virginia Anne McKenna, (born 7 June 1931) is a British stage and screen actress, author and wildlife campaigner. She is best known for the films ''A Town Like Alice'' (1956), ''Carve Her Name with Pride'' (1958), ''Born Free'' (1966), and ...

Bill Travers William Inglis Lindon Travers (3 January 1922 – 29 March 1994) was a British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist. Prior to his show business career, he served in the British army with Gurkha and special forces units. E ...

and

Yvonne Mitchell Yvonne Mitchell (born Yvonne Frances Joseph; 7 July 1915 – 24 March 1979) was an English actress and author. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s. Her roles include Julia in the 1954 BBC ...

. It is also known by the

alternative title An alternative title is a media sales device most prominently used in film distribution. Books and films are commonly released under a different title when they are screened or sold in a different country. This can vary from small change to the t ...

''Storm Over Jamaica''. It was based on a best-selling 1949 novel by Richard Mason called ''The Shadow and the Peak''.

Premise

A British schoolteacher moves to Jamaica to teach after a tumultuous divorce, and meets an exciting new woman.

Cast

- Judy Waring *

- Douglas Lockwood *

- Mrs Pawley *

Alexander Knox Alexander Knox (16 January 1907 – 25 April 1995) was a Canadian actor on stage, screen, and occasionally television. He was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe for his performance as Woodrow Wilson in the film '' Wilson'' (1944). ...

- Leonard Pawley *

Carl Möhner Carl Martin Rudolf Möhner (11 August 1921 – 14 January 2005) was an Austrian film actor, director, screenwriter and painter. He appeared in more than 40 films between 1949 and 1976. His most famous roles were as Jo "le Suédois" in the 19 ...

- Louis *

Gordon Heath Gordon Heath (September 20, 1918 – August 27, 1991) was an American actor and musician who narrated the animated feature film ''Animal Farm'' (1954) and appeared in the title role of ''The Emperor Jones'' (1953) and ''Othello'' (1955), both l ...

- Coroner *

Guy Middleton Guy Middleton Powell (14 December 1906 – 30 July 1973), better known as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor. Biography Guy Middleton was born in Hove, Sussex, and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before ...

- Duffield * Pearl Prescod - Mrs Morgan * Ellen Barrie - Sylvia

Production

The film was based on Richard Mason's novel ''The Shadow and the Peak'' which was published in 1949. It was Mason's second novel, following ''The Wind Cannot Read'', which the Rank Organisation had filmed with Dirk Bogarde. The ''New York Times'' called ''The Shadow and the Peake'' "diverting, it is humorous, it contains the necessary serious undertones." In March 1950 it was announced that Alec Guniness was weighing up whether to appear in ''The Mudlark'' at 20th Century Fox or ''The Shadow and the Peak'' from J. Arthur Rank. Robert Hamer was to write and direct. Guinness elected to make ''The Mudlark'' and there were reportedly issues getting the script approved by the censor. In December 1951 Hamer said producer Michael Truman would be going to the US in January to negotiate changes to the script with the Breen Office (the US censor). Hamer was to make the movie for Ealing and he wanted to star

Vivien Leigh Vivien Leigh ( ; 5 November 1913 – 8 July 1967; born Vivian Mary Hartley), styled as Lady Olivier after 1947, was a British actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice, for her definitive performances as Scarlett O'Hara in '' Go ...

. Michael Balon reportedly gave his approval, then changed his mind, worried about the film's erotic content. This led to Hamer leaving Ealing. In December 1957 it was reported that film rights were owned by Kenneth Harper, who had offered the lead to

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment ...

, who had just made ''

Action of the Tiger ''Action of the Tiger'' is a 1957 British CinemaScope action film directed by Terence Young and starring Van Johnson and Martine Carol. It was distributed by MGM. The plot is about the rescue of a political prisoner held in Albania. Carson, pla ...

'' with Harper. In March 1958 it was announced the film would be made in Jamaica and at Pinewood Studios under the title of ''Passionate Summer'' starring Virginia McKenna, Bill Travers and Yvonne Mitchell. McKenna was coming off two large hits, ''A Town Like Alice'' and ''Carve Her Name with Pride''. Stars Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers had married in real life in 1957. Filming began shortly after production had started on another Mason adaptation, ''The Wind Cannot Read''. Director Rudolph Cartier was under contract to the BBC but was released to Rank to make the film.

Reception

''Variety'' said It "will do nothing for the reputation of the British film industry". The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' said "any forebodings roused by the story outline of this film are thorough fulfilled." In the US, ''Passionate Summer'' was the name given to a French film starring Raf Vallone that came out in 1957. So the film was retitled in America as Storm Over Jamaica.

Box Office

The film was a box office failure. Travers later said that because of this he and McKenna became "less than favourites with the Rank Organisation".

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0052053
Passionate Summer
at BFI 1958 films 1958 drama films Films shot in Jamaica Films shot at Pinewood Studios British drama films Films scored by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino Films directed by Rudolph Cartier 1950s English-language films 1950s British films