The Picasso Summer
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''The Picasso Summer'' is a 1969
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
starring
Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...
and Yvette Mimieux. The screenplay was written by
Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, and r ...
(using the pseudonym of Douglas Spaulding) based upon his 1957 short story "In a Season of Calm Weather." The original director was Serge Bourguignon, whose rough cut was rejected by
Warner Bros Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
. Another director, Robert Sallin, was hired to reshoot some scenes and the changed ending. Even with the reworked scenes, the film was never released to theaters in the United States. It was sold for distribution to television networks and stations with Sallin receiving credit as the director. Future
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
winner
Vilmos Zsigmond Vilmos Zsigmond ASC (; June 16, 1930 – January 1, 2016) was a Hungarian-American cinematographer. His work in cinematography helped shape the look of American movies in the 1970s, making him one of the leading figures in the American New Wave ...
was the cinematographer.


Plot

George Smith is a bored young San Francisco architect who is depressed after finishing a project to which he felt that his contribution was of little consequence. After George and his wife Alice attend a vacuous party, George reassesses his life. He admires
Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...
, an artist who pursues his dreams with abandon. George suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to meet Picasso and takes Alice along on a sudden trip to France. They arrive in the south of France and arrive at the gate of his villa only to be told that Picasso does not see visitors. After a dismal dinner, George retreats to a bar while Alice returns to the hotel. The next morning, George returns with a Frenchman whom he has befriended, and they are both inebriated. However, George's obsessive quest has begun to bother Alice. She refuses to accompany him to Spain to find a famous matador friend of Picasso who may be able to arrange an introduction. George has an adventure in Spain with the matador while Alice wanders about the French town alone. She meets a blind painter and his wife, who invite her home for dinner and give her one of his paintings. George returns, thoroughly disappointed that his great quest has come to nothing. He apologizes to Alice for taking her on such a miserable vacation. They take one last swim at the beach before walking off into the sunset, failing to notice Picasso, who is at the same beach with his family and standing a few hundred yards away, drawing fantastic figures in the sand.


Cast

*
Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with '' The Entertainer'' (1960) ...
as George Smith * Yvette Mimieux as Alice Smith *
Luis Miguel Dominguín Luis Miguel González Lucas (9 November 1926 – 8 May 1996), better known as Luis Miguel Dominguín, was a bullfighter from Spain and son of noteworthy bullfighter, Domingo Dominguín. Dominguín adopted his father's name to gain popularity. ...
as himself (the bullfighter) *
Theo Marcuse Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...
as The Host * Jim Connell as The Artist *
Sopwith Camel The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
as The Band at the Party * Peter Madden as Blind Man * Tutte Lemkow as Drunk * Graham Stark as Postman * Marty Ingels as man at Party * Bee Duffell as German Tourist


Music

The score was composed by
Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...
, and features the theme "Summer Me, Winter Me". It appears in its instrumental form on the soundtrack album (coupled with Legrand's music for '' Summer of '42''). However in its vocal setting, with words by
Alan and Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated telev ...
, it has been recorded by many artists, including
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
,
Sarah Vaughan Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "Jazz royalty, The Divine One", she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine ...
,
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
,
Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...
,
Kiri Te Kanawa Dame Kiri Jeanette Claire Te Kanawa , (; born Claire Mary Teresa Rawstron, 6 March 1944) is a retired New Zealand opera singer. She had a full lyric soprano voice, which has been described as "mellow yet vibrant, warm, ample and unforced". Te ...
and Morgana King.


See also

* List of American films of 1969


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Picasso Summer, The 1969 films 1969 drama films Pablo Picasso American drama films Films scored by Michel Legrand Films based on works by Ray Bradbury 1960s English-language films Films directed by Serge Bourguignon 1960s American films