a through work. precious for the acting and for the adaptation of play. but, more important, for the atmosphere. the angel, the fireworks, the force and fragility of idea makes the film to be different by ordinaries expectations. sure, Geraldine Page and Laurence Harvey are impressive but the essence is represented by a precise delicacy of director who explores different planes and give color to different levels of story. it is a Tennesee Williams but not only. new nuances, discreet details, the performance and the music are ingredients for a brilliant show of vulnerability, decisions and choices. a splendid film. or, more precise, a filigree.

Geraldine Page had her first true starring role in "Summer and Smoke" released in 1961. Yes, she had been a theatrical star and did television work, and did fine in 1953's "Hondo" opposite John Wayne. But here, Page brings the repressed Tennessee Williams character of Alma to glorious life. The story, set in the 1920's, deals with the Southern small town stifling morals of the day. Page is a preacher's daughter, making her even more repressed; her father is played by actor Malcom Atterbury with all the proper moral condemnation. Her mother, played by old Hollywood star Una Merkel, is mentally unbalanced, adding to the responsibility Alma feels, as she lives at home with both of them. Alma is at an age that would have been considered a "spinster" of the times. Enter the young handsome doctor John (Laurence Harvey), whom Alma has known since childhood, since he lives next door with his cantankerous doctor father (John McIntyre). Alma desires John, but her own sexual inhibitions will now allow her to explore that, so she secretly lusts after him. John is a fellow who focuses on the physical, and takes up with a woman who would have been considered quite loose at the time (Rita Moreno in an early performance). John knows Alma desires him, and he is not sure how to handle it. He tries to take the relationship further, but Alma resists his sexual advances. Neither of these individuals is wrong for how they feel - and they seem to go through the whole movie not connecting. This is probably the finest work Laurence Harvey did on screen - his smoldering sexuality is used here to great effect. He and Page have palpable chemistry. The supporting players are capable as well, but this is Geraldine Page's show, and her genteel demeanor and southern accent are spot on. We are left pondering Alma - she is both tragic and wonderful.

This is based on one of Tennessee Williams lesser known plays. Apparently, the film is a pretty close adaptation of the play. Based on the film, I can see why this is lesser known than works like A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of those plays, but they are miles above Summer and Smoke.First of all, I couldn't help but feel that the two main characters were absolutely as stupid and annoying as the leads in any film I've ever seen. The character development is bad-the sudden changes in their attitudes are wholly unbelievable. Everything about the film is extremely obvious-about as subtle as a kick in the face. The whole thing reeks of senseless cynicism. Worst of all, there is enough melodrama in this one film to fill a whole day's worth of programming on the Lifetime Channel.Given what they had to work with, the performances in the film aren't that bad, I guess.

Enjoyed this dramatic love story which involves a girl named Alma Winemiller, (Geraldine Page) a pretty young gal who is a preacher's daughter and very straight laced. Alma grew up with the boy next door named John Buchanan Jr., (Laurence Harvey) and unknowing to herself she fell in love with him a very long time ago. Alma always looks out her window in order to see what John is doing and simply cannot stop watching his whereabouts in life. John's father is a medical doctor who sends John off to medical school and when he returns back home, Alma is all grown up and still has a heart throb for Johnny. However, John has changed and became a ladies man and is a wild guy who loves women and drinking. John finds a Spanish girlfriend named Rosa Zacharias, (Rita Moreno) and they are always making romantic love and living it up every weekend. Alma shows an interest in John and goes after him for a date and John decides to take her out on a date and finds out she is not willing to make love to him, so he calls her a cold fish and predicts she will become an old maid. Great film and excellent acting.