''Summertree'' is a 1971 American
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
directed by
Anthony Newley
Anthony Newley (24 September 1931 – 14 April 1999) was an English actor, singer, songwriter, and filmmaker. A "latter-day British Al Jolson", he achieved widespread success in song, and on stage and screen. "One of Broadway's greatest leadin ...
, about a young man who drops out of university, falls in love with an older married woman, and contemplates
dodging the draft to avoid serving in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
. The screenplay was written by
Edward Hume and
Stephen Yafa, based on the 1967 play of the same name by
Ron Cowen
Ron Cowen is an American writer and producer. He is a partner with Daniel Lipman in the television production company Cowlip Productions.
Filmography
As a writer
* ''Queer as Folk'' (2000–2005) TV Series (developed by, writer) with Daniel Li ...
.
Plot
In 1970, 20-year-old Jerry (
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas (born September 25, 1944) is an American actor and film producer. He has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, five Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and the A ...
) visits his parents Herb (
Jack Warden
Jack Warden (born John Warden Lebzelter Jr.; September 18, 1920July 19, 2006) was an American character actor of film and television. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for ''Shampoo'' (1975) and '' Heaven Can Wait' ...
) and Ruth (
Barbara Bel Geddes) to tell them he is considering dropping out of university to find himself. His parents are worried, not only because they have wasted expensive tuition on Jerry, but also because the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
is raging and by dropping out, Jerry will lose his student
draft deferral.
Inspired by a television advertisement, Jerry becomes a
Big Brother to a black child named Marvis (Kirk Calloway). When Marvis is slightly injured in a fall, they visit a hospital where Jerry meets a nurse named Vanetta (
Brenda Vaccaro
Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language.
Origin
The overall accepted origin for the female name Brenda is the Old Nordic male name ''Brandr'' meaning both ''torch'' and ''sword'': evidently the male name Brandr took root in area ...
). Jerry and Vanetta soon fall in love, despite Vanetta being older than Jerry, and they begin living together. Jerry accidentally discovers an autographed photo of Vanetta declaring her love to a man named Tony (Bill Vint). Vanetta explains that Tony is her husband and they separated two years ago, although they are not divorced.
Jerry follows through on his plan to drop out of university. Confident in his self-taught guitar playing, he auditions for the
conservatorium and gets a regular paying gig playing at a local
coffeehouse. Herb discovers that Jerry has dropped out when he receives Jerry's draft notice in the mail. Jerry is initially not worried because he expects to be accepted to the conservatorium, which would restore his student draft deferral. Unfortunately, despite his impressive audition, the conservatorium rejects him for lack of any formal musical training. He investigates other ways to evade the draft, to no avail.
Jerry's streak of bad luck continues when Marvis's older brother is killed in Vietnam and Marvis takes his anger out on Jerry, ending their relationship. Next, Tony, having just returned from Vietnam wearing his Marine uniform, comes to Vanetta's apartment while she is out, and tells Jerry that Vanetta promised to wait for him. When Vanetta comes home, Jerry leaves to let her and Tony deal with their personal issues. Jerry buys an old
Ford Falcon
Ford Falcon is an automobile nameplate applied to several vehicles worldwide.
* Ford Falcon (North America), an automobile produced by Ford from 1960 to 1970.
* Ford Falcon (Argentina), a car built by Ford Argentina from 1962 until 1991.
* Fo ...
and plans to flee to Canada to evade the draft. Vanetta, torn between Tony and Jerry, decides not to accompany Jerry to Canada.
The night before Jerry is supposed to report for his induction physical, he visits his parents to tell them he is going to Canada and to say goodbye. After a family argument, Herb appears to accept his decision, but urges him to have his car inspected for safety at the local gas station the next day, and even buys him a set of new tires. While Jerry looks at some road maps, he overhears Herb attempting to bribe the gas station mechanic to disable Jerry's car so it cannot run for a few days, in order to prevent Jerry's departure. Jerry bursts into tears and drives his car out of the station into another car being towed by a tow truck.
In the final scene, Herb and Ruth go to bed as their bedroom television broadcasts news footage of action in Vietnam. As they close their eyes, the television shows a close-up of a dying Jerry being carried away by fellow soldiers.
Cast
Production
Michael Douglas had been cast in the original play on Broadway but was fired from his role and replaced with
David Birney
David Edwin Birney (April 23, 1939 – April 27, 2022) was an American actor and director whose career included performances in both contemporary and classical roles in theatre, film, and television. He is noted for having played the title role ...
. His father
Kirk Douglas bought the rights to the play and filmed it with his son in the lead he lost.
The title refers to a tree house that Jerry returns to sit in.
During the low-budget production, Brenda Vaccaro and Michael Douglas initially shared the same trailer, then began a six-year relationship.
She guest starred twice with him in ''
The Streets of San Francisco
''The Streets of San Francisco'' is a television crime drama filmed on location in San Francisco and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television (QM produced the show on its ...
'', playing a rookie cop in season 1, episode 15, and a
hit-woman in season 3, episode 2, during that time.
Critical reception
Roger Greenspun of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' did not care for the film:
The ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' reviewer wrote "Newley brings individual scenes beautifully to life, with Douglas clearly defining his role as the personable-but-self-centered hero. Miss Vaccaro, despite the character's indecisiveness, is charming. The two of them make their love story fresh and believable."
Gene Siskel of the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' gave the film 2 stars out of 4 and called it "occasionally moving," but found the relationships to "lack believability" and the ending "an ironic statement that is decidedly out of place." Richard Combs of ''
The Monthly Film Bulletin
''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
'' wrote that Michael Douglas' performance "has an energy and vitality that gives an edge to the theme of wasted youth. Other elements in ''Summertree'' blend less successfully—the contrived spontaneity of Jerry's romance with Vanetta and the fragmentary treatment of his relationship with the negro boy. Anthony Newley's direction, however, is surprisingly unselfconscious and responsive to a talented cast, though there is little he can do with the over-neat tying together of all the ironies in the last half hour."
See also
*
List of American films of 1971
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Bryna Productions
1971 films
1971 drama films
American drama films
Bryna Productions films
Columbia Pictures films
American films based on plays
Films directed by Anthony Newley
Films scored by David Shire
Vietnam War films
1970s English-language films
1970s American films