Accused barn burner and con man Ben Quick arrives in a small Mississippi town and quickly ingratiates himself with its richest family, the Varners. Civic leader Will Varner decides Ben might be just the man for his daughter, Clara, much to the displeasure of Will's gutless son and Clara's society boyfriend.
The ending is an unconvincing cop out, but it can't spoil the film's compulsive dramatic tension (or a marvellous comic cameo from Angela Lansbury as Welles' long-suffering mistress).
Director Martin Ritt and writers Harriet Frank, Jr. and Irving Ravetch opted for a less-than-faithful adaptation of the author's work, and the results were excellent.
O belo roteiro, escrito a partir de histórias de William Faulkner, ganha ainda mais dimensão graças às performances de Newman, Woodward e Welles - além, é claro, da direção segura de Martin Ritt e da ótima fotografia.
New York Times
March 25, 2006
The Long, Hot Summer starts superbly and ends in a senseless, flabby heap.
Chicago Reader
July 04, 2003
[An] uneasy blend of three Faulkner short stories.
