Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

In the sultry backdrop of 1937 New Orleans, Louisiana, a desperate struggle for truth unfolds in the hallowed halls of the Lion's View Mental Institution. Here, Dr. John Cukrowicz (Montgomery Clift), a young psycho-surgeon, is on the verge of revolutionizing the treatment for lunacy with his novel, albeit controversial, lobotomy experiments. Yet, the institution is on the brink of collapse, starved of essential funding. In the midst of this dire situation, hope emerges from an unlikely source. The affluent and formidable widow, Mrs. Violet Venable (Katharine Hepburn) extends an offer that seems too good to resist—a staggering one million dollar donation to Lion's View. However, her benevolence harbors a chilling condition: the institutionalization and lobotomy of her niece, Catherine Holly (Dame Elizabeth Taylor). Mrs. Venable's seemingly unbreakable bond with her late poet son, Sebastian (Julián Ugarte), is tainted by his sudden death during a summer vacation in Europe with Catherine, the previous year. But Catherine's recollections of the events are unsettlingly vague and filled with disturbing insinuations, leading Mrs. Venable to brand her as mentally deranged. She is determined to silence Catherine, believing the lobotomy will protect Sebastian's memory from being tarnished. Dr. Cukrowicz is the only barrier between Catherine and the irreversible operation. Torn between desperately needed funds for his institution and his professional integrity, he finds himself at a crossroads. Catherine vehemently denies her supposed insanity, yet something unspoken from that fateful summer with Sebastian haunts her. With mounting pressure from Mrs. Venable, who is willing to use her wealth to manipulate Catherine's mother, the decision to proceed with the operation becomes increasingly complex. In this enthralling narrative of wealth, power, and a haunting past, the question remains: will Dr. Cukrowicz uncover the disturbing truth of what happened last summer, or succumb to the allure of Mrs. Venable's bribe and forever silence Catherine's voice?

Suddenly, Last Summer is a drama movie featuring Elizabeth Taylor and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

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