10:30 P.M. Summer

In Tribute to director Jules Dassin, who died Monday, March 31st, at age 96, TCM is changing its evening programming on Sunday, April 20th to honor the actor with a double-feature salute. Sunday, April 20th 8:00 PM Naked City 9:45 PM Topkapi TCM REMEMBERS JULES DASSIN (1911-2008) Jules Dassin gained experience in theater and radio in New York before going to work in Hollywood in 1940, first with RKO (as assistant director) and then with MGM. Dassin hit his stride in the late 1940s with such dynamic (and still well-regarded) film noir melodramas as "Brute Force" (1947), "The Naked City" (1948), "Thieves' Highway" (1949) and "Night and the City" (1950), starring Richard Widmark who died this past Monday, March 24th. After being blacklisted he moved to Europe, where he scored his greatest international successes with the French-produced "Rififi" (1955) and the then-scandalous "Never on Sunday" (1959), starring his second wife Melina Mercouri. For the most part, his later films--such as "Up Tight" (1968), an ill-conceived black remake of John Ford's 1935 classic "The Informer"--have been disappointing and inconclusive. Dassin, however, maintained that among his own films, his personal preference was "He Who Must Die" (1958), starring his wife Melina Mercouri. It is one of his least known films and is rarely screened today but here is a description of it: "Greece, in the 1920's, is occupied by the Turks. The country is in turmoil with entire villages uprooted. The site of the movie is a Greek village that conducts a passion play each year. The leading citizens of the town, under the auspices of the Patriarch, choose those that will play the parts in the Passion. A stuttering shepherd is chosen to play Jesus. The town butcher (who wanted to be Jesus) is chosen as Judas. The town prostitute is chosen as Mary Magdalene. The rest of the disciples are also chosen. As the movie unfolds, the Passion Play becomes a reality. A group of villagers, uprooted by the war and impoverished, arrive at the village led by their priest. The wealthier citizens of the town want nothing with these people and manipulate a massacre. In the context of the 1920's each of the characters plays out their biblical role in actuality." Family DAUGHTER: Julie Dassin. Actor. Mother, Beatrice Launer. SON: Joey Dassin. Mother, Beatrice Launer. SON: Rickey Dassin. Mother, Beatrice Launer. Companion WIFE: Beatrice Launer. Former concert violinist. Married in 1933; divorced in 1962. WIFE: Melina Mercouri. Actor, politician. Born c. 1923; Greek; together from 1959; married from 1966 until her death on March 6, 1994. Milestone 1936: First role on New York stage (Yiddish Theater) 1940: First film as assistant director Directed first stage play, "The Medicine Show 1941: Directed first short film, "The Tell-Tale Heart" 1942: Feature directing debut, "Nazi Agent/Salute to Courage"

10:30 PM Summer Is director Jules Dassin's sixth film starring his talented wife, Greek actress Melina Mercouri. After the comic caper success Topkapi he collaborated with novelist Marguerite Duras on this small-scale tale of love and death in Spain. Duras' highly atmospheric story observes the erotic tension between three travelers that cross paths with a hunted murderer. Synopsis: Englishman Paul (Peter Finch) is en route to Madrid with his Greek wife Maria (Melina Mercouri), his child Judith (Isabel María Pérez) and their friend Claire (Romy Schneider), when police roadblocks and a storm force them to stay in an outlying village. The police are searching for local man Rodrigo Palestra (Julián Mateos) for the murder of his wife and her lover. Forced to sleep in a corridor at the crowded hotel, Maria discovers that her husband and Claire are having an affair. When she sees the fugitive Rodrigo shivering on the hotel roof, Maria determines to help him escape. The title 10:30 PM Summer is a tip-off to director Dassin's exacting approach to a tale of intimate emotions. After showing us Rodrigo's violent crime of passion we stay mostly with the alcoholic, troubled Maria and her traveling partners. Their specific relationships remain unexplained. Something happened between Paul and Maria in Italy a few years back, perhaps an indiscretion, but we're not sure who was at fault. Maria has invited Claire knowing full well that Paul is attracted to the younger woman; Claire confides to Paul that she thinks Maria brought her along because she wants to encourage an affair. The moody and alcoholic Maria consistently expresses her affection for both of her traveling companions. Ambiguous verbal references and a shared shower make us wonder if Maria and Claire aren't themselves attracted to one another. Maria is devastated when she sees Paul and Claire embracing, yet does not confront them. She instead throws herself into a foolhardy effort to spirit Rodrigo away from the police. Rodrigo Palestra's primitive jealousy is thematically contrasted with the more 'civilized' but less honest dealings between the affluent tourists. Neither in the commercial mainstream nor a fully committed art house entry, 10:30 PM Summer has good performances and an involving storyline. Mercouri is drawn to risk everything to help the desperate fugitive, but she's not after a physical relationship. Paul, Maria and Claire are unusual partners in an unstated ménage à trois; at one point Maria cannot distinguish whether she dreamed of Paul and Claire making love, or if it really happened. Dassin and Duras (a literary master of muted erotic encounters) keep the details vague, which will frustrate viewers expecting a Peyton Place level of transparency. As it is, the movie replicates the romantic confusions of real life. Each participant has an individualized impression of what's going on. Dassin's sensitive direction is matched by excellent color cinematography by Gábor Pogány that bathes the attractive leads in rich, warm colors. Mercouri is fascinating -- in a couple of scenes she drops the heavy eye makeup -- and the younger Schneider is a vision. The two or three sex scenes are brief but hypnotic. Peter Finch is less interesting but makes a credible straying husband. Pogány captures contrasting atmospheres perfectly: an inviting hotel, midnight rainfall, a smoky flamenco club and dawn breaking over the dry Spanish landscape. The final couple of reels lack urgency. Maria apparently opts for a new notion of 'love', and the story resolves only on a thematic level. The Antonioni-like finish is vaguely comical, when Paul and Claire run through Madrid at dawn shouting for Maria. It's such a common Spanish name that we expect every window door to open in answer. MGM/Fox's DVD of 10:30 PM Summer is stunning in a glorious enhanced transfer. The rich color knocks us out immediately in a title sequence of hands clapping to a flamenco rhythm. Stereo tracks are available in English and French, although English appears to be the language used on the set; subs appear in English and Spanish. No extras are offered. This DVD release leads us to hope that Dassin's earlier Phaedra might be next from MGM. It stars Ms. Mercouri, Anthony Perkins, Raf Vallone and has an intoxicating music score by Mikis Theodorakis. For more information about 10:30 P.M. Summer, visit MGM Video. To order 10:30 P.M. Summer, go to TCM Shopping. by Glenn Erickson