Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (1973) User Reviews

Marvelous acting

[sdave7596 · 7/10 · 1 March 2008]

By the early 1970's, films had become more personal and character studies were emerging on the screen. Such is the case with "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams." At first glance, the film seems to be about Rita (Joanne Woodward) coping with the sudden and awful death of her mother (the wonderful Sylvia Sidney). The film then shifts to the apparently empty marriage between Rita and her husband Harry (Martin Balsam). They travel to Europe, where emotions and past resentments come to the foreground. Rita has much guilt about her son, who apparently wants nothing to do with her or Harry - we find out he is gay, but never the exact reasons why he can't stand either of them! (The son is seen only in flashbacks). Harry has a very emotional reaction while visiting Bastogne, where he fought in WWII. Rita has a breakdown in a London subway tunnel, apparently imaging she has seen her dead mother. Harry and Rita's daughter seems to have no purpose in the film except to be sanctimonious and shrill. This is not a perfect film, and at times the script jumps around. There are a few things that don't quite jive. There seems to be a lot of Freudian type psycho babble in the film (which was popular at the time). But it is the fine performance of Joanne Woodward that shines here. Ms. Woodward is one of the best actresses ever to grace the American cinema. Martin Balsam is in fine form here too. A quiet little film worth watching.

Intimate strangers, unfamiliar relations...

[moonspinner55 · 6/10 · 24 February 2008]

Uptight, possibly frigid, panic-stricken middle-aged New York housewife has to learn to let go of the past, a refuge which doesn't necessarily bring her happiness but does provide her life with some kind of stability. Joanne Woodward gives a good performance here; not at all vain, and unafraid to let herself be pinchy, selfish, or even annoyingly helpless, Woodward overcomes this rather dreary "woman's picture" material with thoughtful touches and nuances. It's a heavy load however, and she doesn't have much help until the final reel when her needling, provoking matron takes a European trip with her husband (Martin Balsam, also doing fine work) and she comes to see her humanity as something she can work with as opposed to frittering it away. Screenwriter Stewart Stern's dialogue is heavy with a writer's pretensions, and often the chit-chat is pedantic, forced and unreal. Near the beginning, Woodward gets a phone call from her mother and asks, "Who is this?" A few scenes later, Woodward becomes exasperated with her husband and asks, "How many years have we been married?" These moldy exchanges are lazy outs for a writer wanting to introduce us to the characters; instead of letting us discover these people and their hang-ups for ourselves, everything is spelled out (and poorly so). We are to understand that Joanne's estranged son is gay after she has a dream in which a male dancer is caught in the boy's bedroom--in ballet tights! The 'colorless' color cinematography is a mix of putrid browns and greens, and director Gilbert Cates begins each new sequence with a big wind-up, as if the movie were starting all over again. The rhythm is off, and with lines like "You approach every new relationship like you would a toll-booth, Mrs. Santa Claus!", one doesn't know how to respond to the characters. It's possible that some of Woodward's jaunts to her past, both real and imaginary, will strike some viewers as very personal, but the film isn't especially moving, at least not until the final third. **1/2 from ****

Springs Foreword, Falls Back

[wes-connors · 6/10 · 2 July 2016]

In wintry New York City, attractive middle-aged Joanne Woodward (as Rita) awakens from nightmare. After battling insomnia, Ms. Woodward arranges to meet nicotine-stained mother Sylvia Sidney for lunch. The bickering mother and daughter suggest complaining may be an inherited trait. Woodward fears she's going blind, but husband Martin Balsam (as Harry Walden), conveniently an eye doctor, discovers his wife needs reading glasses. Keeping herself busy, Woodward babysits a crying grandson and sees a revival of Ingmar Bergman's "Wild Strawberries" with Ms. Sidney. During black-and-white movies, Woodward dreams in black-and-white. An unhappy event forces Woodward to reexamine her life. To help, Mr. Balsam takes his wife on a European trip...

"Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" is a dreary story about an unlikable woman. Masterpieces may fit that description, but this isn't one of them...

The characters and story are rich, but undeveloped. The camera follows when it should lead and a few edits appear to favor scenery at the expense of characters. Most pointedly, Woodward's whimpering epiphany is inadequate. She never gets to let her hair down. Still, it's a good film. The acting is universally excellent. Woodward and Sidney won major acting awards. Balsam is just as good. Writer Stewart Stern does best with a secondary story involving Balsam's character, a World War II veteran. Self-identified "fat" daughter Dori Brenner (as Anna) and her aunt Tresa Hughes (as Betty) are brief, but memorable. Director Gilbert Cates artfully introduces Woodward's estranged son Ron Richards (as Bobby) in the opening nightmare, then, he is regulated to dreams.

****** Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams (10/21/1973) Gilbert Cates ~ Joanne Woodward, Martin Balsam, Sylvia Sidney, Dori Brenner

pretty good...realistic

[MarieGabrielle · 16 August 2011]

Not uplifting but good drama here, Joanne Woodward never disappoints. She is a middle-aged housewife in NYC, married to World War 2 veteran Martin Balsam. When her mother passes away suddenly she begins to re-examine her life.

There are no easy answers here, or "deux ex ma-china" moments wherein everything is solved and life goes on with a saccharine smile.

As a couple, Balsam and Woodward are believable here, in a stab at saving his marriage Balsam suggests a trip to Europe. There are some interesting flashbacks here as he recalls the 1940's when he was a 20 year old soldier killing other 20 year old at the Battle of Ardennes. The scenery is evocative and atmospheric.

Both are estranged from their lives, and children, but somehow manage to hold on. Woodward is always empathic, her scene as she has a quiet breakdown in the subway while remembering her deceased mother is believable. (I have been through something similar myself, mother having died in an accident). It is well-filmed and effective. Recommended. 9/10.

personal crisis

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 8 August 2020]

New York City homemaker Rita Walden (Joanne Woodward) is having a mid-life crisis. Her husband Harry Walden (Martin Balsam) is an optometrist and WWII vet. She has a son and a daughter. Her mother (Sylvia Sidney) is opinionated.

It's an interesting character study. Her relationship with her mother is the most fascinating. It's too bad that it's cut off. She has a fascinating exchange with her daughter but again that connection is fleeting. The least dramatic may be her marriage but that's what stays on the screen. Her marriage is never truly threatened. His WWII visit is about him, not her. It may be a compelling memory but she needs to go on a solo journey. She could have a night out with a gay guy which leads to reconciliation with her son. I do appreciate this journey that is laid out. I just think a more challenging journey would be more compelling.

Summer and Winter Madness **1/2

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 9 January 2006]

Joanne Woodward in another frustrating Oscar nominated performance.

As a middle aged woman, Joanne faces a breakdown not helped when she accompanies her mother, a very old-looking Sylvia Sidney, to the movies and have her mother drop dead in the theater. This would be enough to set anyone off. Given Woodward's past movie history, it does not take much to accomplish this.

No matter where she is, she can't get her mother out of her mind. Her mother seems to be all over the place waving to her even at the top of a staircase.

Both Woodward and Sidney were Oscar nominated for best actress and supporting actress respectively. Mercifully, they both lost.

The fact remains that life has enough frustrations and even though dying is a part of it, we don't need the constant reminder. Get a life Ms. Woodward.

The thinking person's Lifetime TV movie.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 29 August 2020]

Back when going to the movies was a theatrical experience where you got characters instead of car crashes and explosions, you had films about people living situations that audiences could identify with. These simplistic on the surface but complex internally were written in an intelligent way that helped them deal with their own similar crisis and come out of it with a better understanding. After her glory days as a glamorous star, Joanne Woodward chose to make films like this and "Rachel, Rachel" which were quite different than the "From the Terrace" and "A New Kind of Love" style from the early 1960's.

Woodward's character here is an upper middle-class New Yorker, married to a doctor, and yet discontented with her life. She has issues with her rather Dowdy daughter, doesn't get to see her gay son who lives abroad and finds that her relationship with her husband (Martin Balsam) isn't the perfect protection from the many storms she faces. Then there is her aging mother, veteran actress Sylvia Sidney, who has a zest for life that Woodward could never hope to achieve, and they argue in public before tragedy occurs.

Now needing to take a good strong look at her life, Woodward goes off with her husband to England she must confront all the aches that life has dealt her. This is where the film will divide its viewers because some will find it dull and pretentious while others may see themselves as they too face middle age. Woodward, Balsam and Sidney are all excellent, and I wish there was more time between Woodward and her mother.

Locations shot in Greenwich Village and London are fascinating for their., with the Washington Square arch visibly in the background in a neighborhood that hasn't changed in 50 years. When Woodward is in London and goes up the rickety escalator coming out of the tube, you almost feel like you are among the crowds. This is also ahead of its time in dealing with the gay issue, as Woodward must face her failings as a person and accept that her son would have been who he is with or without her guidance. Balsam actually seems more accepting of that revelation than she does. It is interesting yet must be absorbed with patience, and like the classic Broadway musical "Follies", it gives us the answer about life that some things are never fully resolved or understood.

America almost lost World War Two because of proliferating khaki . . .

[oscaralbert · 6/10 · 18 August 2020]

. . . bath tissue, SUMMER WISHES, WINTER DREAMS reveals. When the Fuhrer's juvenile shock troops pinned down Allied Forces in Bastogne, the fastidious Yanks were stranded for days on end having only tan T.P. with which to wipe, due to some sort of requisition snafu. Soon the European village's streets were knee-deep in carp, and the absence of normal white tissue made these quaint thoroughfares impossible to negotiate in a safe and sanitary manner. Coupled with the onslaught of a crazed junior varsity hungry for big time action, the beleaguered Americans nearly lost their main supply depot, an outcome which would have necessitated a second Dunkirk-style panicked evacuation and set back the War Effort by two or three decades. This is why the top U.S. General--when asked by the Prussians his sundae topping preference--famously replied "Nuts!"

Adjustments

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 29 January 2009]

Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams casts Joanne Woodward as a woman going through mid-life crisis in her forties, realizing that she's settled and not selected in her choice of husband and life.

Not that husband Martin Balsam is not a good man, he's a decent enough fellow, an optometrist and back in my parents generation such a guy would have had their mothers pushing their daughters toward him. But Joanne's true love was killed in World War II and Balsam was a guy she settled for.

What brings all her anxieties to a head is the sudden death of her mother Sylvia Sidney while both women were having an afternoon of lunch and a movie. Life seemed a lot more simple back growing up on Sylvia's Connecticut farm. With a second choice husband, a daughter Dori Brenner who's not on the best of terms, a son played by Ron Richards who is gay and living in Amsterdam with another man and only seen in dream sequences, it seems like life is closing in on her. Balsam's sees what's happening to his wife and maybe this optometrist's convention in London is a great excuse for a tax deductible European trip where maybe things can be rekindled.

This film is short on plot, but long and deep on characterization with some great women's roles for actresses who've past their ingénue days. Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams got Joanne Woodward an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and for movie veteran Sylvia Sidney for Best Supporting Actress. Joanne lost to Glenda Jackson for A Touch of Class, both of those women were going for a second Oscar and Jackson lucked out.

What was a real shame was Sylvia Sidney not winning and losing to Tatum O'Neal for Paper Moon. Those supporting categories have become a really good place to honor veterans like her who have moved on to character parts. Don Ameche's award for Cocoon is a great example and I wish Sylvia had gotten this one, for her great performance here and the work of a lifetime.

Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams is a poignant film. The best scenes in it are dealing with Sidney's surviving family and how Joanne wants to hold on to the family homestead when all the rest want to sell. She can't articulate to her family why she feels she could cling to her childhood as embodied in that farm, but we the audience feels what she feels, especially those of who've had a similar experience. For me it was nothing like Woodward's in the film, but I had to face selling our family home in Brooklyn in 1997. The only survivors of my family were my brother and myself and I had my pangs as Joanne did. Three family members of mine died in that same home. What she was able to convey is the mark of a great actress.

Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams gives lie to the idea that they don't write some great parts for the female gender.

Painfully Middlebrow

[evanston_dad · 6/10 · 18 December 2020]

Joanne Woodward fights every step of the way to give a memorable performance despite director Gil Cates's almost painfully middlebrow instincts. She plays a woman having a midlife crisis of sorts, and while part of me was tempted not to give a flying fig about this privileged woman's mommy issues, another part of me is always fascinated by narratives about people having emotional crises, and I enjoyed watching how this one played out.

Martin Balsam gives a good performance as Woodward's husband, and his character provides much needed ballast to her self-pitying angst. He came through WWII a haunted man but decided to use his experience to bring a positive outlook to the rest of his life, taking nothing for granted, and it's his perspective that finally provides the kick in the pants Woodward needs to get over herself and move on.

Woodward received the third of four career Oscar nominations for her performance, while Sylvia Sidney, as her mom, was nominated in the Supporting Actress category. She's fun enough to watch while she's in the film, but I'm not sure that five or so total minutes of screen time really warranted an Oscar nomination. Though there is a very funny and memorable scene of the two of them bickering about lemons.

And am I the only one who was struck by how much Woodward resembles Geraldine Page, both in looks and manner, in this movie? You really could have replaced her with Page and not even noticed the difference.

Grade: B-

The Winter of Our Malcontent

[blankenshipdk · 4/10 · 25 July 2016]

Joanne Woodward as Rita plays the angst ridden whiny frosty central character in this nearly 2 hour excursion straight into dullsville which is variously identified as New York and London. Apparently part or most of her ill tempered moodiness stems from interactions with her family, which is believable, however the dysfunction is relentless. A daughter appears in a couple of scenes briefly and argues with Rita. A son appears briefly in a couple of scenes and argues with Rita. Rita's mother appears briefly early on and argues with Rita. Martin Balsam as husband Harry tries to endure churlish Rita for the duration. Being an M.D., we can only assume Harry has the convenience of self medicating. Perhaps he could also prescribe a tonic for Rita's hallucinations and dreams which are supposed to be indicative of something apparently. Much of the dramatic inertia unfolds around meals, inspiring discussions about epicurean conceits such as the preferred thickness of lemon, which in turn spawns more familial hostility. Overall, a sense of sourness pervades as excessive sniveling is on display year round with this crowd.

Wonderful acting!

[JulJoAnnicgraith · 10/10 · 29 August 2002]

Joanne Woodward earned every bit of that Oscar nomination she received for this movie. Her performance is believable and moving. This is acting at its best (another performance I find amazing is Joanne Woodward as a victem of Multiple Personality Disorder in "The Three Faces Of Eve"- be sure to see that). Woodward never lets you down. I really liked this film because it was so real. You could really believe this was happening. But the title, "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" really has nothing to do with it, atleast nothing that I noticed. This is a must-see movie if you're looking for some good acting!

Wonderful moments, but not enough

[Davalon-Davalon · 5/10 · 4 February 2019]

I saw this movie when it was released. Something about it resonated with me because flashes of it kept coming back years later. I finally purchased the DVD as I cannot find it online anywhere.

In brief, the story follows the life of Rita Walden (Joanne Woodward), a troubled upperclass housewife with too much time on her hands. After an interesting start with a day in the city with her mother (Sylvia Sidney) in which Rita seems to be the recipient of every nasty barb that the mother can think of (and many of them are extremely witty and laugh-worthy), the mother dies of a heart attack. This puts Rita in the position of facing her own mortality, something that is very hard for her to do. The story then splits into encounters/memories/fantasies of moments with her gay son (very bold for this day and age), her angry daughter, her loving husband (Martin Balsam, who was touching and believable, despite his long-winded war-memory speech), and her sister, who, along with her daughter, is aching to get their hands on the dead mother's farm.

We are then thrown into Europe where the husband has some sort of conference, Rita has a nervous breakdown, the two of them fight, argue, have a moment of reconciliation when the husband breaks down and recalls his time in the war, and then, finally, it seems they will find a way to make their lives work, despite Rita's emotional inability to connect with others.

There are some great one-liners in here as we sort of careen with Rita through her privileged life. Joanne Woodward is wonderful, with what she is asked to do, but the problem is, this is basically an emotionally troubled woman's inner journey. It is hard to connect with her, because it is hard for her to connect with herself. While I found myself laughing heartily at the one-liners (especially Sylvia Sidney's, who seemed like a parallel-universe version of Bette Davis), I did not find myself caring enough about these people to want to invest emotionally in them.

I think the shocking thing, at the time it was released, was the obvious gay relationship between the son and what looks like a ballet dancer, in a charged scene where Rita walks into the son's room at an inopportune moment.

There were layers and worlds going on in this story, but somehow they weren't really captured. Perhaps worth a one-time watch, but that's all.

Great movie

[[e-mail] · 10/10 · 12 October 2002]

This is a great movie showing Joanne Woodward and her husband in the film, Martin Balsam, dealing with their feelings and memories of the past and the events that have shaped them. I found this movie moving. Joanne Woodward's memories of she and her mother are memorable! I wish I had seen this movie when my mother was still living. Balsam's memories of his war experiences are insightful and moving. We are all shaped by our experiences!

Dealing with an emotional crisis

[barryrd · 3 July 2016]

With a great performance by Joanne Woodward as a middle aged New York woman named Rita Walden going through an emotional crisis, this movie is a true original. Directed by Gilbert Cates, it shows one woman's strained family relationships as the movie goes from one scene to another where she interacts with the other characters in a series of interesting vignettes.

Rita's mother is played by Sylvia Sidney, whose career dated back to 1929 and her husband Harry, an ophthalmologist, is Martin Balsam, one of the most versatile and recognizable of actors. We see imaginary encounters that go through her mind. The opening scene is a jaw dropper. Another of theses occurs in the New York subway station as she imagines her mother and grandparents looking at her from an escalator. I didn't find these flashbacks particularly relevant to the story and they seemed jarring in an otherwise irresistible movie.

We find Rita shopping in the streets of downtown New York near Washington Square with her energetic, 73 year old mother and then stopping off at a theatre to watch a Bergman movie. The scene shifts to a cemetery covered with brown leaves in the autumn mist as the family bickers over the estate before the deceased is even in the ground. Then on a trip to France with her husband she wanders through a muddy French village where her husband fought in the war. It is here that her husband shares stories that have haunted him for 30 years.

Silvia Sydney is superb in the first part of the movie as a mother with a youthful zest for life, a sharp contrast to her daughter. Martin Balsam is the steadying force in her life but relives his own dark shadows on returning to a former theatre of war in France. Of course, it is Joanne Woodward's role that is critical to the story and she is excellent.

Pointless and irritating

[HotToastyRag · 3/10 · 20 September 2022]

I'm not a Joanne Woodward fan, so why did I sit through the pointless, depressing Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams? Because I'm a Martin Balsam fan, and I'd heard he did a very good job in the drama. He did, but I still didn't enjoy watching it. He played Joanne's husband, but since the bulk of the movie was about her emotional problems, he definitely took a backseat until the final section when they take a vacation to Italy together. Then he turned into Martini Balsamic and stole the show - just kidding. Although he did have an unexpected (and never before seen in his career) love scene, where he tried to seduce his wife. Joanne's response was hurtful, she pushed him off her and said he was cutting off her circulation.

Joanne starts the movie hating her life. She doesn't like her husband, she misses her adult son, she fights with her teenage daughter, and she feels intense frustration and resentment towards her mother. Both she and Sylvia Sidney were nominated for Oscars that year, but Sylvia is only in the movie for about ten minutes. It is an amusing sequence for mothers and daughters to watch, as they spar off each other and get irritated at quirks and patterns. But then Sylvia has a heart attack and dies, and Joanne basically complains, hallucinates, and yells for the rest of the duration. Since I normally can't stand her, it's no wonder why I didn't like this movie. She'd have to play someone extremely likable for me to appreciate her performance, like in her first movie Count Three and Pray. Since this movie was nothing like that cute western flick, I wouldn't recommend it unless you feel differently about her than I do.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. Joanne's dream sequences are filmed in canted angles, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Decent movie, with balanced portrayals

[jeremy3 · 8/10 · 13 January 2013]

Joanne Woodward plays a woman going through a midlife crisis. After spending lunch with her diet obsessed Mom, her Mom collapses at the showing of an Igmar Bergman film. With the sudden loss of her Mom and her husband, an eye doctor, diagnosing her with further impaired vision, she falls into a depression of sorts. I guess this sounds like the typical tearjerker 70s TV movie. Well, sort of. She is not poor. She has a nice apartment and owns a farm through her Mom that she inherited it from. However, there is much more to this movie that makes me long for the old days when movies were about seeming mundane and boring things, rather than superhero comic characters like most of the movies out today.

For example, there is a lot of reality to life and relationships in this movie. At her Mom's funeral the younger generation just wants to watch Joe Namath and the Jets. Her brother-in-law basically wants to argue over the inheritance. Her husband just wants to keep peace. I am sure there are some, if not many families, that can identify with this.

Woodward is someone who one cannot decide whether to love or hate. I think that is a good portrayal, because this adds depth to her. She hears from her daughter, an abandoned single Mom, and her son that she has failed as a mother. Her husband is very kind, wise, and patient, but she is not sure whether she ever loved him or not. I think that the point is that marriages do fall into this doldrum, and there is no easy solution.

She goes off to Europe with her husband as a vacation, but it becomes the chance to move full circle and to wind her way out of the crisis she has entered into. There is a beautiful walk through Hyde Park, but in the subway she encounters crowds and has a daydream that her Mom is alive. That evening she has a long talk with husband, and in the end they conclude that maybe she never loved him but just choose him because she lost out on another love in the past and that he seemed like a reliable person headed for success.

The most magnificent part was at the French village. It was a peaceful and scenic village, but her husband reenacts all his experiences as a soldier during WWII in this village. The village that looks beautiful becomes the sight of horror and nightmares just thirty years before. And it is the remembrance of those horrible days of war through her husband's eyes that help her find peace with her realities.

In conclusion, what I like the most about this movie is that it is a look at real people's lives. I think if this movie was made ten or twenty years later, she would have left her husband and found a multi millionaire lover. It was still the time in the early 70s when real movies were made about real lives without all this escapism and fantasia that destroys the vital points of showing that ordinary people's lives struggles can be grim and yet teach invaluable lessons.

Rita, the snow queen

[petershelleyau · 3 November 2001]

Rita, the "snow queen" is another of Joanne Woodward's aging spinster virgin frumps, that she seemed to specialise in the early 1970's. Depressed and discontent, her mental state is symbolised by the nightmare plane crash that director Gilbert Cates opens the film with. Writer Stewart Stern - who also wrote Rachel, Rachel - loads on the psycho-baggage. She has a demanding mother (Sylvia Sydney), a fat daughter (Doris Brenner), a gay son, and has married a man she did not love (Martin Balsam). All this would be unbearable with anyone but Woodward playing the role since she lightens it with her natural intelligence and sly sense of humour. It's amusing to see Balsam and Woodward argue in their middle-class educated way, though Rita's wearing a mink clues you that she isn't about to scream abuse. Balsam's subtlety, in particular makes you regret his few screen appearances. The only character that isn't redeemed by the acting is that of the gay son, since he is a cypher, and Cates presents his coming out in a homophobic black-and-white expressionistic sequence. Cates is fond of these kind of theatrical flourishes. There is a death at a screening of Wild Strawberries, a spirited chase at a former European battlefield, a family bickering at a graveyard, and Rita has a breakdown in a crowded London subway, which is probably the most believable of them all. Johnny Mandel provides a lovely theme, in his understated way, and then embarasses himself with trumpets in the battlefield sequence.

Good movie!

[RodrigAndrisan · 10/10 · 28 July 2022]

Joanne Woodward, one of the best actresses of all time, one of my favorites, together with Giulietta Masina, Lila Kedrova and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Sensible story directed by Gilbert Cates, who made another very good film, a similar drama, "I Never Sang for My Father" (1970), with the exceptional Gene Hackman. Martin Balsam and Silvia Sidney play two delicate roles very well. Absolutely worth seeing!

Beautiful, but studio interference lessened its impact

[sdiner82 · 9/10 · 29 January 2023]

Having worked on "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" 50 years ago as the Unit Publicist (that's the person who is in charge of a movie's publicity while it is being filmed), this was only my third job in this field, and remains my absolute favorite. During the 3-month shoot, I actually became friends with several members of the cast and crew, the nicest, most harmonious group of people I had ever worked with. I had always been a fan of Joanne Woodward, who went out of her way to be kind to me and we kept in touch for several years after the movie wrapped. She was completely down-to-earth, warm-hearted, had a terrific sense of humor, and was far more beautiful in person than she was ever allowed to be in most of her movies. Stewart Stern was a lovely man, a brilliant writer, and we also remained friends. The director, Gil Cates, gave everyone a beautiful sterling-silver Tiffanys key chain at the wrap party and when he screened the movie for us after he had finished editing it, I honestly thought it would be acclaimed as one of 1973's finest, award-winning films. The running time of Cates' cut was 112 minutes which, to me, seemed perfect. Unfortunately, as was a custom in those bygone days, the studio had a "sneak preview" of the movie at a theater in New Jersey that was showing a raucous slapstick comedy so the audience was in no mood to watch a serious, emotional drama like SWWD and the cards they filled out were mostly unfavorable. But Columbia took this nonsense seriously and ordered the movie's creative team to cut the movie down to a more "palatable" 90 minutes. Reluctantly, the director and writer (Cates & Stern) went back to the editing room and when I saw the 92-minute release print, I was horrified. Far too many crucial scenes had either been deleted or shortened, and Sylvia Sidney's scenes were so drastically shortened that her screen time now amounted to little more than 5 minutes! Of course I was thrilled to receive my first screen credit, but somehow the fact that my name was misspelled seemed appropriate! Despite the studio's butchery, "Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams" still pleased most critics and won a few awards, but I still can't help think how much more enthusiastic its reception would have been had the far more nuanced 112-minute version been released. Scott MacDonough 1/28/2023

January 29, 2023 at 3:29 AM.