10:30 P.M. Summer (1966)

Thanks for the memories!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Melina Mercouri plays the unhappily married wife of a cheating Englishman who, while cooped up in an overbooked hotel in a Spanish village with her husband, their child and the husband's mistress, spies someone hiding on a rooftop--the man all the police are searching for, one who has committed double murder, a crime of passion. Adaptation of Marguerite Duras' novel "Dix heures et demie du soir en été" ("Ten-Thirty on a Summer Night"), by Duras and director-producer Jules Dassin, is full of tangled emotions, conflicted desires, crazy behavior (with Mercouri as the jilted wife, how could you not have crazy behavior?). Dassin has movie-making fever, and he pulls a few visual surprises (including a startling point-of-view shot as Melina walks through the crowded hotel at night). Still, these people and their romantic predicament fail to be very interesting. Far more successful is Mercouri's maternal feelings for the murderer--not a major part of the plot, but the moment in the movie when the emotions on-screen really take hold. The haunting finale is memorable as well. **1/2 from ****

An interesting film that still looks good after almost half a century. It's the kind of adult entertainment that demands thinking on the part of the audience. The story is the usual Marguerite Duras bubbameister masquerading as an incisive analysis of a troubled marriage. The film runs only 85 minutes; any longer and it would wear out its welcome. Beautifully photographed in a small Spanish town and countryside, with some exciting glimpses of Madrid toward the end, it's a triumph of visual style. The three principal actors (Melina Mercouri, Peter Finch, Romy Schneider) all look great, especially Mercouri, who at 45 never looked better. Husband director Jules Dassin here captured her at her peak. Peter Finch for a time just about cornered the market on these adult dramas ("The Pumpkin Eater," "In the Cool of the Day," "I Thank a Fool," "Sunday Bloody Sunday"). Plus, this trio can act, which makes all the pointless posturing and dialog seem more important than it is. I particularly like the enigmatic ending (shades of Antonioni's "L'Avventura"). "10:30 PM Summer" has enough merits to warrant seeking out this seldom-seen curiosity.

One of the best films ever seen.was 18 years old when i saw it , and absolutely marked my life.Melina Mercury, was amazing , Rommy Scneider as well. Dassin , proved to be a master in directing his wife, i still remember "never on Sunday " and Stella(directed by Kakoyannis).Just for these 3 films , i consider Melina , to be one of the greatest actresses, together with Bette Davis.I cannot forget the scene , while Melina was watching Finney and Schneider making love and the expression in Melinas face. Also Peter Finch was impressive in that film . Unfortunately, since the time i saw it , i was not able to find it or see it again,if you have any ideas , please let me know

Unfortunately, this is one of the most underrated films in movie history. As a matter of fact, it's almost forgotten nowadays, because it was a flop when it came out in 1966.Jules Dassin's fourth film with his wife, Melina Mercouri, is a slow-moving, poetic love triangle: Maria and Paul, a couple in their forties, travel through Spain with a mutual friend, Claire (played by Romy Schneider), and their daughter. On their way to Madrid, they come through a village where a man has just shot both his wife and her lover. Maria, who has realized that her relationship with Paul has changed, wants to help the murderer...One of the most surprising twists in the plot is the lesbian relationship between Maria and Claire. Maria wants to catch Claire in Paul's arms, and in a delirious state of mind she dreams about it. The scene in the shower with Mercouri and Schneider is pretty unexpected, though.The cinematography is just stunning, Mercouri's acting is divine, and Romy Schneider was never as pretty as in Dassin's drama. It's hard to find, but it is a must-see movie!