A Summer Place

A Summer Place

Year: 1959

Runtime: 130 mins

Language: English

Director: Delmer Daves

RomanceDrama

Set against the backdrop of a bustling summer inn, a self‑made businessman finds himself drawn back to a former lover. As their teenage children fall for each other, a passionate but reckless romance unfolds, leading to dramatic and far‑reaching consequences for both couples.

A Summer Place (1959) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at A Summer Place (1959) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

The story unfolds on Pine Island, a quiet stretch of Maine coast where a modest summer inn serves as the heartbeat of a close‑knit community. The salty air and the rhythm of tourists drifting in and out create a warm, nostalgic backdrop that feels both intimate and a little isolated, setting the stage for hidden emotions to surface beneath the everyday bustle.

Bart Hunter and his long‑suffering wife Sylvia Hunter have devoted their lives to keeping the aging inn afloat, their marriage weathered by years of financial strain and unspoken wear. When Ken Jorgenson, now a successful research chemist, arrives with his wife Helen Jorgenson and teenage daughter Molly Jorgenson, old memories flicker to life—Ken and Sylvia once shared a youthful romance that never quite faded. Their re‑encounter hints at lingering affection and the complex choices that can arise when past and present collide.

Meanwhile, the next generation watches the adults’ dance of longing and duty. Johnny Hunter, the Hunters’ teenage son, and Molly find themselves drawn together, their own budding feelings echoing the unresolved past of their parents. Their relationship adds a fresh, restless energy to the summer scene, suggesting that love’s pull can be both invigorating and fraught with consequence.

The film balances gentle, sun‑kissed scenery with an undercurrent of emotional tension, inviting viewers to linger on the quiet moments that hint at deeper currents. As the inn’s doors stay open to strangers and old friends alike, the overlapping lives of these families promise a summer where desire, responsibility, and the yearning for a new beginning intertwine, leaving the audience wondering which bonds will endure the heat of the season.

Last Updated: December 05, 2025 at 09:18

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Movies about forbidden love and social hypocrisy like A Summer Place

Stories where illicit desires clash with rigid societal expectations.Explore movies like A Summer Place, where passionate, forbidden romances unfold against a backdrop of societal judgment. These films focus on the dramatic tension between personal desire and public morality, often featuring secret affairs, family conflict, and the high price of defying convention.

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Narrative Summary

Narratives in this thread typically center on a central, taboo relationship that threatens the established social order. The plot is driven by the tension between the characters' private desires and the public consequences of their actions, leading to dramatic confrontations, scandals, and life-altering choices.

Why These Movies?

These films are grouped together because they share a core focus on the destructive and transformative power of illicit love. They create a specific mood of tense, melancholic romance, where the thrill of passion is constantly shadowed by the fear of exposure and the weight of moral conflict.

Bittersweet summer romance dramas like A Summer Place

Emotional stories where summer romances lead to painful but hopeful change.If you liked the nostalgic yet tense atmosphere of A Summer Place, discover more movies with a similar bittersweet summer vibe. These films often use a seasonal backdrop for stories of passionate romance, family secrets, and life-changing events that leave characters forever altered.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern often involves characters escaping their ordinary lives for a summer, where they form deep connections that are tested by external pressures or internal conflicts. The story unfolds with a steady pace, building to a climax that resolves the central romance but leaves emotional scars, resulting in a bittersweet ending that acknowledges both loss and growth.

Why These Movies?

These movies are connected by their distinct bittersweet emotional mix and the use of a summer setting to frame a dramatic, life-altering story. They share a specific vibe of nostalgic romance underscored by melancholy and the tension between idealized moments and harsh consequences.

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A Summer Place Summary

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A Summer Place Summary

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A Summer Place Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in A Summer Place

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Characters, Settings & Themes in A Summer Place

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