Summer Night

Summer Night plays like a spiritual sequel to Swept Away in which the couple get something akin to a happy ending, or as happy an ending as Lina Wertmüller is capable of crafting, which is more elliptical than emphatic. A wealthy industrialist (Mariangela Melato) kidnaps a Sicilian renegade (Michele Placido) and engages in verbal warfare and sexual dynamism. This is Wertmüller operating under her typical wheelhouse and doing a damn fine job of presenting a solid entry into her oeuvre.

Taking a brief glimpse of her career, this was something of a return to her eternal wellsprings after branching into other genres and narratives. Nothing wrong with that, how often has Martin Scorsese return to the gangster epic, so long as it offers something new. Mainly, it comes in the form of that ending which is more a whimper than a pronounced cry.

It all adds up to a film that is more enjoyable than the daredevil and brazen earlier works. Swept Away’s blurring of sex and politics to the point where they become inextricable from each other recurs here. It largely simmers as Melato’s high-powered super-bitch ties up and tortures Placido before, even captive in chains, he turns the power dynamics against her. Their cat and mouse game are a lot of fun to watch as are the various supporting players like a quirky spy and his inept sidekick.

If Summer Night feels formulaic it’s at least a solidly built formula that proves enjoyable. Sometimes all you need is a solid entry that provides enough differentiation from a master to make for a pleasant evening. Summer Night may not rank among her best but it’s certainly a solidly constructed one.