HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT: Suddenly, Last Summer

Posted on the 12 August 2014 by Shane Slater @filmactually

This week's film for Hit me with your best shot is an adaptation of the Tennessee Williams play "Suddenly, Last Summer". It stars Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn and Montgomery Clift and it surely put their acting talents to good use with its wordy script. The story is about the secrets surrounding a young man after his mysterious death, which are so scandalous that his mother requests a lobotomy for her niece (his presumed lover) in order to cover them up. The plot that unfolds is what I can best describe as psychological warfare. From the sinister intent of the lobotomy to the unhealthy mother-son relationship, there's a lot of crazy to go around.
In choosing my best shot, I've tried to reflect the film's madness with an image that seems like a subliminal attempt to mess with the viewer.
Click below for my favorite shot...
This shot comes from the end of the film as Catherine (Elizabeth Taylor) is finally revealing the truth behind Sebastian's death. In her flashback, we seem him running from a hoard of young boys and he passes the skeleton seen above. We soon see that it's just an illusion, but it gets you wondering if she's actually crazy or not. We're expected to assume that she's being truthful, but this simple image planted some seeds of doubt in my mind. Or maybe I'm just overanalyzing??