Last Summer │ Warner Archive Collection

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment

by CHAD KENNERK

Remarkable things are happening at the Warner Archive Collection. Continuing the welcome trend set by It’s a Wise Child and Letty Lynton, another title previously obscured from home media has been rescued from the vaults. Restored from a 4K scan of the original negative and preservation elements, the new 2026 1080p master of Last Summer is something of a revelation. The long unavailable 1969 drama is directed by Frank Perry, written by his then-wife Eleanor Perry, and based on the novel of the same name by Evan Hunter. Controversial upon release, the film has never been screened in its original theatrical version or released on DVD or Blu-ray, despite being both a commercial and critical success. It marked an early entry in the filmographies of Barbara Hershey and Richard Thomas, as well as the feature debuts of Bruce Davison and Catherine Burns, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role.

The Blu-ray release is thanks in no small part to Larry Karaszewski – the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning writer behind such films as Ed Wood, The People vs. Larry Flynt, Man in the Moon, and Big Eyes – a long-time champion of the film. Karaszewski spent decades trying to track down an intact print. For years, the film was considered all but lost, with only a heavily edited 16mm print known to survive. Then, following Warner Bros.’ acquisition of the Allied Artists library, four reels of the original camera negative were discovered alongside three interpositive and internegative sources. Those elements have now been meticulously reconstructed specifically for this Warner Archive release, restoring Last Summer back to its original theatrical cut.

A polarising loss of innocence shocker set in the dog days of vacation season on New York’s Fire Island, Last Summer tracks four teens as they while away sun-drenched days, caring for an injured seagull and dipping their toes into drugs, alcohol and their burgeoning sexualities. As Karaszewski references in the included booklet essay, Finally, Last Summer, this is no Beach Blanket Bingo. During their time as a husband and wife filmmaking duo, the Perrys were indie trailblazers, delivering a series of complex, psychologically and symbolically rich stories about the darkness lurking beneath the American Dream. From The Swimmer to Diary of a Mad Housewife, the Perrys explore middle class unease.   

The bounty of special features created specifically for the disc includes feature-length audio commentary by Karaszewski and film historian/author Justin Bozung, as well as 2026 post-screening Q&As moderated by Karaszewski at the American Cinematheque (with Barbara Hershey and Bruce Davison) and at the Paris Theater in New York (with Richard Thomas). There’s also the ‘Trailers from Hell’ with commentary by Karaszewski, an Allied Artists promotional reel, and the original theatrical trailer. A deleted scene sees Richard Thomas’ Peter returning home from a night out to find his father, played by Ralph Waite, drunk on the front steps. The two would soon find themselves paired as father and son again in the long-running historical television drama The Waltons. The disc’s slipcover may be a Warner Archive Collection first, a welcome addition to this outstanding Blu-ray debut.

Last Summer is available on Blu-ray 14 July from Warner Archive Collection.
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WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION offers thousands of film and TV series direct from Warner’s studio vault. With a particular emphasis on high-quality restorations and remasters on Blu-ray disc, Warner Archive Collection brings rare and hard-to-find classic motion pictures and television series to home video. Often appearing for the first time on Blu-ray, titles are chosen each month from the unparalleled library of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which spans more than 100 years of cinema history.

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