Summer Lovers movie storyline. A young American couple go to the Greek islands for the summer and are dazzled by the beauty and the uninhibited people surrounding them. The young man meets and begins an affair with a French woman, an archeologist working on a dig. The young American woman discovers this and goes to confront the other woman. The French woman is quite taken with the American woman’s photographic work, and the three become very close.
Summer Lovers is a 1982 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Randal Kleiser, starring Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen. It was filmed on location on the island of Santorini, Greece. The original music score is composed by Basil Poledouris. Summer Lovers featured “Hard to Say I’m Sorry”, a No. 1 hit for Chicago and “I’m So Excited” by The Pointer Sisters.
About the Story
Michael Pappas (Peter Gallagher) and Cathy Featherstone (Daryl Hannah), a young couple from Chicago who have just graduated from college in the United States, have known each other about 10 years and have been together about half that time. They vacation for the summer on the Greek island of Santorini. When they visit a nude beach crowded with other young tourists, they are hesitant at first but find themselves getting caught up in the uninhibited energy and decadence that surrounds them.
Cathy reads a book of sexual techniques, then ties Michael to the bed and drips candle wax on his chest. She comments that everyone thinks she’s “such a Goody Two-Shoes” but she wants a little more adventure.
Michael, who says he has never been with another woman, keeps noticing Lina Broussard (Valerie Quennessen), a French archaeologist on temporary assignment at the nearby Akrotiri excavation. One day, at the beach without Cathy, he gets his chance to talk to Lina and ends up starting an affair with her. He then feels so guilty that Cathy immediately notices something is wrong, and he admits what he has done, insisting that he still loves Cathy.
Cathy is naturally disturbed by this, but tells him to get it out of his system, which he takes as permission to return to Lina. Cathy then goes to a local bar intending to sleep with another man as a way to get revenge against Michael for cheating on her. But in the end she chickens out after getting picked up by an amorous local boy. When Michael comes home later after seeing Lina again, Cathy says she wants out of the relationship.
Cathy goes to Lina’s home to confront her. Lina assures Cathy that she does not intend to take Michael away from her, which seems to calm Cathy somewhat. Lina and Cathy end up spending several hours together getting acquainted, and find themselves fascinated by each other’s work — Lina’s archeology and Cathy’s photography.
Michael is confused when he learns that the two women are developing a friendship, but he quickly recovers and the three of them spend a few days gradually getting closer. Cathy knows Michael is still sleeping with Lina from time to time, but seems to accept it, although she says it would be difficult for her to see them in bed together. Nevertheless, she tolerates increasing signs of affection between Michael and Lina in her presence.
Summer Lovers (1982)
Directed by: Randal Kleiser
Starring: Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah, Valérie Quennessen, Barbara Rush, Carole Cook, Hans van Tongeren, Lydia Lenosi, Vladimiros Kiriakidis
Screenplay by: Randal Kleiser
Production Design by: Bruce Weintraub
Cinematography by: Timothy Galfas
Film Editing by: Robert Gordon
Set Decoration by: Ann Coleman
Music by: Basil Poledouris
Distributed by Filmways Pictures
Release Date: July 16, 1982
Views: 177
