Plot Summary
In the years of the Vietnam War, families faced many different unique challenges posed by the international conflict. Milly and Gerald have recently been married, but they have been forced to live with Gerald’s eccentric mother due to financial challenges. Milly’s sister Kate is torn between the pro-war and anti-war efforts due to her mother’s past suicide. When Gerald and Kate’s on-and-off boyfriend Peter are called to the war front for various reasons, Milly and Kate must both live with Gerald’s eccentric mother Joanna as the world around them seems to be falling apart. Together, they must rekindle the faith they were always taught in order to make it through.
Production Quality (2 points)
Sharon and Fred Wilharm of Mainstreet Productions have always had a commitment to building authentic productions. Summer of ’67 is no exception, as they demonstrate a clear attention to specific historical detail in the props, sets, and locations. Video quality and camera work are also quite professional. Audio quality is mostly fine as well, although the soundtrack can sometimes be too loud and somewhat out of place. As they are still transitioning from making silent films, some adjustments like this can be expected. Also, the editing can be a bit choppy at times, which can cause the story presentation to be confusing. Overall, with just a few more tweaks, the Wilharms are very close to mastering professional productions, especially those in need of historical authenticity.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, as Mainstreet Productions used to only make silent films, the plot of Summer of ’67 is not really what it could be. It comes off as a loose collection of ideas that need better synthesis and organization. The good thing is that the story does unfold without narration, but some of the dialogue is slightly expository. Outside of a few interesting conversations, unfortunately, the dialogue does not do enough to build the characters as people. Some scenes are too short and not explained very well, and time seems to jump from one thing to the next without very clear coherency or organization. Thus, a lot of the characters come off as shallow, even though they have potential, and a lot of story ideas seem unfinished. While the ending is very interesting and realistic, the lead-up is not quite enough to hold the attention of the audience. Overall, it’s clear that the Wilharms really care about trying to making great films; they are just not quite there yet in the plot department.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Another adjustment from making silent films is obviously going to be acting coaching. While this cast is mostly fine and has a lot of potential, there are one too many scenes where the cast members don’t appear to know what they are doing. Some of the acting is too stilted and robotic in both line and emotional delivery. As a good note, this might be Mimi Sagadin’s best role, but she needed a bit more screen time than she was given. On the whole, this section is mostly average.
Conclusion
We know that the Wilharms really do mean well in their films, and the historical authenticity of this production has great value. It’s definitely going to be an adjustment to move from silent to non-silent films, so growing pains are to be expected. However, since the Wilharms have always been committed to improving however they can, we believe that Summer of ’67 is something that can be built off of for future improvement. Perhaps next time, if a more substantial plot is crafted, the next Mainstreet film could be Hall of Fame.
Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points
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