Summerspell

Summerspell is an independent film written and directed by Lina Shanklin. It premiered at the U.S. Film Festival (the precursor to Sundance) on April 1, 1983.

Plot
The film follows as the members of a large extended family gather on the Fourth of July for a not-so-happy reunion on their West Texas ranch right after World War II.

A gripping drama of beauty and sacrifice in the tradition of O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and early William Faulkner. An edgy 4th of July weekend finds the Wisdom clan gathering on a remote West Texas ranch to bring the family’s once-powerful dying patriarch back home against the will of Bernice, the “outsider” who stands alone against her husband’s loyalty to a family that doesn’t deserve it. Trying to reach her adolescent daughter across the wordless gulf between them, Bernice finds the courage to stand up against the selfish machinations and cheerful hypocrisy of her houseguests and break the vow of silence that has destroyed her family and set her apart.

"Shanklin has etched a family saga in the tradition of O'Neill, Tennessee Williams, and early William Faulkner. Strikingly lensed and directed with a firm hand, SUMMERSPELL marks the debut of a talented Yank director with an unusually refined eye." -- VARIETY

"The adult awakening of a young girl, a long-kept secret that refuses to stay buried, a reunion of the family that must not admit to the truth collide in this story of a family coming apart. The film boasts strong direction by Lina Shanklin (One Of Those Nights), breathtaking photography by Robert Elswit (Let There Be Blood, Boogie Nights, The River Wild, Tomorrow Never Dies) and matchless performances from an ensemble cast."

-- JFK CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Cast
Dorothy Holland as Bernice Wisdom Jennifer Mayo as Eleanor Wisdom Frank Whiteman as Lowell Wisdom

Michael Holmes as Uncle Ezra

Joan Crosby as Aunt Maggie

Kay Freedman as Aunt Lillian - Gay Hagen as Aunt Edna Mae Ed Wright as Grandfather Wisdom Coleman Creel as Cecil Bert Tanswell as Rich

Production
Shanklin based the script off her experiences growing up in the American Southwest. She said it took her nearly four years to get the film made.