Main Cast: Richard Harris, Lois Nettleton, Geraldine Fitzgerald, William Windom, Brad Savage
Release Year: 1976
Country: CA/US
Run Time: 99 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
14-year-old Jodie Foster portrays Deirdre Striden, an 11-year-old cancer victim in Echoes of a Summer. Eugene (Richard Harris) and Ruth (Lois Nettleton), her parents, are consumed by grief over the imminent demise of their daughter. It is Deirdre herself who, during a summer vacation in Nova Scotia, tries to help her parents face the inevitable with courage. Echoes of a Summer was originally titled The Last Castle, which is also the title of its theme song, composed by costar Richard Harris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
While it's a bit too calculated in its efforts to tug at the heart strings, Echoes of a Summer is nevertheless an undeniably affecting little tearjerker. As it's dealing with a child dying of a terminal disease, it's to be expected that it will try to manipulate the audience, and some of it is very obvious in this regard -- but it works anyway. And on the plus side, Echoes features a number of scenes that help to undercut its soapier moments, including a touching and lovely segment in which Jodie Foster and Brad Savage have a (non-sexual) encounter on the beach which is quite well done. Foster's scenes with doctor William Windom also help to keep things above tear level. This kind of film rises or falls on its young victim, and Echoes has Foster giving a devastating yet tasteful performance; her emotions are so perfectly placed and so well tuned that she raises even the more maudlin moments into real drama. It's a beautifully calibrated, commanding performance. Savage and Windom are also quite good, as is Lois Nettleton as her mother. It's only Richard Harris that can't keep up, offering a mannered, one-note performance that becomes grating and threatens to capsize the whole thing. Fortunately, Foster is around to put things back on an even keel. She makes Echoes well worth watching. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Jodie Foster - Deirdre Striden; Robert L. Joseph - Druggist
Credit
Don Taylor - Director, Michael F. Anderson - Editor, Howard Harris - Executive Producer, John Coquillon - Cinematographer, Sandy Howard - Producer, Robert L. Joseph - Producer, Richard Harris - Producer, Richard Lightstone - Sound/Sound Designer, Robert L. Joseph - Screenwriter
