This week’s classic movie picks celebrate the “Hollywood on the Tiber” era, though one stays exclusively on the Grand Canal in Venice, and a third spends most of its time on the Arno. All three include Italian-born Rossano Brazzi in leading or supporting roles.
Brazzi is perhaps best remembered playing opposite Mitzi Gaynor in 1958’s “South Pacific” but actually was introduced to American audiences much earlier, including two of the three picks featured here. Though he has made recordings, his singing voice was generally dubbed in his English-speaking movies.
Born in Bologna, the son of a shoemaker, Brazzi worked as a lawyer before turning to acting. Film production circles remember him for his habit of ordering off-menu at restaurants and his love of karaoke. He was often referred to among contemporaries by the nickname Merlion (sea lion), an allusion to the fish-like body and lion-like head of a statue that adorns Singapore Harbor. It’s an apt description of his powerful on-screen presence.
Three Coins in the Fountain
RELEASE DATE: 1954 DIRECTOR: Jean Negulesco STUDIO: 20th Century Fox HEADLINERS: Dorothy McGuire, Clifton Webb, Jean Peters, Rossano Brazzi, Maria Williams, Louis Jourdan RUN TIME: 1 hour, 42 minutes FILMED IN: Color IMDb RANK: 6.2
SYNOPSIS: Three American roommates working in Italy throw coins into Rome’s Trevi Fountain and wish for the man of their dreams. Frances sets out to win the heart of her erudite novelist employer; Anita defies office rules by romancing an Italian who works with her at a government agency; and Maria, a newcomer at the same agency, sets her cap for an Italian playboy prince. But can they seal their fate?
NOTES: Theme song sung by an uncredited Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for best song and became an enduring classic. FIlmed entirely in Italy, mostly Rome, with a few scenes in Venice and Italian countryside. Based on the 1952 John Secondari novel of the same name, this story has been remade three times. Midcentury modern costumes designed by freelancer Dorothy Jeakins are by themselves worth a viewing.
Summertime
RELEASE DATE: 1955 DIRECTOR: David Lean STUDIO: UA HEADLINERS: Katharine Hepburn, Rossano Brazzi, Isa Miranda RUN TIME: 1 hour, 42 minutes FILMED IN: Color IMDb RANK: 7.1
SYNOPSIS: Middle-aged, never-married Ohio secretary Jane Hudson has never found love and has nearly resigned herself to spending the rest of her life alone. But before she does, she uses her savings to finance a summer in romantic Venice, where she finally meets the man of her dreams, the elegant Renato Di Rossi.
NOTES: Premiered in UK under alternate title, “Summer Madness.” One of first British-produced films shot entirely on location. Local gondolieri, fearful of losing income during the height of the summer tourist season threatened to strike if Italian government officials gave permission. But United Artists made a generous donation to restoration of St. Mark’s Basilica to buy them off. Lean also promised the cardinal no short dresses or bare arms would be seen in or near the city’s holy sites. Hepburn’s character was disinclined to do scene where she falls into canal, but Lean insisted. To alleviate her fears, he had water disinfected, which caused it to foam, then required filming four times until he was satisfied with results. To protect her skin, Hepburn was covered with petroleum jelly. Later that night, her eyes began to itch and water. She was eventually diagnosed with a rare form of conjunctivitis that plagued her the rest of her life. The Production Code Administration objected to the movie in original form because of its depiction of adultery, and 18 feet of film, plus a line of dialogue, where the two main characters consummate their relationship, were cut
Light in the Piazza
RELEASE DATE: 1962 DIRECTOR: Guy Green STUDIO: Warner Brothers HEADLINERS: Olivia DeHavilland, Yvette Mimieux, Rosanno Brazzi, George Hamilton, Barry Sullivan RUN TIME: 1 hour, 42 minutes FILMED IN: Color IMDb RANK: 6.9
SYNOPSIS: American Clara Johnson is traveling in Italy with her mother. She’s lovely and charmingly naive and captures the attention of Florence local Fabrizio Naccarelli, who connives to know where mother and daughter will sightsee next. His wealthy father is just as concerned about where this will lead as Clara’s mother is. Then mom starts thinking perhaps the union could work. But what secrets is she hiding about the true nature of her daughter’s innocence? And what will Signor Naccarelli do if/when he finds out?
NOTES: Based on the 1962 Elizabeth Spencer novel of the same name and was subsequently made into a musical stage play. Exterior location shooting in Italy, particularly Florence and Rome. Hamilton campaigned for the role of Fabrizio and eventually replaced another already cast actor; his Fabrizio is as delightfully innocent as Mimieux’s Clara. Dior designed DeHavilland’s costumes, all of them stunners that make viewers feel like they’re watching a runway show, complete with fake breezes ruffling the skirts in just the right places.
Use the comments to share…
- If you have seen one of these movies and what you thought of it
- If you have a favorite movie set in Italy
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