Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

The film has an enjoyable title song by Frank Sinatra. It has scenic touristic views of Rome without plenty of tourists. I have never seen the Trevi Fountains so empty, it must have been filmed very early in the morning.Three women who work as secretaries share an apartment in Rome. Miss Frances (Dorothy McGuire) has been working conscientiously for noted writer John Frederick Shandwell (Clifton Webb) for some years. She is besotted by him, everyone knows this apart from Shandwell who learning that Miss Frances is thinking of leaving the country offers to marry her as a marriage of convencience only to learn she has always loved him. He then finds out that he has less than a year to live which causes ructions with his new found relationship.Anita (Jean Peters) and Maria (Maggie McNamara) work as secretaries at for a US Agency. Anita who is nearing going back to the USA falls for a local man Giorgio Binachi (Rossano Brassi) who works as a translator but wishes to train as a lawyer but he gets fired from his job for fraternising with Anita. Maria decides is attracted to the womanising Prince Dino di Cessi (Louis Jourdan.) She finds out all the stuff he likes, he is amazed by how much they have in common until she tells him the truth.The film is a bland fairy tale. Maria's story is the most fun and involving. There is no romantic chemistry between Miss Frances and John Frederick Shandwell. Clifton Webb was a great character actor, he was not a romantic lead.

I anxiously anticipated all those kids to fall off the picnic bench in the lovely sloped hillside scene. Who would go all that distance and considerable trouble to enjoy a few sandwiches? Well, artificial methods led to some genuinely gorgeous vistas of Rome and Venice.Sixty years hence and it shows how crowded each city was and nary plant even a single tree?? I was hoping to see more of Venice and other location shots versus the trite dialog within interior shots. The Villa Eden palace was affordable for these three lowly secretaries was so believable due to the favorable exchange rates, although I doubt they meant the lira!Louis and Rossano make up for the ditsy chicks and delighted to see one of their youngest versions to date. I have been all over Italy, the men really do pinch your derriere, despite your husband at your side. I was supposed to be a good sport about it but wanted to smack the creep nonetheless.The most amusing aspect of the film was the new girl waited an ENTIRE month to find a husband, after all that training to give up and go back to the States humiliated. That's true grit girlfriend. And so the rest of the film manages to surprise with major plot twists and inordinate moments of shocking behavior. I thought Europeans were more open minded about male friends and public mingling. Perhaps they will make FOUR COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN?? Hope to get my many suspenseful questions answered!High recommend for Italy in Technicolor and those two gorgeous men to save the day for us poor womenfolk.

In Rome, Maria (Maggie McNamara) is arriving to work in translation. Also in the office is Miss Francis (Dorothy McGuire), who work for an esteemed writer, John (Clifton Webb) and has done so for 15 years. Maria's roommate is also employed at the same agency. Her name is Anita (Jean Peters) and she is planning to return to the States very shortly. According to this young lady, she is going back to her fiancé but, in truth, she is in love with an Italian co-worker named Giorgio (Rossano Brazzi). Office romances are forbidden so she sees no future. Before too long, Maria is at the Trevi fountain where the other gals give her instructions about its possibilities, should she decide to toss in a coin. What great fortune for Maria to consequently meet a Prince (Louis Jourdan) who is handsome and rich. Setting her cap at him, she studies his tastes in everything from food to music and more, so that she can impress him. It works all too well and now Maria is apprehensive about his discovery of the truth. With Francis pining for John while Maria and Anita have also lost their hearts, who will find a happy ending? This is a sweet, lovely romance from the fifties which is becoming a bit dated, unfortunately. The cast is nice and talented but the ladies sure have to sport unflattering hairstyles and clothes, sometimes they look 10 years older than the men they love! On the flip side, the scenery is magnificent while the script and direction show some humor amid the pathos, with strength. If you've always wanted to see this one, like me, do it. It would even go very well in a "double header" with When in Rome, the fine Kristin Bell-Josh Duhamel romantic comedy of recent filmography.

This film used to be a big ratings draw when it aired on TV. I would hear about discussed among the female members of the households, and eventually the film would get seen. It was in fact the subject of a few news' reports, and several hit songs.Me, I never got it. What? No phasers? No Captain Kirk or Mister Spock? No lasers or guns ablazing? What the heck? Oh... it's a romance.Okay, after the initial boyish knee jerk reaction, I would try to take in the film, get bored, and go watch something else on the small portable black and white. Well, eventually I would watch the whole thing (under protest) but found a fondness for it after a while.It's one of the great old fashioned romances of all time. Not being Italian, nor European of any sort, I see an old fashioned romanticism with the old world, and in a healthy way. We see a kind of sanitized rendition of the young Italian males aggressively going after the female travelers in search of fortune of love. They eventually overcome fears and apprehensions about social class and ideals of what they want and think they want.It's part of what good romances are all about and do. It is of course a fantasy, and like all good fantasies we see the twists and renditions of hearts' dreams fulfilled. In films like this we're presented with characters who have lofty ideals and expectations of what they want and think they want. The story unfolds and shows us and them that what it was they were searching for may not be what they thought they wanted. In real life this is often the case, but not always. Technically; shot using the three stripe process, the colors are marginally muted (a bit of a surprise) but also gives pretty clear imagery. The film, because it is from the 50s, uses primarily master shots to get the story across, and the one action sequence in the film uses maybe two dozen cutaways at most (and like a lot of action sequences, defies some common logic, but hey, it's Hollywood). The composite shots are actually well blended together, but like a lot of composites from the time, the master and background plates don't mesh because of the different lighting schemes. Spectacular interiors, some scenic exteriors, a good slow watch for a Sunday afternoon.An event film that created a splash among the romantically inclined. I can't find any real flaws in it, but again, it's not really my cup of tea. Give it a chance. You might like it.