In the spirit of his BRIEF ENCOUNTER, David Lean directs this bittersweet romance, starring Katharine Hepburn, with maturity and sophistication. Based on Arthur Laurents' play, the premise is simple, but Lean, along with co-screenwriter H.E. Bates, finds ways to surprise us. Just like the way the characters have of surprising each other.
Jane Hudson (Hepburn, THE AFRICAN QUEEN) is a girl (every woman in America under 50 refers to herself as a girl) from Akron, Ohio, who has saved her whole life to take a trip to Venice, Italy. She's looking for that something that has been missing from her life. But like so often is the case, the fantasy we pursue is easy to want, it's the first leap that's tough. Jane views herself as the independent type, but she is deeply lonely. She's looking for romance, but is scared when shop owner Renato de Rossi (Rossano Brazzi, THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA) takes an interest in her. She's scared of everything actually. Scared that the romance isn't what she imagined. Scared that it might just be better than she ever thought.
Jane's loneliness has made her a fragile woman. She stays in a small hotel so she can be away from tourists like herself, but she won't accompany the hotel owner Signora Fiorini (Isa Miranda, THE NIGHT PORTER) to dinner with her friend, afraid of being the third wheel. She's even afraid to get to know the young artist couple Eddie and Phyl Yaeger (Darren McGavin, A CHRISTMAS STORY, & Mari Aldon, THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA). She feels safer around the obnoxious American couple Mr. & Mrs. McIlhenny (MacDonald Parke, THE MOUSE THAT ROARED, & Jane Rose, FLIPPER). The Italian she is most comfortable with is the young street kid Mauro (Gaetano Autiero), who she pays to show her around.
Lean takes his time to develop Jane's character, making us understand her loneliness and building anticipation for the romance to come. We smile when we see her coming out of her shell just a bit more scene after scene. In a lesser film, the second Signora tells her she needs to push a little to find the magic, she'd be on the town partying like she's a different person. But this film understands its characters and real life and doesn't want to present a fairy tale fantasy. When she gives in to the advances of de Rossi, it's dangerous, just like any affair of the heart, there is always the chance that someone is going to get hurt. Lean makes us feel this and it makes the whole experience all the more rewarding.
Hepburn is charming as usual. Her performance earned her an Oscar nomination. While she plays some of the high moments a bit too high for my taste, she's perfect in the quieter moments when her character is trying to mask her fears and misgivings. Hepburn was an independent woman in real life, but here she plays a wannabe so well. In a bit of trivia, she opted to do a stunt where she falls into the channel herself. She prepared for the swim in the polluted water, but forgot about washing out her eyes. She contracted a staph infection, which plagued her for the rest of her life.
As is the case with any Lean film, his collaboration with his cinematographer is essential to the film's look. He and Jack Hildyard capture the old world beauty of Venice right from the start. Most people will be accustomed to Lean's wide epic vistas, but for the most part Lean keeps his visuals intimate, showing the city on a personal level. This feel is perfect for the intimate romantic material. This isn't DR. ZHIVAGO where a romance is set again larger world events. This is a story of one sad woman trying to find a bit of happiness in a far off place.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
