But unfortunately it is not one of Warren Beatty's and the movie suffers as a result. First of all his accent is atrocious, you are never NOT aware that this is Warren Beatty making like an Italian. Lotte Lenya however steals every scene she is in. Now there was an actress! One just can't get enough of her on screen with her manipulations, her cat, her pimping, all with this extremely thin over-layer of civility. Fascinating people in bit parts scattered throughout, look for a very young Jill Ireland, ditto Jean Marsh long before the success of "Upstairs, Downstairs". Most of the movie was filmed in England with second unit only in Italy. this accounts for the stagey sets and obvious backdrops, another detriment.
Vivien portrays the vulnerability, need and boredom of the character of Karen Stone incredibly well. This is her second to last movie (her last was "Ship of Fools". At the time her own marriage to Lawrence Olivier had fallen apart and she had had several nervous breakdowns and this comes across in her brittle performance and the sense of displacement she brings ("drifting" it is called in the movie). *****Minor Spoiler***** A riveting scene takes place when she and Paolo have finally parted and a party disintegrates to the accompaniment of herself and Paolo projected on to a home movie screen in happier times. Unforgettable. 7 out of 10 for the parts that did work. Worth seeing.
Vivien portrays the vulnerability, need and boredom of the character of Karen Stone incredibly well. This is her second to last movie (her last was "Ship of Fools". At the time her own marriage to Lawrence Olivier had fallen apart and she had had several nervous breakdowns and this comes across in her brittle performance and the sense of displacement she brings ("drifting" it is called in the movie). *****Minor Spoiler***** A riveting scene takes place when she and Paolo have finally parted and a party disintegrates to the accompaniment of herself and Paolo projected on to a home movie screen in happier times. Unforgettable. 7 out of 10 for the parts that did work. Worth seeing.