"In a few years, a cut throat would be a blessing" that's what Karen Stone (Vivien Leigh) tells Paolo (Warren Beatty)letting us know that she sees her life in an inexorable descend into the unspeakable. Old age is the ultimate punishment for the vain and the selfish. Tennessee Williams dissects that theory with an expert hand. The depression that Vivien Leigh (magnificent, once you get over the wig) carries with her at all times is so pungent and vivid that when you see her smile you may emit a sigh of relief. She's looking for her angel of death and Warren Beatty really looks the part. So Italian in his childishness if not his accent that you understand why Mrs. Stone will let herself fall into his obvious trap, wouldn't you? The pessimism and the sense of tragedy - the most personal and embarrassing kind - leads us by the hand through this gorgeous, gelid journey through a life about to fade in a place, rightly know as the eternal city. Vivien Leigh is sublime looking into her terrifying future. Warren Beatty seems to fit perfectly the reason to go against everything you believe in. Lotte Lenya is great fun to watch and a wonderful villain if I ever saw one. Coral Browne looks enormous next to Vivien Leigh and as a close friend, she reminded me of Mame's closest friend, Vera Charles, the one who would tell you all the ugly truths. I must confess, I enjoyed it but I couldn't shake off the melancholia for days and days.
68 Reviews
Blanche as a aging jet-setter
swinms12 April 2007
I love this movie and recently purchased the 2006 DVD version with accompanying 12-minute "analysis". The analysis features an interview with Jill St. John who admitted that not once during filming did Miss Leigh ever actually speak to her. Interesting. That certainly mirrors the relationship between Karen Stone, the aging and drifting actress, and Miss St. John's irritating bimbo-starlet character in the story. Yes - Beatty's accent is horrendous and distracting but otherwise, he captures the essence of a young Roman hustler. Lenya outdoes herself and is nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance as the procurer. But, Vivien Leigh IS this movie with her fading beauty/fame and related insecurities mirroring those of the title character. Miss Leigh's stunning early 60s couture by Balmain, the posh sets, and that baby-blue Lincoln convertible are wonderful props for a poignant and compelling tale of loss and the loneliness and desperation that can result therefrom.
By the way, I am conflicted and unsure about the finale of the movie. I presume that's what Mr. Williams intended.
By the way, I am conflicted and unsure about the finale of the movie. I presume that's what Mr. Williams intended.
Rather depressing...but well done.
planktonrules10 November 2013
In general, it seems that most big name actresses are loathe to admit that time has caught up with them. Too often, as they get older, the become vain about their age and often portray women MUCH younger than they really are. However, in the case of "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone", Vivian Leigh does something rather brave--she plays a woman who is about 50 (just like Leigh was at the time) and who can no longer play these young woman parts. And I can really respect her for playing a character who hits close to home, so to speak.
When the film begins, Karen Stone (Leigh) is starring in a play. The problem is that her character is just too young for this aging actress to play. Not surprisingly, the audience members think the same and instead of continuing, she decides to quit and take her husband to Italy. He's been ill and this is the perfect excuse to allow her to gracefully pull out of the play. However, on the flight to Rome, he has a heart attack and the credits begin. Soon you learn that he died on the flight and Karen is in this strange city...alone and grieving for her husband.
Because Mrs. Stone is so vulnerable, a horrid old lady has been grooming her--grooming her to be taken by a handsome young gigolo, Paulo (Warren Beatty). Slowly, Paolo insinuates herself into Karen's life and after a while, they become lovers. However, some possible problems occur--Paolo MAY be falling for her for real and Karen soon learns that Paolo has taken advantage of other women and is planning on doing this to her as well. Oddly, however, the relationship continues--even though his prey knows what she's getting into with him.
As I watched this movie, I kept wondering why they cast the characters like they did. Although Beatty did a good job as an Italian, why not just get a handsome young Italian actor?! Also, while Leigh was very good, why have her play an American actress--why not change the story to make her a Brit? I just cannot understand the producer's thinking in both these cases.
So is the movie any good? Well, yes. But you also have to have a very high tolerance for seeing a woman in pain and not mind how unrelentingly grim the story is. This isn't surprising, since it's a story from Tennessee Williams.
When the film begins, Karen Stone (Leigh) is starring in a play. The problem is that her character is just too young for this aging actress to play. Not surprisingly, the audience members think the same and instead of continuing, she decides to quit and take her husband to Italy. He's been ill and this is the perfect excuse to allow her to gracefully pull out of the play. However, on the flight to Rome, he has a heart attack and the credits begin. Soon you learn that he died on the flight and Karen is in this strange city...alone and grieving for her husband.
Because Mrs. Stone is so vulnerable, a horrid old lady has been grooming her--grooming her to be taken by a handsome young gigolo, Paulo (Warren Beatty). Slowly, Paolo insinuates herself into Karen's life and after a while, they become lovers. However, some possible problems occur--Paolo MAY be falling for her for real and Karen soon learns that Paolo has taken advantage of other women and is planning on doing this to her as well. Oddly, however, the relationship continues--even though his prey knows what she's getting into with him.
As I watched this movie, I kept wondering why they cast the characters like they did. Although Beatty did a good job as an Italian, why not just get a handsome young Italian actor?! Also, while Leigh was very good, why have her play an American actress--why not change the story to make her a Brit? I just cannot understand the producer's thinking in both these cases.
So is the movie any good? Well, yes. But you also have to have a very high tolerance for seeing a woman in pain and not mind how unrelentingly grim the story is. This isn't surprising, since it's a story from Tennessee Williams.
Vivien Leigh Echoing Her Life At The Time
alicecbr6 October 1999
Read together the biographies of Tennessee Williams and Vivien Leigh, and you'll know why the depressing aspects of this movie are so realistic!! Vivien was, at the time the movie was made, going through her painful divorce from Laurence Olivier. In the middle of making the film, she had dinner with her beloved Olivier and Joan Plowright, at which time he told her that he was marrying Joan. Vivien had electro-shock treatments right after wrapping this movie. That desolate, soul-searing sadness in her eyes isn't acting!
Tennessee Williams features gigolos, procurers and prostitutes in many of his plays and this was no exception, although the 'action' is disguised by the high-faluting manners of the Countessa (the madam, who lives off the earnings of her 'boys'). You wonder how much Tennessee may have fashioned the play on Miss Leigh's life, as 'Mrs. Stone' is an actress past her prime, whose husband has just absented himself from her life (and his, as well). Williams exquisitely portrays the way we use one another for our own advantage, and Beatty (with a crummy Italian accent) does a great job of 'playing' the self-involved, narcissistic, money hungry Lothario. Once he hooks her, he delights in sadistically attacking her for her 'weakness' in loving him. Ever been there? At that time in his life, Beatty was playing a similar but more innocent role with almost every woman in Hollywood. He has matured well.
The writing was excellent, the scenery in Rome magnificent, but you will be so depressed after seeing this excellent movie that I suggest you also check out 'Bulworth' as a double feature to follow with. Beatty on two sides of his career is worth comparing: drama and comedy, villain and hero. I believe you'll have to say that Warren Beatty is an actor as well as a movie star.
Even though Vivien Leigh did not care for Beatty's arrogance while making this movie, she was able to turn the horror of her personal life into something constructive (as did Tennessee Williams), for which we the public should always be grateful. To make art from the ashes of a marriage----destroyed by death or divorce----- is something each of us would do well to learn.
For those of you with indomitable spirits, another Tennessee Williams film to see for comparison purposes is "Summer and Smoke". The interplay between the romantic leads is more equal, but both portray the sadness from Tennessee's sister Rose's life. She was a beautiful Southern flower, intimidated by her overbearing mother and alcoholic father, who wound up having a lobotomy (as did another sad victim /child of our nation's leading family). Tennessee paid homage to her tragic life in many of his plays, and these are no exception. Intelligent, beautiful but completely impotent at withstanding the aggression of those around her, Mrs. Stone is a prime example of a 'Rose by another name'.
Tennessee Williams features gigolos, procurers and prostitutes in many of his plays and this was no exception, although the 'action' is disguised by the high-faluting manners of the Countessa (the madam, who lives off the earnings of her 'boys'). You wonder how much Tennessee may have fashioned the play on Miss Leigh's life, as 'Mrs. Stone' is an actress past her prime, whose husband has just absented himself from her life (and his, as well). Williams exquisitely portrays the way we use one another for our own advantage, and Beatty (with a crummy Italian accent) does a great job of 'playing' the self-involved, narcissistic, money hungry Lothario. Once he hooks her, he delights in sadistically attacking her for her 'weakness' in loving him. Ever been there? At that time in his life, Beatty was playing a similar but more innocent role with almost every woman in Hollywood. He has matured well.
The writing was excellent, the scenery in Rome magnificent, but you will be so depressed after seeing this excellent movie that I suggest you also check out 'Bulworth' as a double feature to follow with. Beatty on two sides of his career is worth comparing: drama and comedy, villain and hero. I believe you'll have to say that Warren Beatty is an actor as well as a movie star.
Even though Vivien Leigh did not care for Beatty's arrogance while making this movie, she was able to turn the horror of her personal life into something constructive (as did Tennessee Williams), for which we the public should always be grateful. To make art from the ashes of a marriage----destroyed by death or divorce----- is something each of us would do well to learn.
For those of you with indomitable spirits, another Tennessee Williams film to see for comparison purposes is "Summer and Smoke". The interplay between the romantic leads is more equal, but both portray the sadness from Tennessee's sister Rose's life. She was a beautiful Southern flower, intimidated by her overbearing mother and alcoholic father, who wound up having a lobotomy (as did another sad victim /child of our nation's leading family). Tennessee paid homage to her tragic life in many of his plays, and these are no exception. Intelligent, beautiful but completely impotent at withstanding the aggression of those around her, Mrs. Stone is a prime example of a 'Rose by another name'.
Beautifully Filmed and Acted - Cool As A Well-Chilled Negroni
wmennisny-617-25427624 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The film is beautifully acted and the casting is spot-on. Vivien Leigh is perfect in this role, neither sickly sweet or icy cold. Beatty is great to look at and plays the gigolo without any histrionics. The Contessa is great and earned a well deserved Oscar nomination. The story is relevant even today (although unfortunately nowadays these things happen with far less elegance and finesse. What holds it back from a higher rating is that the character development between Mrs. Stone and Paolo should have gotten more focus and development. No real explanation is given for how the relationship developed as quickly and strongly as it did. Of course that aspect plays into the cool nature of the film in general which many might find correct for this material but I would have liked a bit more development between the 2 principles. Perhaps neither was able to express much in the way of "emotion" and that is surely part of the point, and the finale when Mrs. Stone throws the keys to the gigolo on the street because, realizing that love is elusive, physical needs can still be met and that provides a great ending to the film, very unsentimental and leaves one with a shiver.
I enjoyed the film and recommend it but don't expect anything warm and fuzzy here because that is not in the cards, folks.
I enjoyed the film and recommend it but don't expect anything warm and fuzzy here because that is not in the cards, folks.
From Rome with Love
sol-24 January 2016
Introduced to a handsome young man during a stay in Italy, an insecure widowed US actress fights back her knowledge that the gentleman is just a gigolo in this Tennessee Williams adaptation starring Vivien Leigh in her penultimate big screen performance. Suffering from real life marital problems at the time, Leigh provides a performance with an air of vulnerability that rings true, but even better is Lotte Lenya of 'From Russia with Love' fame, cast here as the conniving 'countess' who introduces Leigh to her young suitor. Rambling on about the virtues of love and companionship, Lenya seems like a benevolent force at first, but as the film progresses and we see just how hell-bent she is on gaining financially from her matchmaking, she eventually seems almost as sinister as her better known Bond villainess. Promising as all this might sound though, the film is let down by never really igniting romantic sparks between Leigh and Warren Beatty as the young gigolo. Leigh never seems less than delusional to believe that he really loves her and Beatty only ever seems opportunistic. Beatty's awkward performance does not help matters though. He certainly looks the part, but with a faltering Italian accent, he never feels real whenever he opens his mouth. The main sell point of the film though is surely the dark and deliciously ambiguous ending. One exits the film really feeling like Leigh has suffered a personal blow and the uncertainty of her eventual fate is pitch perfect as she herself is unsure what the future holds for her by the end of the movie.
Anachronistic at Best; Tedious at Worst
rajah524-37 February 2010
There are three major problems here, and not just for millennial-era viewers: 1) Jose Quintero's emotionally numb direction, 2) Warren Beatty in a role he wasn't cut out for until ten years later, and 3) Tennessee Williams's severely dated high concept.
Quintero's lack of experience in film is evident. He was a stage director, and it shows here. The lines are spoken for the words to be understood from a distance. Quintero seems to have little sense of using the faces of the actors to convey anything in the one- or two-shots... save for what the estimable Ms. Leigh manages on her own.
Beatty's Paolo needed at least some of Richard Gere's Julian (in "American Gigolo") to make this fly, but either he had no sense of the character himself or Quintero got in his way.
William's book is a reflection of Williams himself as the title character. "TRSOMS" is Williams trying to work through the fear of his own histrionic narcissism too many years in advance of what he pictured aging to be for a "queen" rather than what it really is. He was only 38 when he wrote the novella, after all. Leigh's character is him, but only insofar as he could project a future that he had merely envisioned rather than actually experienced.
I've read plenty about Ms. Leigh's own struggles and supposed identification with her character. But if that is the case, I don't see much of it on screen, again, perhaps, owing to the wooden direction.
Younger viewers will have to interpret this as a "period piece." 1950 and 1960 are to them what the Victorian Age was to us: Anachronistic. The conflicting values expressed by the characters do not make much sense to those raised on either Lady Gaga or "Cougartown." Today's 48-year-olds "go for it" on the basis of peer-approval, not despite it.
Quintero's lack of experience in film is evident. He was a stage director, and it shows here. The lines are spoken for the words to be understood from a distance. Quintero seems to have little sense of using the faces of the actors to convey anything in the one- or two-shots... save for what the estimable Ms. Leigh manages on her own.
Beatty's Paolo needed at least some of Richard Gere's Julian (in "American Gigolo") to make this fly, but either he had no sense of the character himself or Quintero got in his way.
William's book is a reflection of Williams himself as the title character. "TRSOMS" is Williams trying to work through the fear of his own histrionic narcissism too many years in advance of what he pictured aging to be for a "queen" rather than what it really is. He was only 38 when he wrote the novella, after all. Leigh's character is him, but only insofar as he could project a future that he had merely envisioned rather than actually experienced.
I've read plenty about Ms. Leigh's own struggles and supposed identification with her character. But if that is the case, I don't see much of it on screen, again, perhaps, owing to the wooden direction.
Younger viewers will have to interpret this as a "period piece." 1950 and 1960 are to them what the Victorian Age was to us: Anachronistic. The conflicting values expressed by the characters do not make much sense to those raised on either Lady Gaga or "Cougartown." Today's 48-year-olds "go for it" on the basis of peer-approval, not despite it.
Vivien Leigh was still beautiful!
Pat-5418 December 1998
Essential truths beneath the artifice.
ags12317 September 2007
Tennessee Williams' gift for exposing the heart and soul - the core - of human experience was so fine-tuned it transcended clumsy handling and Hollywood censorship. "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" captures the essence of Williams' profound understanding. Even the film's missteps - the fake sets, the beige hair, Warren Beatty's Italian accent fail to detract. The surface artificiality contrasts with the underlying truths, making them that much more pronounced. In fact, the curious production values add another level of interest to the proceedings. There are lots of fine things about this film, which far surpasses the later television remake. Vivien Leigh's tortured persona brought added dimension to every character she played. Here she really "gets" what Mrs. Stone, and Williams, were about. Lotte Lenya's knowing performance remains timeless. Richard Addinsell's hypnotic score adds to the strange, foreign atmosphere. This is a rewarding, intelligent, entertaining film for thoughtful viewers. Obviously, it's not for every taste.
Tennessee Williams adaptation
blanche-218 March 2011
Vivien Leigh is an aging beauty living in Italy in "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone," based on a novel by Tennessee Williams. Director Jose Quintero took on the job of directing and he does a fine job with quite a cast, which includes Warren Beatty, Lotte Lenya, Coral Browne, Jill St. John, and Cleo Laine.
Leigh plays Karen Stone, an actress pushing 50 who travels to Rome with her elderly husband. Her husband has a fatal heart attack on the plane, and Karen doesn't return to the states. Instead, she stays in Rome and leases a gorgeous apartment. She is visited by Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales (Lotte Lenya) who, for a cut, pimps out gigolos to older women. Karen is hooked up with Paolo (Warren Beatty) and soon finds herself falling for him.
Vivien Leigh looks beautiful, but haunted, and she's perfect for this role, which dovetails her own life, as she Olivier told the manic-depressive actress that he was going to marry Joan Plowright around the time of the filming.
Warren Beatty doesn't have much of an Italian accent or, in my own opinion, much presence. He looks good, which is most important.
A very good, haunting movie.
Leigh plays Karen Stone, an actress pushing 50 who travels to Rome with her elderly husband. Her husband has a fatal heart attack on the plane, and Karen doesn't return to the states. Instead, she stays in Rome and leases a gorgeous apartment. She is visited by Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales (Lotte Lenya) who, for a cut, pimps out gigolos to older women. Karen is hooked up with Paolo (Warren Beatty) and soon finds herself falling for him.
Vivien Leigh looks beautiful, but haunted, and she's perfect for this role, which dovetails her own life, as she Olivier told the manic-depressive actress that he was going to marry Joan Plowright around the time of the filming.
Warren Beatty doesn't have much of an Italian accent or, in my own opinion, much presence. He looks good, which is most important.
A very good, haunting movie.
Warren Beatty is not Italian
johndietzel-234-6847739 December 2011
Really enjoyed the film but was distracted every time Mr Beatty was on screen. I suppose he was hitting his stride in 1961 so 'they' had to use him in this film. I don't understand why some luscious Italian couldn't have been used instead. This reminds me of Meryl Streep's casting in The Bridges of Madison County. Awful. Use originals, not poor copies.
Vivien Leigh was superb in the film.....so I suppose I am contradicting myself as she played an American! Her pathos was on display completely. Lotte Lenya was wonderful as the Contessa. She devoured her scenes with aplomb.
It's interesting to watch movies where some of the actors are seamless and others try really hard. You notice the difference. Warren Beatty was clearly out of his league.
Vivien Leigh was superb in the film.....so I suppose I am contradicting myself as she played an American! Her pathos was on display completely. Lotte Lenya was wonderful as the Contessa. She devoured her scenes with aplomb.
It's interesting to watch movies where some of the actors are seamless and others try really hard. You notice the difference. Warren Beatty was clearly out of his league.
Vivien Hypnotic
Casadena15 February 2010
"Are you trying to--touch me, Contessa?" No one who sees Vivien Leigh on film can remain unmoved by her for long, if they are sensitive to beauty. Or pain. Despite whatever faults it may reveal to some, this film is a truly beautiful representation of the singularly tormented art of a hypnotically compelling actress. Watch her eyes in the introductory scene on the sofa, as she glances at the Contessa and her boy, over the smoke rising from her filter-less cigarette. Or at the villa lunch party--is anyone more graceful on screen with a fork and an awkward plate of food in their hands while managing to consume, register taste, swallow, and speak "sophisticated" dialog in the best postwar style, in a foreign (American) accent? Watch her in the café scene with Lotte Lenya's voracious pimp zeroing in on its prey: Leigh was tormented by the word "Beautiful"--friends and fans called her that to her face almost involuntarily, yet she couldn't tell them it drove her crazy, that her English convent school upbringing made that word synonymous with "shallow", at least to her way of thinking--but what other word describes her? Vivien Leigh casts a spell on all who see her, long after her death from tuberculosis in 1967. Oh, and the 1961 Lincoln convertible is as beautiful as any of the "Roman" scenery in the background; it is the perfect choice for Karen Stone's car.
Vivien Leigh in a great performance
wisewebwoman19 April 2004
Warning: Spoilers
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.
It's parched...
moonspinner5516 October 2007
Lugubrious adaptation of a Tennessee Williams short wants very much to be daring and adult, but comes off as tepid instead. Vivien Leigh is certainly well-cast as the recently-widowed, faded screen actress approaching fifty who, while residing in Rome, falls for a handsome gigolo. It's a slow, heavy-going soaper with extremely moody characters. Warren Beatty is pitilessly miscast as the Italian stud (though his wavering accent is good for a few laughs). The pacing does pick up after a deadly first hour, the cinematography is rich and the production has some sparkle, but otherwise there's no sting in this "Roman Spring". Remade as a 2003 TV movie featuring Helen Mirren in the lead. ** from ****
Perhaps "The Roman Fall of Mrs. Stone" would have been too obvious a title.
Poseidon-328 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In a film that, perhaps, would lose some of its meaningfulness were one not aware of the condition of its leading lady, the subjects of loneliness and exploitation are explored. Leigh plays a celebrated, but fading, stage actress who, after suffering a humiliating premiere, flees to Rome to escape the world. Though her devoted husband isn't able to join her as planned, she stays on, secluded in her luxury apartment, occasionally venturing out wearing dark glasses. Enter the troll-like, but somehow captivating, local procurer Lenya who introduces Leigh to her latest prize, the handsome Beatty, who is eager to make some money off of his own tender flesh. Though Leigh takes more than a little wearing down, eventually she and Beatty become heavily acquainted, with Leigh becoming more attached than she ought to. Beatty feels he no longer needs Lenya, which leads to a scenario that spells despair for Leigh. Leigh, who grappled with physical and mental ailments for a large part of her life, was incredibly fragile during the filming of this movie, having lost the love of her life, Laurence Olivier, to Joan Plowright. Looking every bit and then some of her age (thanks in part to a relentless smoking habit), she nonetheless projects loveliness and grace and sports some chic Balmain clothes. She is hampered, particularly in the first half, by wigs of ill-judged color and style, but overcomes this to deliver a captivating and sympathetic performance. Her voice is low and lacking the ability to intone with the same nuance and she can't seem to leave certain of her clothes alone in some scenes, but the magic is still there. Beatty is really quite awful, apart from the inherently challenging attempt of playing Italian. Though he definitely looks good, he gives a self-conscious and, at times, overly emphatic performance that comes close to being laughable at times. Lenya is to die for. She handily steals the scenes she's in with her lascivious expressions and crafty ways. The cast includes Browne as Leigh's vaguely lesbian good friend and St. John as a hot, young starlet whose career trajectory is the opposite of Leigh's. Filmed partly on location in Rome, it's typically pretty obvious when the locales switch to British soundstages, but generally the look is sumptuous whether in Leigh's elegantly appointed home or Lenya's garish one. Interestingly, especially considering the time it was made, the notion of homosexual prostitution is not ignored. While it isn't necessarily blatant, keen viewers will see it presented matter-of-factly (even leeringly, as one gigolo draws attention to a bauble he has acquired from a sugar daddy.) It's been noted that author Williams use Leigh's character as an extension of his own feelings and fears and that comes through rather strongly despite the fact that he is not the one who wrote the screenplay. Languidly paced, it's not a movie that will appeal to all tastes, but fans of the author and of Miss Leigh will want to check it out, certainly.
Lovely flawed minor masterpiece still looks good.
aemmering3 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I first saw this film many years ago. I was impressed with it, not so much for the direction, or the material, but because of the fine performances. The acting lifts it out of the domain of the "women's film" or cheap melodrama. Sure, its a strange, uneven little film, but I think that's part of its charm. Leigh's performance was masterful, sad, subtle and wistful. Some of the negative comments here tell me this sort of thing is not for everyone's taste. So be it--the incessant gloom, the odd arty touches (the exotic Roman backdrops, the lyrical depiction of a declining jet set society, the emphasis on shadowy, sombre atmosphere will not appeal to fans of lighter, action oriented fare. I never forgot Leigh's performance (was she really acting?), nor the fantastic, alluring decadence of the atmosphere swirling around her. The other performances were a mixed bag: Lenya as the creepy pimp/countess is superb. She, more than any other player, embodies the selfish spirit of this dreary society of drifters, beggars, pimps and poseurs. Jill St. John is just so-so as a tantalizing young starlet (some really big sixties hair makes her character visually interesting, though). Coral Browne as Karen's best friend is fine, but Warren Beatty as the callow young gigolo doesn't quite fit in. He has the look and the superficial cockiness of a young Italian, but his accent is so terrible--its a major distraction in this undeniably flawed work. For the story--aging Hollywood actress Karen Stone has recently found herself widowed and out of work, perhaps permanently. She jets to Rome to relax, to find a new life--(in other words, a new man.) She meets old friends, then falls in with a suspicious looking crowd of young men and aging American heiresses with time and money to lavish on these young gigolos. Pimps and procurers circle around the scene like vultures, waiting to offer anything, for a price. Lotte Lenya is one of these pimps. She introduces Karen to Paolo, a charming young stud (Warren Beatty, in his famously uneven performance). That relationship gradually spirals downward--Paolo doesn't enjoy being a kept man. Poor, lonely Karen's life spins out of control-she begins to drift, aimlessly. Does the woman have a death wish? After an argument with Paolo she notices a stalker who has been trailing her for weeks. Impulsively, she tosses him her room key, and stealthily he climbs the stairs to her room. What happens next? No explanation is given at the end. Does the man kill her, or does she just offer him a drink? At the end Karen, has, in her own words, "stopped the drift". I imagine the gloomier interpretation is closest to the truth.
Pretend she's a man and it all makes sense
ScenicRoute18 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Worth seeing as a gay lib film. It is "Tod in Venedig" updated to 1960 Rome, and so that the plagiarism is not so obvious, the old queen's sex is changed. Otherwise it is Mr Mann's storyline verbatim.
Lush lush colors and a great window on the decadence of Rome ready to be renewed (albeit while damaging the Church) via Vatican II.
And Warren Beatty at 22? Like Splendor in the Grass, he is all dick, all the time. His acting is decent, but as an Italian, he is laughable. And I guess that is how he lived his life. Be careful what you wish for...
As for Leigh, clearly she was playing her mentally ill self, and she does a fine job.
Finally, the movie is worth seeing for Lenya brilliant performance as a procuress. As she sings in the 1950s version of The Three Penny Opera: "What keeps a man alive? He lives on others? As long as he can forget, they're his brothers..."
Lush lush colors and a great window on the decadence of Rome ready to be renewed (albeit while damaging the Church) via Vatican II.
And Warren Beatty at 22? Like Splendor in the Grass, he is all dick, all the time. His acting is decent, but as an Italian, he is laughable. And I guess that is how he lived his life. Be careful what you wish for...
As for Leigh, clearly she was playing her mentally ill self, and she does a fine job.
Finally, the movie is worth seeing for Lenya brilliant performance as a procuress. As she sings in the 1950s version of The Three Penny Opera: "What keeps a man alive? He lives on others? As long as he can forget, they're his brothers..."
Xenophobic Swingers
onepotato223 July 2007
This movie's reputation would lead you to believe it's a very bad movie. It's not. I was also willing to imagine it would be bad because 90 percent of Tenessee Williams output is such solidly over-the-top melodrama. This just barely escapes that fate and is entertaining, but Williams insistence on underscoring the morality here is still typical and tiresome. I had expected this scenario to be cleaned up and coded to please the censors. But the direct discussion of sex, pimps, gigolos, splitting profits, etc. is really startling and modern. Lotte Lenye, as a half-pathetic but not-to-be-underestimated pimpette preying on self-deluding older women, is amazing. She is almost assuredly a more provocative & interesting study than Karen Stone. She has no pretense of respectability except that which she performs to sustain the self-respect of her clients.
As a conflict, it remains unclear why Stone, a retired actress would think that a young stud could want her only out of love; other than that she wants it to be true. That's just not compelling or realistic enough for her to go to pieces over Beatty chasing skirts. What is interesting about the role is that there is no reason why a woman her age shouldn't feel free enough to explore her sexuality. Unless you consider 1950's conformism sufficient reason. It didn't stop Ingrid Bergman.
Beatty is funny and absurd when he's supposed to be ("Would you stop eating and concentrate on ME?") so he seems to be in on the joke (and I'm the least likely person to cut this himbo some slack), but really my quarrel is: why cast a handsome American when Italy is bursting at the seams with attractive young male actors who could have done more with the part? All Beatty could have achieved here is "Yeah he passed as Italian." Those stakes are not very interesting. And his caucasian, boy-next-door, Joe College looks just don't put me in mind of Italy in any way. His accent is sometimes passable but usually just provides titters. Let's just say that for 1961, it was an adequate effort. That notwithstanding, Leigh and Lenya still totally blow him out of the water.
Stage director Quintero really needed to abandoned his claustrophobic Italy set. It's almost believable as an exterior but when Leigh takes her final walk and passes every scene from the movie in about 5 steps... what's the point of location photography? Amazingly the soundstage lighting is occasionally believable as sunlight, which is almost never the case.
When it's not bold and interesting it's at least campy. There are a number of laugh-out loud observations, line-readings and Coral Brownes lipstick applied rather liberally is a hoot. Add this title to the ever-popular "Americans who meet with trouble in Europe" genre: Don't Look Now, Comfort of Strangers, Hostel, Zentropa.
As a conflict, it remains unclear why Stone, a retired actress would think that a young stud could want her only out of love; other than that she wants it to be true. That's just not compelling or realistic enough for her to go to pieces over Beatty chasing skirts. What is interesting about the role is that there is no reason why a woman her age shouldn't feel free enough to explore her sexuality. Unless you consider 1950's conformism sufficient reason. It didn't stop Ingrid Bergman.
Beatty is funny and absurd when he's supposed to be ("Would you stop eating and concentrate on ME?") so he seems to be in on the joke (and I'm the least likely person to cut this himbo some slack), but really my quarrel is: why cast a handsome American when Italy is bursting at the seams with attractive young male actors who could have done more with the part? All Beatty could have achieved here is "Yeah he passed as Italian." Those stakes are not very interesting. And his caucasian, boy-next-door, Joe College looks just don't put me in mind of Italy in any way. His accent is sometimes passable but usually just provides titters. Let's just say that for 1961, it was an adequate effort. That notwithstanding, Leigh and Lenya still totally blow him out of the water.
Stage director Quintero really needed to abandoned his claustrophobic Italy set. It's almost believable as an exterior but when Leigh takes her final walk and passes every scene from the movie in about 5 steps... what's the point of location photography? Amazingly the soundstage lighting is occasionally believable as sunlight, which is almost never the case.
When it's not bold and interesting it's at least campy. There are a number of laugh-out loud observations, line-readings and Coral Brownes lipstick applied rather liberally is a hoot. Add this title to the ever-popular "Americans who meet with trouble in Europe" genre: Don't Look Now, Comfort of Strangers, Hostel, Zentropa.
Echoes of Alberto Moravia
rowmorg11 September 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Moravia's later novels, largely forgotten today, describe the world of Mrs. Stone. In them, wealthy people drift purposelessly, attended by lubricious procuresses offering compliant young persons to either sex of either leaning. Nobody ever manages to find an aim, let alone achieve anything. It is almost a mark of honour among Moravia's post-war Romans to have lost all conviction, and to pay to indulge idly in empty sexual encounters with equally aimless rent-boys and rent-girls. The Eternal City provides the beauteous and cynical backdrop.
Obviously a homosexual in the strait-laced 1950s could not write frankly about his mid-life crisis and encounters with much younger rent-boys, so playwright Tennessee Williams was obliged to sublimate himself into the role of Mrs. Karen Stone, failing actress and inheritor of her husband's fortune. His choice of Rome was a perfect 'objective correlative' (T.S.Eliot) for his own predicament, permitting a frank treatment of mercenary poncing in the heterosexual context, of the kind pursued in the world of homosexuals.
The result is a cloyingly sad story of drift and failure on the part of Mrs. Stone (Vivien Leigh), who manages to delude herself into believing that she loves her Italian gigolo (Warren Beatty), and, worse, that he loves her. There's a double irony in the fact that Leigh/Stone really is very desirable. Her face is divine, her breasts superb when she wears her nightgown, and her smooth upper back uniquely dimpled near the neck, echoing the dimples that doubtless lie below. She is, quite simply, delectable, and obviously hungry for sexual fulfilment.
There's a delicious ambiguity in the last scene, when (as far as I am concerned), in her newly-aroused identity Mrs. Stone feels able to embark on pure lechery, through which she will doubtless triumph and even go back on to the stage. Others don't see it that way, but a lover of Moravia's tantalising fiction of boredom certainly would.
Obviously a homosexual in the strait-laced 1950s could not write frankly about his mid-life crisis and encounters with much younger rent-boys, so playwright Tennessee Williams was obliged to sublimate himself into the role of Mrs. Karen Stone, failing actress and inheritor of her husband's fortune. His choice of Rome was a perfect 'objective correlative' (T.S.Eliot) for his own predicament, permitting a frank treatment of mercenary poncing in the heterosexual context, of the kind pursued in the world of homosexuals.
The result is a cloyingly sad story of drift and failure on the part of Mrs. Stone (Vivien Leigh), who manages to delude herself into believing that she loves her Italian gigolo (Warren Beatty), and, worse, that he loves her. There's a double irony in the fact that Leigh/Stone really is very desirable. Her face is divine, her breasts superb when she wears her nightgown, and her smooth upper back uniquely dimpled near the neck, echoing the dimples that doubtless lie below. She is, quite simply, delectable, and obviously hungry for sexual fulfilment.
There's a delicious ambiguity in the last scene, when (as far as I am concerned), in her newly-aroused identity Mrs. Stone feels able to embark on pure lechery, through which she will doubtless triumph and even go back on to the stage. Others don't see it that way, but a lover of Moravia's tantalising fiction of boredom certainly would.
"Drifting" through Rome with Leigh and Beatty
mikhail08016 May 2010
I'll say flat out right at the beginning, that if you don't appreciate the talents of Vivien Leigh -- you will not like The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone. This is her penultimate film, which was really made as a vehicle for her talents, without much of an ensemble cast and she's in nearly every scene. But the great actress is certainly up to the task of making this material work, although she is let down at times by contrivances of plot and other aspects of believability.
Taken from famous playwright Tennessee William's novella, the story concerns aging actress Karen Stone, who yearns to retire with her rich husband, who unfortunately expires while on their way to Rome for their extended getaway. Then the lonely widow starts dating a handsome young Italian guy who has an unusually close relationship with the sinister contessa who introduced them both.
Vivien Leigh as Karen Stone "drifts" through the movie, an ethereal presence that's nearly translucent, extremely delicate and cautiously mannered. The machinations of the plot allow her many opportunities to overstate or exaggerate, which is something Leigh never does. Many have said that this source material is kind of second rate Tennessee Williams, but even if true, Vivien Leigh's work here makes the very best of it in an engaging style.
And the movie has the added benefit of young future superstar Warren Beatty, making his second feature film. Needless to say, he looks fantastic, making it much more believable that Mrs. Stone would become so enamored with him. It's evident that Beatty clearly dove headfirst into an attempt to transform himself into an Italian gigolo. I find the Italian accent he attempted to be perhaps a little lacking at some points in the way of his hitting a few wrong pronunciations that sound artificial at very few and select times. Other than that minor detail, Beatty fills the role more than adequately, and his star power is in abundance.
And no small mention must go to fabulous Lotte Lenya (who scored an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in this), as this unctuous Euro-trash "contessa" who deals in romantic relationships usually for women of a certain class, age and wealth. She's extremely creepy, and look for a frightening scene set inside a cavernous discotheque where the camera follows Lenya slithering through the crowd, making her way to the fragile Mrs Stone. Every scene with Lenya is a highlight in this movie, and also see how her intense love for her pet cat is expressed in the way Lenya artfully handles the willing feline.
The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, surely a "must-see" for devotees of Williams, Leigh, Beatty or Lenya, and anyone who enjoys colorful European settings, vivid characters and glossy romantic drama.
**** out of *****
Taken from famous playwright Tennessee William's novella, the story concerns aging actress Karen Stone, who yearns to retire with her rich husband, who unfortunately expires while on their way to Rome for their extended getaway. Then the lonely widow starts dating a handsome young Italian guy who has an unusually close relationship with the sinister contessa who introduced them both.
Vivien Leigh as Karen Stone "drifts" through the movie, an ethereal presence that's nearly translucent, extremely delicate and cautiously mannered. The machinations of the plot allow her many opportunities to overstate or exaggerate, which is something Leigh never does. Many have said that this source material is kind of second rate Tennessee Williams, but even if true, Vivien Leigh's work here makes the very best of it in an engaging style.
And the movie has the added benefit of young future superstar Warren Beatty, making his second feature film. Needless to say, he looks fantastic, making it much more believable that Mrs. Stone would become so enamored with him. It's evident that Beatty clearly dove headfirst into an attempt to transform himself into an Italian gigolo. I find the Italian accent he attempted to be perhaps a little lacking at some points in the way of his hitting a few wrong pronunciations that sound artificial at very few and select times. Other than that minor detail, Beatty fills the role more than adequately, and his star power is in abundance.
And no small mention must go to fabulous Lotte Lenya (who scored an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress in this), as this unctuous Euro-trash "contessa" who deals in romantic relationships usually for women of a certain class, age and wealth. She's extremely creepy, and look for a frightening scene set inside a cavernous discotheque where the camera follows Lenya slithering through the crowd, making her way to the fragile Mrs Stone. Every scene with Lenya is a highlight in this movie, and also see how her intense love for her pet cat is expressed in the way Lenya artfully handles the willing feline.
The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone, surely a "must-see" for devotees of Williams, Leigh, Beatty or Lenya, and anyone who enjoys colorful European settings, vivid characters and glossy romantic drama.
**** out of *****
"Three Or Four Years Is All I Need...After That, A Cut Throat Will Be A Convenience...."
ferbs5420 June 2011
Vivien Leigh was so brilliant portraying damaged-goods, faded beauty Blanche DuBois in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "A Streetcar Named Desire" that it was perhaps inevitable for her to be asked to play another Williams character who's been beaten up by life, 10 years later. Thus, in 1961, Leigh--more damaged herself now after a recent split with Laurence Olivier following a 20-year marriage--appeared in the screen adaptation of the Williams novella "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone." In it, she plays Karen Stone, a middle-aged stage actress who has just suffered two major life traumas: professional retirement and the death of her much older, millionaire husband. She retreats to a villa above the Spanish Steps in the Eternal City to hide from the world and just "drift," and is soon romanced by a handsome young Italian man, Paolo di Leo (Warren Beatty). But what Karen only dimly realizes is that Paolo is nothing more than a lira-grubbing gigolo, working for an elderly pimp/procuress named Contessa Terribili-Gonzales (Austrian legend Lotte Lenya)....
Those viewers who come to "Mrs. Stone" expecting some kind of light romantic comedy, a la the Katharine Hepburn/Rossano Brazzi Venetian affair in 1955's "Summertime," will surely be surprised at how the film unreels. Despite the fact that it is a quiet picture, with a sad theme song that plays in a subdued manner only occasionally, it is nevertheless a dark and seedy one, featuring some truly unsavory characters. The scene transitions are often accomplished in a manner that beggars my poor powers of description, and director Jose Quintero gives a brooding, unsettling mood to this, his first picture, a great-looking one with sumptuous sets. Leigh, of course, is just marvelous--touching and sympathetic--here in her penultimate film, but the real surprise is how convincing Beatty is at playing an Italian, in his second screen appearance. Lenya is snakelike and sinister in her role, plotting the destinies of her victims with a purring cat on her lap, a la Ernst Stavro Blofeld; two years later, of course, Lenya would play opposite Blofeld (and that cat) in "From Russia, With Love." And speaking of future Bond alumni, "Mrs. Stone" also features fine supporting work from Jill St. John ("Diamonds Are Forever"'s Tiffany Case) and Paul Stassino ("Thunderball"'s Maj. Derval). Coral Browne, the future Mrs. Vincent Price, is well cast as Karen's school friend Meg (both actresses were born in 1913), and how great it is to see Ernest Thesiger ("Bride of Frankenstein"'s Dr. Praetorius) again, here in his final screen role! From its lengthy pretitle sequence to its eerie, ambiguous ending, "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" manages to impress. As regards that ending, with the disillusioned Mrs. Stone tossing her house key down to the street ruffian who'd been stalking her throughout the film, Jill St. John, in one of the DVD interview extras, suggests that the thug is merely looking for a "soft berth," whereas Williams AND Lenya biographer Donald Spoto discerns something a lot more homicidal. I tend to concur more with Spoto here, but the matter is certainly open for debate. See the film for yourself and make up your own mind....
Those viewers who come to "Mrs. Stone" expecting some kind of light romantic comedy, a la the Katharine Hepburn/Rossano Brazzi Venetian affair in 1955's "Summertime," will surely be surprised at how the film unreels. Despite the fact that it is a quiet picture, with a sad theme song that plays in a subdued manner only occasionally, it is nevertheless a dark and seedy one, featuring some truly unsavory characters. The scene transitions are often accomplished in a manner that beggars my poor powers of description, and director Jose Quintero gives a brooding, unsettling mood to this, his first picture, a great-looking one with sumptuous sets. Leigh, of course, is just marvelous--touching and sympathetic--here in her penultimate film, but the real surprise is how convincing Beatty is at playing an Italian, in his second screen appearance. Lenya is snakelike and sinister in her role, plotting the destinies of her victims with a purring cat on her lap, a la Ernst Stavro Blofeld; two years later, of course, Lenya would play opposite Blofeld (and that cat) in "From Russia, With Love." And speaking of future Bond alumni, "Mrs. Stone" also features fine supporting work from Jill St. John ("Diamonds Are Forever"'s Tiffany Case) and Paul Stassino ("Thunderball"'s Maj. Derval). Coral Browne, the future Mrs. Vincent Price, is well cast as Karen's school friend Meg (both actresses were born in 1913), and how great it is to see Ernest Thesiger ("Bride of Frankenstein"'s Dr. Praetorius) again, here in his final screen role! From its lengthy pretitle sequence to its eerie, ambiguous ending, "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" manages to impress. As regards that ending, with the disillusioned Mrs. Stone tossing her house key down to the street ruffian who'd been stalking her throughout the film, Jill St. John, in one of the DVD interview extras, suggests that the thug is merely looking for a "soft berth," whereas Williams AND Lenya biographer Donald Spoto discerns something a lot more homicidal. I tend to concur more with Spoto here, but the matter is certainly open for debate. See the film for yourself and make up your own mind....
La Dolce Beatty?
JasparLamarCrabb4 May 2006
A depressing Tennessee Williams' tale that is somehow still watchable --- in large part due to the excellent performance by Vivian Leigh. As a woman past her prime and feeling desperate for anyone, Leigh is stunning. This may not have been a stretch for Leigh since she was at the time passed her prime and at least desperate for a decent movie role. Her Mrs. Stone is sad, pathetic and lost. In other words, Blanche DuBois without the garish makeup and southern twang. The film's title may or may not be ironic...is it Mrs. Stone's spring? It's doubtful given the film's downbeat, ambiguous ending. Perhaps the Italian gigolo she gets involved with marks a new beginning for her? Jose Quintero's flat direction doesn't really dig too deep.
As the gigolo, Warren Beatty is awful. Affecting a very phony sounding Italian accent, he's almost campy. Lotte Lenya, as the contessa who pimps Beatty out is luckier...with her reptilian looks and creepy accent, she's decadence incarnate. Jill St. John is in it too, but doesn't contribute much beyond an unusually tall hairdo.
As the gigolo, Warren Beatty is awful. Affecting a very phony sounding Italian accent, he's almost campy. Lotte Lenya, as the contessa who pimps Beatty out is luckier...with her reptilian looks and creepy accent, she's decadence incarnate. Jill St. John is in it too, but doesn't contribute much beyond an unusually tall hairdo.
This film ages like fine wine
dmwhite502 March 2001
Vivien Leigh plays the aging, isolated Mrs. Stone with a tragic grace and beauty that only she could bring to this exquisite, lyrical film of Tennessee Williams' haunting tale of the human need of permanence in a transitory world. (I remember reading Williams' Memoirs in which he says that this was his favorite film made from his work.) It is only now that I've attained Mrs. Stone's age that I've really come to understand the "drifting" that is portrayed here. Lotte Lenya is also brilliant in the role of the Contessa.Lenya was nominated for the Academy Award as "Best Supporting Actress" for this role, and she should have won. She is unctuous, smarmy, and brilliant. Vivien Leigh should also have been nominated, for her alienated, unfulfilled, sad ex-star. She gave another excellent performance-- an interesting bookend to her magnificent Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, the other of Tennessee Williams' "lost" ladies she immortalized on the screen.
A Roman Streetcar?
MOscarbradley20 October 2005
Jose Quintero was a stage director who didn't know how to shape a movie so this screen version of Tennessee Williams' novel seems somehow flat and static. There is no momentum; it plods along, and yet it is entertaining. The players liven it up. Vivien Leigh is the ageing American actress hiding out in Rome after the death of her husband. The character is like Blanche DuBois before she went to seed. She's an innocent abroad, open and vulnerable and Leigh knows her well. As Paolo, the gigolo who ruins her, a young, fresh-faced and startlingly handsome Warren Beatty is first-rate. This was only Beatty's second film and there is no affectation in his performance. He comes across as not fully formed as an actor. As he sucks up to Mrs. Stone it's hard to know where Beatty ends and Paolo begins. He keeps us guessing; there is an edge to his performance.
As the procuress, Lotte Lenya walks away with the film. It's a small part but Lenya knows its value. She dominates every scene she's in; she makes it look easy. She got an Oscar nomination for her performance and she should have won. The film itself is overlong and Williams did it better in "Streetcar" and "Sweet Bird of Youth", (this isn't a million miles away from "Sweet Bird"). It's middle-of-the-road but like I said, the players keep you watching.
As the procuress, Lotte Lenya walks away with the film. It's a small part but Lenya knows its value. She dominates every scene she's in; she makes it look easy. She got an Oscar nomination for her performance and she should have won. The film itself is overlong and Williams did it better in "Streetcar" and "Sweet Bird of Youth", (this isn't a million miles away from "Sweet Bird"). It's middle-of-the-road but like I said, the players keep you watching.
Tennessee Williams rests on his laurels in mediocre tale of fading starlet rejected by gigolo
Turfseer14 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Based on a novella by iconic playwright Tennessee Williams, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone came out around the time Williams' career was already in full decline. Williams simply could not match the terrific output he was known for including unbelievably great plays like The Glass Menagerie and Streetcar Named Desire. "Stone" represents Williams' honest attempt at conveying what it was like for a famed writer to lose his grip on his playwriting powers and enter a period in which his output was mediocre at best.
Williams' tale focuses on the fading theatrical actress Karen Stone (Vivian Leigh) who, sensing she's losing her once heralded acting abilities while performing in Shakespeare's As You Like It, decides to retire. After her millionaire husband has a fatal attack on a flight to Rome, Karen decides to stay there and rents a luxury apartment. Karen probably represents Williams at a point in his career in which he questions whether he has "anything" left as an artist.
Unfortunately Leigh's role as Karen is hardly much of a part. She's a perennial sad sack who finally gets involved with a gigolo, Paolo (Warren Beatty), whom she eventually falls in love with. Paolo asserts his independence from Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzalez (Lotte Lenya) who is basically pimping him out to older women who seek love despite getting on in years.
Beatty has the more interesting part here as we keep guessing whether he has truly fallen in love with Karen or is just using her to financially benefit himself. Eventually he gives up on the moody Karen and falls for the up and coming American actress, Barbara Bingham (Jill St. John).
Karen has an old friend Meg (Coral Browne), who tries to warn her about Paolo's philandering ways but she continues to remain in denial as to his true motives.
The film's narrative is quite lugubrious and there's very little suspense. Only the final scene provides some ambiguity. There has been some controversy over the meaning of the final scene in which Karen throws keys down to an apparent stalker, inviting him up to her apartment after being rejected by Paolo. Some believe that the stalker is some kind of killer and Karen will be murdered.
My interpretation differs from the murder scenario. I believe Karen throws the keys down to the stranger in order to comfort herself by engaging in a sexual encounter. She stills feels the need for some kind of closeness (albeit not of an emotional nature) in order minimize the blow of being rejected by a gigolo.
Some were not impressed with Beatty and his Italian accent but I thought he did a pretty good job, given that this was his only second feature. Leigh certainly exudes her usual class as the world-weary widow, despite the limitations of the script.
While The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone remains Tennessee Williams' favorite screen adaptation, it mainly scores points for atmosphere as well as impresive costume design. Otherwise the film proves the old dictum that those who have reached success in the entertainment industry but then lose their creative mojo, sometimes find themselves in the end "resting on their laurels" in order to maintain a coveted but underserved position in the spotlight.
Williams' tale focuses on the fading theatrical actress Karen Stone (Vivian Leigh) who, sensing she's losing her once heralded acting abilities while performing in Shakespeare's As You Like It, decides to retire. After her millionaire husband has a fatal attack on a flight to Rome, Karen decides to stay there and rents a luxury apartment. Karen probably represents Williams at a point in his career in which he questions whether he has "anything" left as an artist.
Unfortunately Leigh's role as Karen is hardly much of a part. She's a perennial sad sack who finally gets involved with a gigolo, Paolo (Warren Beatty), whom she eventually falls in love with. Paolo asserts his independence from Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzalez (Lotte Lenya) who is basically pimping him out to older women who seek love despite getting on in years.
Beatty has the more interesting part here as we keep guessing whether he has truly fallen in love with Karen or is just using her to financially benefit himself. Eventually he gives up on the moody Karen and falls for the up and coming American actress, Barbara Bingham (Jill St. John).
Karen has an old friend Meg (Coral Browne), who tries to warn her about Paolo's philandering ways but she continues to remain in denial as to his true motives.
The film's narrative is quite lugubrious and there's very little suspense. Only the final scene provides some ambiguity. There has been some controversy over the meaning of the final scene in which Karen throws keys down to an apparent stalker, inviting him up to her apartment after being rejected by Paolo. Some believe that the stalker is some kind of killer and Karen will be murdered.
My interpretation differs from the murder scenario. I believe Karen throws the keys down to the stranger in order to comfort herself by engaging in a sexual encounter. She stills feels the need for some kind of closeness (albeit not of an emotional nature) in order minimize the blow of being rejected by a gigolo.
Some were not impressed with Beatty and his Italian accent but I thought he did a pretty good job, given that this was his only second feature. Leigh certainly exudes her usual class as the world-weary widow, despite the limitations of the script.
While The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone remains Tennessee Williams' favorite screen adaptation, it mainly scores points for atmosphere as well as impresive costume design. Otherwise the film proves the old dictum that those who have reached success in the entertainment industry but then lose their creative mojo, sometimes find themselves in the end "resting on their laurels" in order to maintain a coveted but underserved position in the spotlight.
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