Three Coins in the Fountain is a 1954 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jean Negulesco from a screenplay by John Patrick, based on the 1952 novel Coins in the Fountain by John H. Secondari. It stars Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, and Maggie McNamara, with Rossano Brazzi, Howard St. John, Kathryn Givney, and Cathleen Nesbitt. The film follows three american women working in Rome who dream of finding romance in the Eternal City. [ 5 ] It was originally titled We Believe in Love. The movie ‘s chief entitle song “ Three Coins in the Fountain “, sing by an uncredited Frank Sinatra, went on to become an suffer standard. The film was made in Italy during the “ Hollywood on the Tiber “ era. At the 27th Academy Awards in 1955, the film received two Academy Awards —for Best Cinematography and Best Song —and was nominated for Best Picture. [ 6 ]
plot [edit ]
young American secretary Maria Williams arrives in Rome and is greeted by Anita Hutchins, the woman whom she is replacing at the United States Distribution Agency. They drive to the Villa Eden, which Anita shares with Miss Frances, the longtime secretary of the american writer John Frederick Shadwell, an expatriate living in Rome. On their room into township, the three women stop at the celebrated Trevi Fountain. Frances and Anita tell Maria that according to legend, if she throws a mint in the fountain and makes a wish to return to Rome, she will. Maria and Frances throw in their coins, but Anita, who is planning to return to the United States to marry, declines. Anita takes Maria to the representation and introduces her to Giorgio Bianchi, a translator with whom she works. Maria senses that Anita and Giorgio are attracted to each other, though Anita states that the agency forbids its american and italian employees to fraternize. Later that evening at a party, Maria is attracted by the big Prince Dino di Cessi, despite being warned by Frances and Anita about his being a ill-famed womanizer. His girlfriends become known as “ Venice girls ” after he takes them to Venice for amatory trysts. Dino charms Maria, telling her to ignore what she ‘s heard about him. After the party, Anita and Maria walk home and Anita admits that she has no fiancé waiting back in the United States. She ‘s leaving because she believes she has a better find of finding a husband in America ; affluent italian men are not interested in mere secretaries, and the men who are interest are excessively poor. As they walk, Maria is pinched by a world who pesters her until she is rescued by Giorgio, who then asks Anita to go with him the future day to his family ‘s country farm to attend a celebration. Anita reluctantly agrees. The next good morning, Giorgio picks Anita up in his cousin ‘s dilapidate hand truck. On their way out of town, they are spotted by her bos, Burgoyne. On Giorgio ‘s family grow, Giorgio tells Anita that he hopes to become a lawyer, despite his poverty. Anita then climbs into the truck and is about killed when it rolls down the hill. After Giorgio rescues her, the breathless copulate give in to their attraction and they kiss. meanwhile, back at the apartment, Dino calls for Maria and asks if she will accompany him to Venice. Desiring to see Venice but not wanting to lose Dino ‘s respect, Maria arranges for Frances to chaperone them — to Dino ‘s disappointment. At the means on Monday, Burgoyne questions Maria about Anita ‘s weekend with Giorgio and although she maintains that Anita did nothing incorrect, Burgoyne assumes Anita is having an affair with Giorgio. The follow day, he fires Giorgio. When Anita learns about this, she blames Maria for betraying her confidence and insists on moving out of their apartment. She visits Giorgio, worried that she might have ruined his chances of becoming a lawyer. Giorgio has no regrets. interim, Maria sets out to attract Dino ‘s affections. She learns about the modern artwork he loves, his favorite food and wine, and pretends to learn the piccolo ( his favored instrument ). Maria tied lies about her background, telling Dino she is three-fourths italian. Beguiled by how much he obviously has in park with Maria, Dino introduces her to his beget, the Principessa, who expresses her approval. Later, Dino confides in Maria that she is the only daughter whom he has ever wholly trusted. Troubled by her deception, Maria confesses her subterfuge, even showing Dino her notebook listing his interests. He angrily takes her home. Frances meets Anita, who admits that she and Giorgio are in sleep together but will not marry because he is besides poor. Frances returns home to comfort the guilt-stricken Maria, who is besides determined to leave Rome because Dino has not contacted her since her entrance fee. Frances tells her she is beaming she is no longer young and susceptible to romance. The adjacent morning, however, Frances on the spur of the moment announces to Shadwell that she is returning to the United States, explaining that she does not want to end up as an old maid in a alien state. Shadwell, unaware that Frances has been deeply in love with him for fifteen years, offers her a marriage of convenience based on common regard. Eager to be with him under any circumstances, Frances accepts. The next day, Shadwell learns that he is terminally ill and has less than a year to live unless he goes to America for experimental discussion. Shadwell returns to his villa and coldly breaks off his date to Frances. After Shadwell leaves, Frances learns from his sophisticate the accuracy about Shadwell ‘s condition, and then follows him to a café, where she proceeds to match him drink for drink while bickering about whether he should pursue treatment. completely intoxicated, Frances climbs into a nearby spring and shortness of breath about her life sentence. After Shadwell takes her back to the villa and tucks her in, he goes to see Dino at the di Cessi palace. Shadwell tells Dino he is leaving for the United States where he will marry Frances. He uses rearward psychology to provoke Dino into realizing that he loves Maria.
After Anita and Maria are packed and fix to leave, Frances telephones and asks to meet them at the Trevi Fountain. When they arrive, Maria and Anita are disappointed to see the fountain emptied for clean. When they are joined by Frances, however, the water springs up again, and the women are thrilled by its beauty. Dino and Giorgio then arrive, and as the men embrace their girlfriends, Frances is joined by Shadwell, and they happily admire the fountain, which has proved lucky to them all .
cast [edit ]
reception [edit ]
critical response [edit ]
Upon its theatrical dismissal, the film received generally positive reviews, peculiarly for its color and CinemaScope widescreen filming of italian film locations. In his revue in The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote, “ Three Coins in the Fountain is quite clearly a film in which the venue comes first. however, the nonsense of its fabrication tumbles nicely within the picture human body. ” Crowther underscored the movie ‘s ocular appeal to the audiences of his prison term .
A courteous way to take the movie audience on a sightseeing tour of Rome, with a flying side trip to Venice, through the courtesy of CinemaScope, has been devised in Three Coins in the Fountain, a handsomely color romance that 20th Twentieth Century-Fox delivered to the Roxy yesterday. The trick is to underpin the visualize with unconvincing and harmless accounts of the obviously romanticist adventures of three american girls in Rome and then chase them with the camera around the Eternal City as they pursue their destinies. [ 8 ]
Variety noted that the film “ has affectionateness, humor, a rich drug of romanticism and about incredible pictorial solicitation. ” [ 9 ] On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie holds an approval military rank of 60 % based on 10 reviews, with an average denounce of 5.9 out of 10. [ 10 ]
Awards and nominations [edit ]
The film was recognized by the American Film Institute in these lists :
Remakes [edit ]
Three other films based on the like novel have been released. The first was the 1964 melodious The Pleasure Seekers starring Ann-Margret, Carol Lynley and Pamela Tiffin, directed by Jean Negulesco. The moment was a 1966 twentieth Century Fox pilot for an unsold television receiver serial, which was directed by Hal Kanter, written by Kanter and Melville Shavelson and starred Cynthia Pepper, Yvonne Craig and Joanna Moore. The television film was finally broadcast in 1970. Sergio Franchi sang the entitle song. The third was the 1990 television film Coins in the Fountain starring Loni Anderson. Three Coins in the Fountain besides inspired the 2010 film When in Rome, which tells the narrative of a charwoman who takes coins from a love fountain in Rome and finds undesirable love.
References [edit ]
bibliography [edit ]
- Solomon, Aubrey (1989). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1.
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