Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I must be honest--I bought "Three Coins in the Fountain" because I thought my wife would enjoy it. How right I was ! At the risk of sounding sexist, this 1954 production is definitely a movie aimed at women--and men wanting to impress women--it was probably a great "date flick" !
The plot is quite conventional, standard soap opera fare. Three young and single American women are employed as secretaries in Rome. They are played by Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, and--as "the new kid on the block"--Maggie McNamara. Of course, all three find romance, not to mention ever-changing wardrobes and lavish living accommodations. In 1954, secretaries must have made a bundle in Italy ! For gorgeous and seductive Ms. Peters, romance comes in the form of a ruggedly handsome Italian law student, Rossano Brazzi ( later to have Mitzi Gaynor swooning in "South Pacific" ). Young, naive Ms. McNamara attracts the attention of an Italian prince with a womanizing reputation
( Louis Jourdan, a poster boy for charm and sophistication ). She has to wait for much of the film, but Ms. McGuire is finally "noticed" by her stuffy, self-absorbed boss and best-selling author ( Clifton Webb, very badly cast as a romantic lead ). These relationships go through various predictable complications, with the steamy Peters/Brazzi pairing as the most realistic.
However, at this point, we should mention the real star of this film--Italy. Has that country ever been photographed more beautifully than in "Three Coins" ? This is one of the earliest Cinemascope productions, shot on location in colour--the views of Rome, the Italian countryside, and spectacular Venice are breath-taking. I agree with other positive technical reviews of this DVD--the film has been restored to its original glory, and this is a beautiful disc to own.
Of course, the film is still fifty years old, and dated in a number of ways. I still got caught up in it though because of the fabulous scenery and the three leading ladies are certainly attractive--I'm also sure that female viewers won't mind watching those two continental "hunks", Louis Jourdan and Rossano Brazzi !
The title song won an Oscar, and was a big hit for both Frank Sinatra--his version opens the film--and the Four Aces.
So--bottom line--a light, frothy confection from the fifties in a most beautiful package. There is one serious drawback--for us guys, this disc could become very expensive--my wife wants to spend our next holiday in Italy !
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A charming romantic comedy about three American roommates working in Italy who wish for the men of their dreams after throwing coins into Rome's magnificent Trevi Fountain.
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