Three Coins in the Fountain

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Russ G Jan 17 Grading this one on my usual curve it gets 3/5. Yes, it's dated and somewhat predictable and a 100% Chick Flick before that term was "coined," but it has its charm. The standout for me was Miss McGuire. See more Erik J @EJofLA Mar 2 I thought the song and scenery were good, but the story so tedious that I had a hard time following it. If you want a sweet period piece and travelogue of Italy watch it. And Louis Jourdan is so handsome that it is almost worth watching it just to gaze at him. See more Steve M 02/15/2023 Interesting to see how people looked for marriage back in the 50's. Let's see, working together forming a relationship of respect and friendship, okay. Working together and falling in love, okay. Pretending to like the food he likes, doing the things he likes, just trying to get married, then "surprise," not good. Unfortunately, those parents from the 50's passed on this last method and now we have 50% divorce rate in America. See more steve d 07/21/2020 Unfocused and deeply uninteresting. See more 12/13/2019 Beautifully filmed in Italy around the famous fountain and other landmarks with a great cast, but, the story wasn't much See more 11/27/2019 The era of Hollywood on the Tiber produced some beloved classics such as Ben-Hur (1959) and The Barefoot Contessa (1954) but it also produced films that were essentially travelogues. This is one of those films as it is more focused on the beautiful scenery than any of the characters or their various relationships and the hurdles they have to overcome to be together. This made the film a rather dull experience for a modern viewer as while I can see why Americans in the mid 1950s who would probably never go to Europe would be delighted by this film but as somebody who can see images of Rome on the internet I was less enthused. Most viewers today will likely find little to enjoy in the film as it is incredibly light on plot, the performances are forgettable and there is not enough in the visuals to make watching the film a worthwhile experience. Secretary Maria Williams, Maggie McNamara, travels from the United States to Rome, Italy so that she can work for the United States Distribution Agency and serve as a replacement for departing veteran Anita Hutchins, Jean Peters. Hutchins introduces Williams to her roommate Miss Frances, Dorothy McGuire, and the three make wishes as they throw coins into the Trevi fountain. Hutchins is attracted to Italian co-worker Giorgi Bianchi, Rossano Brazzi, who takes her to meet his family but their burgeoning romance is complicated by a no-dating rule at their workplace. Williams falls in love with womanizing Prince Dino di Cessi, Louis Jourdan, but pretends to be somebody she is not to make him like her and eventually reveals her deception causing them to break up. Frances has long held feelings for her elderly landlord John Frederick Shadwell, Clifton Webb, which he is oblivious to and his suggestion of a marriage based on friendship alone offends her. All three women eventually find love. Possibly the most engaging of the three storylines was the third as Frances and Shadwell feel like the most realistic characters in the film and there feelings for one another were driven by real attraction not the prospect of wealth or social climbing. McGuire, typically a low voltage performer, turns in a performance that while never exceptional radiates a certain warmth and naturalism not present in the other three performers. The screenplay also allows for some development in the two characters within this plot strand as Shadwell accepts that he loves a young, sometimes frivolous woman and Frances is able to express herself finally. They also have a proper meeting of minds instead of meeting in front of the fountain and kissing as occurs for the other two couples with their union beginning in a quiet, hopeful fashion. If only some of the care applied to this storyline could have extended to the rest of the film I may have enjoyed it as a light, frothy treat that is not at all mentally taxing. Sadly the film seems to have little care for Williams and Hutchins as they exist merely as vehicles to display the blue waters of Venice or the wide skies of the pastoral landscape that their boyfriends inhabit. I did find the film to be an attractive looking piece of cinema but compared to Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955), which similarly attempts to advertise Hong Kong to Americans, it appeared like your regular CinemaScope production and didn't present enough visual splendor to sell the film alone. McNamara and Peters also deliver bland, uninteresting interpretations of their characters as they add none of the wit or charm that actresses like Jean Simmons and Eleanor Parker could have brought to the same roles. McNamara, irksome in the controversial The Moon Is Blue (1953), brings that high pitched voice and effected tone to a role that asks her to be a beguiling ingénue. Not only does she have a lack of chemistry with Jourdan, an admittedly stolid leading man in this film, but she has no chemistry with her female co-stars either. Peters does not fear much better as the tough talking older woman afraid of having her heart broken with an inability to balance the lighter comedic aspects of the character with her bigger, dramatic moments. The film as a whole was popular diversion in 1954 but has not aged well and has been largely forgotten for a reason. See more Read all reviews

Three Coins in the Fountain

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