Light in the Piazza

Olivia de Havilland is a worried mother travelling through scenic Italian locations with daughter Yvette Mimieux, who is mentally retarded. When a young Italian starts courting her daughter and showing up in the most unlikely places, de Havilland's predicament becomes apparent. Should she tell the truth or let her daughter marry the rather simple-minded Italian boy? The situation was better described in the novella by Elizabeth Spencer, but the Epstein brothers have given the screenplay some grace and humor--and de Havilland is superb as the doting mother. Rosanno Brazzi adds his brand of charm to the boy's father and there is a light touch of romance between him and de Havilland. George Hamilton is surprisingly convincing as the smitten Italian youth, Yvette Mimieux does well enough as the girl and Barry Sullivan does what he can with the thankless role of her stubborn father who would rather see her placed in an institution. All of it is nicely photographed in Italian locales and in wide-screen technicolor (see the letterbox version if you can). This unappreciated film is a minor gem--poignant, touching and humorous.

MGM deserves credit for producing a magnificent film The Light In The Piazza starring a classic star Olivia De Havilland and featuring two of MGM's brightest contract stars George Hamilton and as the key player in the film Yvette Mimieux as a learning disabled Girl who for the first time is treated like an adult and is romanced by a handsome man who because of the language barriers does not realize her disabilities. A remarkable film beautifully filmed in Italy by the fine director Guy Green. Having seem this film I am going to review and study more of Mr. Green's films. Of course it goes without saying that Olivia De Havilland often nominated and winner of 2 Oscars gives a brilliant performance of Yvette Mimieux's mother. George Hamilton is fine as the Lothario.

A courageous film and a credit to the MGM Studio

... with Olivia de Havilland as the mother of a "simple" girl who was brain-injured as a child. As played by Yvette Mimieux, she naturally attracts the attention of a young Italian (George Hamilton), much to the alarm of the mother who still treats the girl like a 10-year-old. You have to wonder what the real purpose of the trip to Italy was. Rich and aimless, De Havilland seems quite happy just lingering in Florence, with no plans or agenda. There's a husband back in the US (Barry Sullivan) and Hamilton has an opportunistic father (Rossano Brazzi), who seems to like the idea of a dowry.

I never read the novella so I have no idea how this was all originally portrayed. Once De Havilland settles on the idea that the daughter could be happily married into the Italian family, she sets out to ensure it happens. The only snags are that Sullivan wants the daughter placed in a home, and Brazzi balks when he finds out the daughter's real age.

It's a sweet-natured film with a sly sense of humor. This story was recently turned into a Broadway musical, oddly enough.

Caught this one on Turner Classic, and for the longest time was stuck in a battle of the wills - turn it off and walk away, or allow inertia to force me to be on the couch through the whole thing. After all, I have better things to do with my time than watch George Hamilton attempt to play a young Italian lover. Inertia chalked up an embarrassing victory.

Inertia had help. This movie grew on me, because it danced the Hollywood formula for romance in front of me and then backed away from the pat and added a layer of depth to the situation. The story, in brief is as follows: DeHavilland and Mimieux are the mother and daughter from a monied American family (shares in a tobacco company) on an extended vacation in Italy. There is something wrong with the daughter. With a daughter who looks like Yvette Mimieux it is not long before a young Florentine, Hamilton, sees her and is smitten, and if you aren't familiar with who Yvette Mimieux is, suffice it to say that she was one of the most gorgeous and kittenish actresses of the early 1960's, all flaxen blonde hair, blue doe eyes and curves. To say her Clara character is a bit simple and sweet is an understatement. With his broken English, Hamilton's character does not detect anything is wrong and pursues the romance anyway, getting the concierge to tip him off as to where the mother and daughter will be going that day and just happening to show up uninvited, to Mimieux's delight and Dehavilland's growing consternation. The mother is conflicted - the boy wants to marry her daughter, but she can't let him (and his family) take her without knowing the truth.

This film is carried by DeHavilland's complex and powerful performance as a woman who has buried her hopes for her child only to see them being struck alight very much against her will. And in spite of numerous opportunities to do so, Epstein's script manages to hold off surrender to bathos, providing an interesting ending that left me surprised.

Not to say that this film had everything going for it. Casting George Hamilton as a young Italian can best be described as adventurous. Mimieux's Clara really does grow in Italy, but anyone familiar with her wide-eyed acting will know that she was an unlikely candidate to ever effectively portray a rocket scientist. Their pairing as the lovers had to have been concocted by the studio marketing department. Since the charisma supply on the lovers is not exactly overflowing the dike, DeHavilland's performance becomes even more important.

Some wonderful vistas are rendered of Florence, one of the world's loveliest cities. Coupled with DeHavilland's slow and patient explanations to the befuddled Mimieux of what they are looking at and how it is important, the film also provides a short travelogue of Florence that even an Englishman could follow.

I found this move, seen on Turner Classic Movies, to be a very touching love story. I particularly liked the Olivia deHavilland as Meg Johnson, the mother of a beautiful young woman, named Clara with a slight mental impairment, played by Yvette Mimieux.

On a trip to Italy with her mother, Clara is eyed by the young men she passes in the piazzas of Florence and Rome. Before long, she is pursued by Fabrizio Naccareli, a young Florentine, played by George Hamilton, who seems to have fallen in love with her at first sight. He is very enthusiastic and playful, a love match for Clara. At the same time, Fabrizio's father, Rosanno Brazzi, who is married, strikes up a friendship with Meg.

It was apparent that while she wants the best for her daughter, Meg treats her disability as a social stigma. This seems to be in contrast with Fabrizio's Italian family, who have a more natural approach to Fabrizio, who is also somewhat immature, while totally charming.

Some of the movie is very dated; for example, the way Olivia deHavilland lights a cigarette every time she encounters a moment of stress. The smoking theme becomes more pronounced with people offering each other cigarettes, not to mention Clara's father's high paying job in the tobacco industry. There is a bit of a running joke linking the Johnsons with actor Van Johnson, whose name is less familiar to a 21st century audience than it was in 1962. However, these telltale signs that date the movie also seem to be part of its appeal.

In other respects, the movie is ahead of its time and seems to tell viewers to allow love to flower and grow. Meg found a change of heart on the trip. While reluctant to let go of her free-spirited daughter, she couldn't deny the love that Fabrizio and Clara shared. The movie throws a few twists in how the story plays out. As always, it is a credit that TCM brings movies out of the dusty corners of the past. They tell us something about the time while giving us unexpected entertainment.