Poseidon-3 Review of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

Perhaps "The Roman Fall of Mrs. Stone" would have been too obvious a title.

[28 May 2009]

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.