A promising story done before and done better.
We didn't spend enough time with either era to actually be sold on the romance.
Briefly, journalist finds a letter in an old book and starts to investigate a romance set in the 1960s to see what happened. That's 1960s monied people who drive around Italy in open top mercs with servants. You know the rose coloured glasses version. Lots of money, little depth. Bored housewife meets journalist.
In the meantime, the journalist who finds the letter trawls through the archives searching for more letters. Not sure how they knew the letters would be hidden in books in the archives but there you go. And, fortunately, they find the letters in sequence and just in time to propel the story along.
Hmmm not convinced. Nether romance was sold to me. Modern day archivist was thoroughly enamored with the rude journalist from the get go. No idea why, probably because he owned a cat? There was nothing likable about her but that didn't stop him.
On the otherside (1960s) a bored housewife has an affair that doesn't go anywhere. Tries to runaway from hubby, only to (wait for it) have a car accident and miss the train. Hubby finds out, tells wifey her BF was killed in the accident and wife swallows it hook line and stinker.
Said modern journalist (with witless archivist) then set about reuniting the aging adulterers who are conveniently single (aging Lothario never married) and hey presto, back together and all is right with the world.
Nothing to see here, seriously. The 1960s scenes were beautifully shot but neither romance was convincing. I kept waiting for High Grant to show up. Then I waited for the older woman to reveal that her daughter was really his and that the modern day journalist was her long lost daughter, that would have been the icing on the cake, or torpedo that sunk the ship.
It's a 5 because it was inoffensive, beautifully shot although forgettable and unoriginal.
We didn't spend enough time with either era to actually be sold on the romance.
Briefly, journalist finds a letter in an old book and starts to investigate a romance set in the 1960s to see what happened. That's 1960s monied people who drive around Italy in open top mercs with servants. You know the rose coloured glasses version. Lots of money, little depth. Bored housewife meets journalist.
In the meantime, the journalist who finds the letter trawls through the archives searching for more letters. Not sure how they knew the letters would be hidden in books in the archives but there you go. And, fortunately, they find the letters in sequence and just in time to propel the story along.
Hmmm not convinced. Nether romance was sold to me. Modern day archivist was thoroughly enamored with the rude journalist from the get go. No idea why, probably because he owned a cat? There was nothing likable about her but that didn't stop him.
On the otherside (1960s) a bored housewife has an affair that doesn't go anywhere. Tries to runaway from hubby, only to (wait for it) have a car accident and miss the train. Hubby finds out, tells wifey her BF was killed in the accident and wife swallows it hook line and stinker.
Said modern journalist (with witless archivist) then set about reuniting the aging adulterers who are conveniently single (aging Lothario never married) and hey presto, back together and all is right with the world.
Nothing to see here, seriously. The 1960s scenes were beautifully shot but neither romance was convincing. I kept waiting for High Grant to show up. Then I waited for the older woman to reveal that her daughter was really his and that the modern day journalist was her long lost daughter, that would have been the icing on the cake, or torpedo that sunk the ship.
It's a 5 because it was inoffensive, beautifully shot although forgettable and unoriginal.