It's not a brilliant story, but the reinterpretation of Pygmalion is beautiful, mainly because of the presence of Ava Garner.
One Touch of Venus is a 1948 American black-and-white romantic musical comedy film directed by William A. Seiter starring Ava Gardner, and based on the 1943 Broadway musical of the same name, book written by S. J. Perelman and Ogden Nash, The book and the musical are inspired by the legend of Pygmalion which was narrated by Ovid in his book Metamorphoses.
According to Ovid, when Pygmalion saw the Propoetides of Cyprus practicing prostitution, he began "detesting the faults beyond measure which nature has given to women". He determined to remain celibate and to occupy himself with sculpting. He made a sculpture of a woman that he found so perfect he fell in love with it. Pygmalion kisses and fondles the sculpture, brings it various gifts, and creates a sumptuous bed for it.
In time, Aphrodite's festival day came and Pygmalion made offerings at the altar of Aphrodite. There, too afraid to admit his desire for him, he quietly wished for a bride who would be "the living likeness of my ivory girl". When he returned home, he kissed his ivory statue of her, and found that its lips felt warm. He kissed it again, and found that the ivory had lost its hardness. Aphrodite had granted Pygmalion's wish. Pygmalion married the ivory sculpture, which changed to a woman under Aphrodite's blessing. In Ovid's narrative,
And the film One Touch of Venus with Ava Gardner transports the story of Pygmalion to modern times.
Wealthy department-store mogul Whitfield Savory II buys a statue of Venus for $200,000. He plans to exhibit it in the store. Eddie Hatch, a window dresser, kisses the statue on a whim. To his shock of it, Venus comes to life. She leaves the store and Eddie is accused of stealing the work of art. Nobody believes the truth, including secretary Molly Stewart, who is Savory's right-hand woman, and Kerrigan, a detective. Venus turns up at Eddie's apartment, forcing him to hide her from her girlfriend Gloria and her roommate Joe.
One Touch of Venus is a 1948 American black-and-white romantic musical comedy film directed by William A. Seiter starring Ava Gardner, and based on the 1943 Broadway musical of the same name, book written by S. J. Perelman and Ogden Nash, The book and the musical are inspired by the legend of Pygmalion which was narrated by Ovid in his book Metamorphoses.
According to Ovid, when Pygmalion saw the Propoetides of Cyprus practicing prostitution, he began "detesting the faults beyond measure which nature has given to women". He determined to remain celibate and to occupy himself with sculpting. He made a sculpture of a woman that he found so perfect he fell in love with it. Pygmalion kisses and fondles the sculpture, brings it various gifts, and creates a sumptuous bed for it.
In time, Aphrodite's festival day came and Pygmalion made offerings at the altar of Aphrodite. There, too afraid to admit his desire for him, he quietly wished for a bride who would be "the living likeness of my ivory girl". When he returned home, he kissed his ivory statue of her, and found that its lips felt warm. He kissed it again, and found that the ivory had lost its hardness. Aphrodite had granted Pygmalion's wish. Pygmalion married the ivory sculpture, which changed to a woman under Aphrodite's blessing. In Ovid's narrative,
And the film One Touch of Venus with Ava Gardner transports the story of Pygmalion to modern times.
Wealthy department-store mogul Whitfield Savory II buys a statue of Venus for $200,000. He plans to exhibit it in the store. Eddie Hatch, a window dresser, kisses the statue on a whim. To his shock of it, Venus comes to life. She leaves the store and Eddie is accused of stealing the work of art. Nobody believes the truth, including secretary Molly Stewart, who is Savory's right-hand woman, and Kerrigan, a detective. Venus turns up at Eddie's apartment, forcing him to hide her from her girlfriend Gloria and her roommate Joe.