From 1961, comes The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone, a meaty, adult-themed, tragedy, starring Vivien Leigh and, in his second film appearance, Warren Beatty. Taking on a supporting role in the film (and nominated for an Academy Award for her performance) is Lotte Lenya, with a very young (and beautiful) Jill St. John having a small part as well. Based on the Tennessee Williams novel of the same name, The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone has somewhat of a Sunset Boulevard feel to it, as it explores the relationship between a fading, middle-aged actress and a much younger gigolo-type man.
Middle-age stage actress, Karen Stone (Vivien Leigh), has reached a crisis point in her career. After being told by a friend that it's not a question of talent but of time of life and that she ought to take on more age-appropriate roles, Karen makes the decision to close her current play and to take a vacation with her years-older husband. Before reaching their destination, however, Tom Stone suffers a fatal heart attack, leaving Karen to face life in Rome by herself.
In the business of providing handsome young men to wealthy widows of a certain age, the Contessa Magda (Lotte Lenya) makes a call on the lonely Mrs. Stone. Accompanying the Contessa is Paola de Leo (Warren Beatty), who puts the moves on Karen, only to find, to his great ire, that she has no interest in him. Knowing Karen is extremely wealthy, Paola intensifies his efforts to enter into a relationship with her, and in time, he is successful. Though Karen has her doubts about the suitability of seeing Paola, since she is incredibly lonely and "drifting through life with nowhere to go," she continues to spend time with him; eventually, despite knowing that Paola may be using her for monetary gain, Karen falls into a physical affair with him.
With the Contessa pressuring him for her share of what he's received from Mrs. Stone, Paola intensifies his efforts with Karen, even indicating that he is in love with her. Having fallen in love with him, Karen fails to heed her friends' warnings that she has become a subject of gossip; in fact, she pushes her friends away. Paolo has become her obsession...only now he flirts with other women and, instead of words of love, he spews forth cruelty; adding to Karen's angst is the stranger lurking around her apartment and following her around the city.
Does Paolo really love Karen? Or is he just using her? Will the Contessa continue to wait patiently for Paolo's payment? Will Karen be able to stop "drifting through life" and gracefully accept that she is growing older? And what of the lurking stranger? What does he want with Karen? These are the questions which will play out throughout the remainder of the film.
There is so much about this film that merited a 5-star rating---the acting, the photography, the direction, the score. Vivien Leigh is completely and totally terrific in her role. Forty-eight years old here and grieving the ending of her marriage to Laurence Olivier, she may have felt she was bringing her own story to life. While Vivien's marriage had ended due to divorce rather than death as her character's had, she was no less heartbroken. Perhaps the very fact that Karen's life somewhat mirrored her own made Miss Leigh's portrayal of her so realistic...so gut-wrenching...so heartbreaking...so all-fire tragic! The pain in Karen's eyes as she "drifted" through the film was, undoubtedly, the same pain Vivien herself was experiencing. I loved Karen, and I so felt for her..in part, I'm sure, because of her parallel with Miss Leigh, whom I have come to love. Though nearly 48 here, Vivien is still incredibly beautiful---once you get used to the blonde hair hair she is sporting. Her wardrobe is stunning---I was especially wild about the beige one-shoulder gown. Finally, adding an extra dose of sorrow to Miss Leigh's tragic portrayal, is the knowledge that this is her next to last film.
Lotte Lenya is absolutely terrific as well. She oozed sleaziness! As the pimp/madam, she resided, appropriately, in a gaudy red-walled apartment, absentmindedly stroking her cat while manipulating her entourage of young men to do her bidding. She was so perfect, she made my skin crawl!
I will admit that I almost went with with 4 stars on this, simply because of Warren Beatty. I don't care for him (dare a woman of the 1970's admit that!), and I found his attempt at an Italian accent annoying. In the end, though, since I found his portrayal of the selfish gigolo spot-on, I had to stay with 5 stars. Lowering a rating just because I don't like Beatty is not being very objective.
The musical score and the shots of Rome add to the moody authenticity of the film, and the ending scene is powerful, haunting, and moving. All in all, I found The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone to be a totally terrific, 5-star viewing experience.
The film is out on DVD; however, it is on the TCM schedule for this Wednesday, February 6th at 8:00 a.m. (ET). If you like hard-hitting, meaty, adult-theme dramas, you ought to greatly enjoy this film.
Happy viewing!!
