Brief Encounter (1974) - Not Recommended

I streamed this version of Brief Encounter on Amazon since it is not available on Netflix.  It was released on NBC television on November 12, 1974 as part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series. 

This adaption of the classic 1945 movie is awful.  For one, I found it boring because the way the story unfolded was slow moving.  I expected great performances from two of the world's greatest actors.  Richard Burton played the role of Dr. Harvey  as if he really did not want to do this movie.  Burton is also very stiff.   Sophia Loren was, I think. way too exotic looking for the role of this story.  The script was altered quite a bit I guess to accommodate the fact that Sophia Loren is an Italian actress with an Italian accent, but to me, it just did not work for this film.  Loren's true acting ability does not shine here at all.         
 

Personally, I did not detect a shred of chemistry between Richard Burton and Sophia Loren.  Unlike the 1945 classic, the two characters in this adaption did not ever seem as comfortable with one another as in they did in the original.  

The way that the story unfolds here, it was not really about falling in love through a series of innocent happenstance.  It seemed to me that after Burton removed the grit out of Loren's eyes he was seeking her out for more.  He is clearly a man who is not happy at home.  Dr. Harvey is older in this version as well and Burton not only looks much older then Loren but also tired.

I did not care for the script with the added side stories either.  Robert Shaw was originally hired to play Dr. Harvey, but he bowed out as filming was about to begin and Richard Burton stepped in at the last minute.  Perhaps that can explain his less then enthusiastic performance.  The few times that Burton spoke of his feelings for Loren's character I was not moved.  This entire production was just strange to watch and not at all riveting like the 1945 adaptation was.  Perhaps it is unfair to compare it to the original, but even if I didn't this movie just simply bored me to tears and I had to almost force myself to watch it to the end and I did want to like it.  


   

  

Photos of Sophia Loren that I DON'T Like

Believe it or not, there are actually photos of Sophia Loren that I do not care for.  It is not because I don't think Miss Loren is beautiful in them, but instead because I think that Sophia is much better than what the picture is.  Take for instance the above photo.  Few, if any, would disagree that Sophia Loren is strikingly beautiful.  The woman simply possesses unforgetable beauty.  Sophia would look sexy as all heck wearing a burlap sack.  Sophia does not need to resort to photos like this in order to draw attention to herself and the fact that she has a gorgeous figure.  Sophia Loren is obviously very comfortable in her own skin and sexuality and that is a good thing.  I just feel that certain types of photos gives off a different kind of message.  Sophia Loren's beauty is classic so I simply see these types of photos as dishonoring the woman that she truly is.  If you are a man you probably disagree with me though (for obvious reasons)...heehee

One has to give Miss Loren a hand for having such a beautiful figure.

Those were the days when actresses had bodies like the women they were.  Marilyn Monroe and many other actresses from back in the day were voluptuous and curvy, even if they were slim.  Now a days actresses are so skinny without a feminine figure.        

Here is a lovely photo of Miss Loren not showing any boobs but still tastefully beautiful and sexy. 



Here is Miss Loren again looking gorgeous and sexy without being suggestive.  The dress has a classic design which accentuates her womanly curves. 

 I dare you to say that Sophia is not sexy and beautiful in this photo. 

A beautiful classic look.  Some of you are rolling yours eyes at me aren't you? 

Classic Sophia; still sexy without being suggestive.  The sexpot image has not done anything for women in general.  If anything it has harmed us. 

 You could not pay me to walk out of my house like this.

Or this.....

This I would wear because it is more tasteful

...and so is this.

More Sophia Loren...Style Icon

 

 

 

 

Sunflower

I streamed the movie Sunflower last Sunday.  Sunflower stars Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastoianni as first lovers and then husband and wife.  The movie is directed by Italian director Vittorio De Sica.  It was released on March 14, 1970.  Sophia Loren playes Giovanna, Marcello Mastroianni plays Antonio (Anto), Anna Carena plays Antonio's mother, Lyudmila Savelyeva plays Masha (Maria).  The movie is in Italian with English subtitles.

At the start of this film Giovanna tries to find out if her husband is still alive after the end of WWII.  Giovanna is accompanied by Anto's mother who is standing behind her in the above screen cap.  Giovanna is frustrated because no one can tell her if Anto is still alive.  he is simply among the missing in action.  Giovanna returns home believing in her heart that Anto is still alive, even though it has been several years since the war ended.  Giovanna promises Anto's mother that she will not rest until she finds her son.  From there the movie tells the story of how Anto and Giovanna got together in flashbacks. 

Anto and Giovanna are very amorous lovers. 
 

On the set and getting ready to film a scene in Sunflower.
 

After just getting out of bed Anto makes an omlette using twenty four eggs.  Both devour the omlette with a glass of wine.  While Anto and Giovanni are having a good time together WWII breaks out. 

Giovanna and Anto get married to delay his having to go off and fight in the war.  The delay is only for twelve says though.
 

Anto and Giovanna come up with a scheme to make people think he is crazy in order to keep him out of the war altogether.  Anto pretends to be attacking Giovanna in the street in front of a huge crowd of people.

Giovanna tells military officers that Anto seems to have lost his mind.  Anto is declared nuts and is sent to a sanitarium.  While Giovanna is visiting Anto at the Sanitarium their scheme to discovered and Anto is given the choice of being court marshaled or Sent to the Russian front to fight.

Giovanna sees her husband off to war.

The war is finally over but Anto has not returned from the war.  Giovanna has remained faithful to him and never gives up the belief that her husband is alive.  Since the military has not been able to tell Giovanna if her husband is dead or alive, she travels to Russia herself in search of him.  

After Giovanna arrives in Russia she shows a picture of Anto to everyone in hopes that they have seen him.
 

Giovanna even checks all the names in a cemetary in Russia where Italian soldiers were buried.  Eventually Giovanna shows Anto's picture to two women who recognize him and knows where to find him.

Gioavanna is devasted to find out that while she has been faithful to her husband all those years, Anto went on to marry and have a child with the woman who rescued him during the war.  If it were not for Masha, Anto would have froze to death out in the Russian fields.  Feeling hurt, Giovanna returns to Italy without her husband.

Anto still cares for Giovanni and remembers his love for her, so years later he returns to Italy to explain what the war did to him and how it changed him.  Anto also asks Giovanna to return to Russia with him.  Anto learns that Giovanna finally moved on with her own life and had a child with another man.  Giovanna is thankful to Anto for coming to explain why he did not return tgo her, but she tells him to go back to Russia without her for the sake of both of their children.  Anto does return to Russia and his life with Masha and their daughter.

I enjoyed this movie very much.  It showed very clearly how war can change you and the entire rest of your life.  It was also very sad that Giovanna lost the love of her life too.  The only thing that kind of threw me was the bond they supposedly had because  to me their relationship seemed to be based on being lovers and not anything really concrete beyond that.  Anto and Giovanna could not keep their hands off of one another.  Strong relationship bonds usually go way beyond that.  

Desire Under the Elms

This past Sunday I streamed Desire Under the Elms on netflix.  This movie is based on a play of the same title written by Eugene O'Neill in 1924.  The movie came out on March 12, 1958.  The film stars Sophia Loren as Anna Cabot, Anthony Perkins as Eben Cabot, Burl Ives as Ephraim Cabot, Pernell Roberts and Frank Overton as Peter and Simeon Cabot.  Some of you may remember that Pernell Roberts later starred as Trapper John MD on television.

The entire cast of this movie did an outstanding job.  Let me start with Sophia Loren.  As usual, Sophia is absolutely GORGEOUS in this film.  Sophia's beauty is definitely in a category of its own.  Also being Italian, no one can deny that Sophia's heavy Italian accent in the movie is genuine.  It was also lovely to listen too.  Of course Sophia had to speak English in this movie and she pronounced every word clearly and distinctly.

As Anna, Sophia Loren plays a 25 year old Italian immigrant.  Anna works as a waitress and that is how she meets Ephraim Cabot.  Ephraim is on old man of 76 years who has been widowed twice and has three sons.  Anna marries Ephraim so that she will finally have a home and land to call her own.  Ephraim though is a stingy and mean spirited.  He hides his money so that no one can find it and does not want to leave his family anything after he dies.  Ephraim would rather see the house burned down before anyone gets their hands on it, including Anna.

Eben Cabot knows where his father always kept his money hidden.  When Eben was a little boy and his mother was still alive she showed him where his father hides his money and to never forget it.  Eben's mother also told him that the land rightfully belongs to him when she dies.  Eben who loves his mother dearly never forgot and vowed to make sure he gets what is rightfully his, which is the house and the land.

Eben Cabot is brilliantly played by Anthony Perkins.  He is very handsome in this movie too.
  

Eben takes money out of the bag that his father has hidden and pays off his brothers Peter and Simeon to leave and also sign a legal document stating that both of them give up their rights to the house and land.
 

Pernell; Roberts and Frank Overton as brothers Peter and Simeon Cabot.  

Ephraim Cabot, played by Burl Ives, brings home his new wife Anna.

Anna and Eben falll in love and start having an affair behind Ephraim's back
 

 

Eben is a nice enough guy, but he likes to blame everyone around him for everything.  At one point Eben blames his affair with Anna on her alone as if he was not a willing participant and just as in love with her as she is with him.  This Eben does just on the words of his father whom he never liked or trusted.  All of a sudden Eben takes his father's words for truth in that instance which makes no sense.
   

This is the ending scene of Ephraim standing under a tree alone.  Ephraim still has his land, house and money but he drove away everyone in his family so what good is it to have all of those things if no one loves you or wants to be around you.  The ending did seem kind of sudden though.  All in all this is a very good movie and it kept me engaged.

 Anthony Perkins during early movie production.

During filming of Desire Under the Elms.

Promotional photographs.