The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone
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| The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone | |
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| File:Roman spring.jpg
Film poster
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| Directed by | José Quintero |
| Produced by | Louis De Rochemont Lothar Wolff |
| Written by | Gavin Lambert Jan Read |
| Starring | Vivien Leigh Warren Beatty Lotte Lenya Jill St. John Coral Browne |
| Music by | Richard Addinsell |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Ralph Kemplen |
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Production
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| Distributed by | Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) Warner Bros. Pictures (US) |
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Release dates
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December 28, 1961 |
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Running time
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103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone is a 1961 British film made by Seven Arts-Warner Bros.[1][2][3] It was directed by José Quintero and produced by Louis De Rochemont with Lothar Wolff as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Gavin Lambert and Jan Read and based on the novel by Tennessee Williams. The music score was by Richard Addinsell and the cinematography by Harry Waxman.
The film was the only directorial effort for José Quintero on the big screen.[4]
Plot
Karen Stone (Vivien Leigh), an acclaimed American stage actress, and her businessman husband are off on holiday to Rome. On the plane, her husband suffers a fatal heart attack. Karen decides to stay in Italy and rent a luxury apartment in Rome. The Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales (Lotte Lenya) soon introduces her to a young Italian man, Paolo (Warren Beatty), who is actually a highly professional gigolo. Karen and Paolo begin an affair, but it soon becomes obvious that Paolo is in it only for personal gain. He is soon bored by Mrs. Stone, and leaves her to pursue a young American film actress (Jill St. John). Ridiculed by the Contessa, chastised by her friend Meg (Coral Browne) and abandoned by Paolo, Mrs. Stone is soon utterly debased enough to surrender herself to a ragged, mysterious young man who has been following her obsessively. In the end, it seems as if Mrs. Stone has literally given up her life.
Cast
- Vivien Leigh as Karen Stone
- Warren Beatty as Paolo di Leo
- Lotte Lenya as Contessa
- Coral Browne as Meg
- Jill St. John as Barbara
- Jeremy Spenser as Young man
- Stella Bonheur as Mrs. Jamison-Walker
- Peter Dyneley as Lloyd Greener
- Carl Jaffe as Baron Waldheim
- Harold Kasket as Tailor
- Viola Keats as Julia McIlheny
- Cleo Laine as Singer
- Bessie Love as Bunny
- Elspeth March as Mrs. Barrow
- Henry McCarty as Campbell Kennedy
- Warren Mitchell as Giorgio
- John Phillips as Tom Stone
- Paul Stassino as Stefano – The Barber
- Ernest Thesiger as Stefano
- Mavis Villiers as Mrs. Coogan
Awards and nominations
Lotte Lenya was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
2003 version
In 2003, an Emmy-award winning made-for-cable version was produced for Showtime Networks starring Helen Mirren, Anne Bancroft, and Olivier Martinez.
