Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

You won't be disappointed!

Simply A Masterpiece

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Many wars and crimes have erased the idealistic, romantic dreams of that fossil mid 20th century leading us closer to Huxley and Orwellian nightmares. "Three coins" is a simple movie which matches wonderfully a music theme sang by Sinatra. It's 3 uncomplicated stories about the desire to get married and live, whenever possible, in pleasant company. It surprises me how all the magic charm of Rome has survived the unforgiving passing of time. Enhanced by a great photo and a excellently revamped version. There it is, the eternal city, inviting us all to go visit and maybe throw a coin in Trevi Fountain. You may get a pinch, a stolen handbag or the love of a lively Italian. Anything goes. Is it that bad having reveries about a "Golden Age" where no blood, crime, or sadistic feelings is a must to get a money-making flick? If you want an uncomplicated film, with a simple but intelligent script you are entitled to take a break and get ready for yet another tough & realistic day after this charming, romantic fantasy. If you prefer something somber, there is always, of course, "Game of Thrones" ...

This is sort of like a poor man's Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or Funny Face. Jean Peters has to pretend that she's Audrey Hepburn. She isn't, which is not her fault.The photography of the rural scenery is beautiful, but other shots are not as good as in some contemporary European-set movies, like An American in Paris (most of which was filmed on the MGM lot), Funny Face (ditto), or The Sun Also Rises.The plot, as such, is not worth paying attention to. The real theme is that truly romantic love is to be found with European men, if you can distinguish the good ones from the cads.Dorothy McGuire may not be Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, or Leslie Caron, but she's very good in this.Louis Jourdan is wasted on being a cad. He will be redeemed later in Gigi.And Clifton Webb is very good, and gets some very good lines.Not a great movie, but worth one viewing.

Dazzling cinematography and a wonderful story line made this 1954 blockbuster film the treasure that it is.The story of the loves of 3 secretaries in Rome is absolutely captivating.Headed by a fine cast, the film succeeds beyond expectations. The real-life tragic Maggie McNamara is engaging as an Audrey Hepburn look alike who finds romance with a young Louis Jourdan, who sheds his usual French accent in this film. McNamara tries to learn everything about the wealthy Jourdan character to snag him. However, her true love for him, makes her confess what she has done.The always reliable Dorothy McGuire and Clifton Webb again show their mettle. She has been working for him for 15 years in Rome, when she decides to go home and Webb, to keep her, proposes marriage. She happily accepts but when Webb learns that he has a terminal brain tumor, he tells her that he was too impulsive in proposing. Their resolution is most poignant in the film.Rossano Brazzi and Jean Peters play the third couple here. A misunderstanding and violation of company rules costs Brazzi his job, but love will conquer all.This picture is definitely for the romantic and young at heart. There had to be some controversy here when the title song of this film beat out The Man Who Got Away from Judy Garland's "A Star is Born." There should have been a tie in this category.

Lighten up, boys and girls! You must allow the director to display irony and fun in a feel-good movie in Rome not long after the fall of fascism! And how exotic it must have appeared to most of the world's population who at that time had not travelled abroad.It does make you wonder how those secretaries could afford those glamorous clothes, and be so close to princes and movers and shakers of post-war Rome. Perhaps a gentle poke at role reversal?One of the best tunes ever written, wonderful locations, and I don't care a damn about the Trevi fountain behaving inconsistently - that is the nature of fountains, and in Rome they are all drenched in magic!