Three Coins In The Fountain (1954)

Three Coins In The Fountain - 1954

Coming up next we have 1954's "Three Coins In The Fountain", a film about three ladies living in Rome who find romance.  All three are headed down different paths in life, and romance is the last thing they expect to find.

The film's cast includes Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, Maggie McNamara, Rossano Brazzi, Cathleen Nesbitt, and Norma Varden.

The film opens with Frank Sinatra singing the Academy Award-winning title song, "Three Coins In The Fountain", and we are treated to some of Rome's most beautiful fountain locations.

Three coins in the fountain,
Each one seeking happiness.

Thrown by three hopeful lovers,
Which one will the fountain bless?

Three hearts in the fountain,
Each heart longing for its home.

There they lie in the fountain,
Somewhere in the heart of Rome.

Which one will the fountain bless?
Which one will the fountain bless?

Three coins in the fountain,
Through the ripples how they shine.

Just one wish will be granted.
One heart will wear a valentine.

Make it mine,
make it mine,
make it mine!

Maria Williams (center) has come to Rome to work at the United States Distribution Agency.  She meets her new villa-mates Miss Frances (left) and Anita Hutchins (right).

On the way to work, they stop and show Maria the Trevi Fountain.  The legend states that if you throw a coin into the fountain you will return to Rome.

And we're quickly introduced to the men in the ladies' lives.  Miss Frances has been in love with her employer, the writer John Frederick Shadwell, for fifteen years, only he can't see it.

Anita falls in love with Giorgio, who works in the same office she does.  Unfortunately, the company frowns on relationships between Americans and Italians.

And Maria falls in love with Prince Dino di Cessi, the playboy of Rome.  She tries to fake interest in the things she thinks interest him.

Prince Dino takes Maria (accompanied by Miss Frances as a chaperone) on a quick trip to Venice, and we're along for the beautiful ride as well.

The movie is remarkable in that we get to see some beautiful shots of Rome and the surrounding areas.

The three couples have to navigate the tricky waters of romance, but come out on top when they meet up at the Trevi Fountain at the conclusion of the movie.

Cast rundown:

   Clifton Webb................................John Frederick Shadwell

   Dorothy McGuire...........................Miss Frances

   Jean Peters..................................Anita Hutchins

   Louis Jourdan...............................Prince Dino di Cessi

   Maggie McNamara.........................Maria Williams

   Rossano Brazzi.............................Giorgio Bianchi

   Cathleen Nesbitt...........................Principessa di Cessi

   Norma Varden..............................Woman At Cocktail Party

And that's all for Three Coins In The Fountain.  The opening sequence and the song by Frank Sinatra had an enormous amount to do with the great success of this film.  Movie goers flocked to the theaters to "travel" to Italy.  This film was made in the "Hollywood on the Tiber" era, which showcased Italy as a major filming location.  This film won Academy Awards for Best Song and Best Cinematography, much deserved honors.

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The Nun's Story (1959)

The Nun's Story - 1959

Our next film is 1959's "The Nun's Story" in which we follow the story of a nun from her entrance to the religious order, through her various experiences, to her eventual exit.

The film's cast includes Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Mildred Dunnock, Beatrice Straight, Rosalie Crutchley, Ruth White, Barbara O'Neil, Margaret Phillips, and Colleen Dewhurst.

A new life awaits Gabrielle Van Der Mal as she goes to become a nun.  Her father, renowned surgeon Dr. Hubert Van Der Mal, makes sure this is her wish before turning his daughter over to the nuns.

After she bids her father goodbye, the door between Gabrielle's old life and the new is closed and locked.  She is now a postulant.

Right away Gabrielle observers her surroundings, watching all the goes on as the nuns have their chapel services.  It's not what she's expected to do, and a superior sister gives her a chastising look.

Gabrielle is in for a steep learning curve as she struggles to obey the rules that govern a nun's life.  Obedience will be one of Gabrielle's chiefest shortcomings.

She fills her days with work as a nurse, something she enjoys very much.

Following completion of her postulancy, Gabrielle begins the ceremony to become a novitiate.

Her hair is cut, and she's given the habit of a novitiate.  She's also given the religious name Sister Luke.

After taking her vows, she begins work at the school of tropical medicine.  Her status as a doctor's daughter gives her some knowledge of medicine.  It also earns her the envy of a particular nun in the class.

Sister Luke is asked to fail the class as an act of humility.  After thinking it over, she decides to go ahead and take the final examination to the best of her ability.  She places fourth in the class.  Her goal is to go to the Congo to work among the nursing sisters there.

Instead of the Congo, Sister Luke is sent to a mental hospital.  She meets a particularly violent and dangerous patient who calls herself the Archangel Gabriel.  Sister Luke is instructed that there must always be two if her door is to be opened.

When she is on duty alone one day, the Archangel tricks her into opening the door and violently attacks her.  Sister Luke must face the humiliation of being disobedient once again.

Over the course of time, Sister Luke takes her solemn vows and becomes a fully fledged nun.

Her wish to go to the Congo is granted.  She excitedly sets off for the Belgian mission there.

She meets surgeon Dr. Fortunati, whom she is to assist.  The two form a tense working relationship.  She is forbidden to linger and discuss cases with him.  He is a relentless workaholic who expects the same of his assistants.

There's a bit of an attraction on both sides.  "Do you realize that every time you talk to me like this, I should go down on my knees before my sisters and proclaim my fault?" Sister Luke asks.  Dr. Fortunati has doubts about her career as a nun, thinking her personality doesn't suit it.  "You seem so sure of your religious strength, but I'm not," he tells her.

The long hours of work and the stressful spiritual struggle that Sister Luke endures result in her contracting tuberculosis.  Dr. Fortunati refuses to send her back to Belgium, claiming she's the best assistant he's ever had.

He devises a course of treatment that will allow her to stay in the Congo.  He tells the other nuns to spoil her, because she deserves it.  The Revered Mother even allows her a pet monkey.

Eventually, she recovers.  However, she is ultimately forced back to Belgium when Dr. Fortunati asks her to escort a mentally ill patient, as she is the only one qualified to do so.  Her world comes crashing down around her, as the Congo is the only place she wants to be.

Back in Belgium, Sister Luke contemplates her life as a nun.  She thinks about all Dr. Fortunati has told her, and what the other nuns have observed in her.

Eventually, Europe is in the grip of World War II and Sister Luke's father is killed by the Germans.  Because of the war, she will not be able to return to the Congo as she had planned.  Unable to come to terms with the way she's forced to compromise her principles, Sister Luke makes a difficult decision.

She goes to the Revered Mother and tells her of her decision to leave the life of a nun.  After a lot of counsel, she is allowed to return to the life she left behind.

She leaves the convent as Gabrielle Van Der Mal.  She is now able to fight for her principles in a much freer way than she could as a nun.

Cast rundown:

   Audrey Hepburn..............................Sister Luke/Gabrielle

   Peter Finch.....................................Dr. Fortunati

   Edith Evans.....................................Revered Mother Emmanuel

   Peggy Ashcroft................................Mother Mathilde

   Dean Jagger....................................Dr. Hubert Van Der Mal

   Mildred Dunnock..............................Sister Margharita

   Beatrice Straight..............................Mother Christophe

   Rosalie Crutchley..............................Sister Eleanor

   Ruth White......................................Mother Marcella

   Barbara O'Neil..................................Mother Didyma

   Margaret Phillips..............................Sister Pauline

   Colleen Dewhurst.............................Archangel Gabriel

And that's all for The Nun's Story.  The role of Sister Luke was originally intended for Ingrid Bergman.  Bergman felt herself too old for the part and suggested Audrey Hepburn.  Hepburn considered this among her favorites of the films she took part in.

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