Cheap The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (Video) (Vivien Leigh, Warren Beatty) (José Quintero) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

Vivien Leigh's penultimate movie role
THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE, based on a novella by Tennessee Williams, is a marvellous movie in that it features Vivien Leigh in her penultimate screen performance before her untimely death. The storyline concerns Broadway actress Karen Stone, whose career has hit the skids. A holiday with her husband turns into a nightmare as he dies en route to Rome, and Karen is left by herself in the foreign city. Not knowing how to spend the rest of her life, Karen uses her wealth and fame to employ young rentboys, and becomes infatuated with handsome Paolo (Warren Beatty). <
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>This movie does have a lot going for it, not the least of which being Vivien Leigh giving an amazing performance as the conflicted, tortured Karen. She glitters in her wonderful wardrobe (furnished by Balmain of Paris) and acquits herself nicely in the role. Coral Browne and Lotte Lenya offer fine support. A very young Jean Marsh can be seen in two of the party scenes. Cleo Laine appears to sing a lovely ballad. <
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>In the clutch of Williams' female characters (like Blanche DuBois, Amanda Wingfield, Maggie the Cat), Karen Stone more than equals them in terms of dramatic and emotional intensity. Vivien Leigh enjoyed a great professional success playing Blanche in the London premiere of A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (directed by husband Laurence Olivier), so by the time she played the titular Mrs Stone, she was well and truly a Williams veteran. <
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>Trivia: The opening scene of the movie depicts Karen in costume as Rosalind for a production of AS YOU LIKE IT. In real life, Vivien Leigh enjoyed great success starring in several mountings of the Shakespeare classic.

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It`s Vivien`s film
This is the only picture directed by the renowned stagedirector Jose Quintero. And the reason is obvious. It has striking moments, but fails as a whole. VIVIEN LEIGH in her next to last role, shines in her undrplaying and is strongly supported by Warren Beatty(called Warren Beauty by Arlene Dahl), Lotte Lenya, Jill St. John and Ernst Thesiger(who appeared with Vivien in CAEASAR AND CLEOPATRA). <
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>The film is routine, but the story and performances save the day.

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Vivien does it again......
Another Tennesse Williams piece of work for the divine AND talented Vivien Leigh to take on. It's too sad to know it was her second last film of her career/life. We all know how superb she was in Streetcar as Blanche du Bois and she gives just another wonderful performance here as the depressingly lonely Karen Stone, an American actress past her prime who settles in Rome after the death of her older husband. Shades of Blanche did shine here and there throughout the film. Warren Beatty is pretty (ahem, "pretty") good as her handsome and cocky boy-toy, and as mentioned in numerous previous reviews, his accent is, unfortunately, quite laughable at times. <
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>I don't have anything decent to say about Jill St John's performance (I cringed or laughed whenever she was on screen) but Lotte Lenya was incredibly good as the Contessa, the "female pimp" who procures males for the lonely ladies of Rome. ***Spoilers****.....My main gripe is the so-called stalker (sorry, I have not read the novella), like how many chances did Karen Stone have to confront him, to tell him to bugger off, and report him to the police!!! That part didn't seem realistic that she would let him stalk her over and over. But then again, I guess he ties in with the tragic ending. <
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>Watch it for the setting, beautiful clothes, and of course, a sensitive and touching performance by the lengendary Vivien Leigh, not many actresses at that time looked so beautiful in their late 40's and can act.