Escándalo en la corte

A lot of talent was wasted in this uninspired remake of 'His Glorious Night', based on a Molnar Play. The lovely Sophia Loren is beautiful to look at as a spirited Ruritanian princess falling in love with the stereotyped brash American industrialist. There are no new ideas here. Visually, it's appealing, but with all the talent involved, it should have been much better.

Sometimes, particularly when one is looking at a landscape or a portrait, beauty is sufficient. Movies are a different situation altogether and visual beauty is a bonus and certainly does no harm but it cannot carry a movie all by itself. John Gavin is beautiful but miscast and wooden where a more dangerous charm would have helped. Think Grant or even Sinatra but at least think alive. As to Loren, words fail me. The look (beautiful perhaps) is entirely wrong and she is no princess. If for no other reason her accent makes no sense and screams please oh please dub me, dub me, dub me even by the actress she called mother for no discernible reason. The eligible prince actually looks like Grace Kelly's real life prince but there is no Grace Kelly to lift his form into substance. The only performer who is even slightly acceptable is the divine and immortal Angela Lansbury who actually seems to be engaged. Fortunately, she doesn't have to listen to old Maurice beat a dead horse (i.e., his tired singing routine). Speaking of horses, the four-legged ones were cute but could only move the carriage, not the plot. On the whole, I'd rather be in Pittsburgh, with or without a horse or anywhere else, as long as it is with Ms. Lansbury.

I like Sophia Loren so much that I actually enjoyed this rigid, superficial international production (headed by Ponti) that seems to be trying to emulate - very unwisely - Max Ophuls.

A central European princess has a flirtatious encounter with an American businessman (John Gavin) in a hunting lodge. Drugged on medication she kicks her pyjama bottoms off in the night and on waking, finds a love note from him - placed on said pyjamas - thus setting off the motions of the scanty plot in which Gavin pursues her to Vienna like a pigeon on heat while she and her mother try to ward off the scandal-mongering attentions of Angela Lansbury.

There's not much to it and it's a bit repetitive. Gavin is wooden as a spoon, Loren's mother is unpleasantly shrill, and everything is smothered in rococo - plentiful scenes seem to have actually been filmed in Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna.

Loren's elocution-lesson English is charming, though as always it seems to hamper her acting. Somehow Maurice Chevalier gets to slip in a song - I suppose there was no stopping him - but the banter between the old-word aristocrat and the progressive American is sometimes funny. Gavin asks what he should do with the cross he is awarded and is told: 'Wear it on state occasions'. Gavin says 'State occasions?' Really the film is an excuse to get Sophia and her natural pout into a number of lavish outfits to bosomy effect. That works.

This is a really beautiful and charming film with a wonderful cast. Sophia Loren has never looked more lovely in the role of Princess Olympia alongside the handsome John Gavin in the role of Charlie Foster. Maurice Chevalier is absolutely delightful as Prince Philip as is his on-screen wife Isabel Jeans in the role of Princess Eugenie. The settings are simply beautiful in different palaces around Vienna such as the Belvedere and Schoenbrunn. The Austrian countryside is also delightful. I loved the music as well. A young Angela Lansbury also makes an appearance as the devious Countess Lina. It is a lovely and enchanting film.

I like it a lot. It is funny. Has some funny scenes and some funny characters.

Now, I didn't say that it is a comedy that will make you laugh a lot, but you might watch almost all of it with a smile on your face, at least I know I did.

Sophia Loren looks great in it and from what my sister told me the guy looks very good also.

(Maybe guys could learn something from the man in this movie.)

I gave it a 10 because I think it is one of the best of it's kind. (By the way, if you know better ones please let me know. 10x)

PS: I think is a nice movie to watch with a girlfriend/boyfriend.