Plantiana Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

kijii During the 50s and early 60s, there were several movies about young to middle-aged women touring in Italy and falling in love with Italian men, and I often get these movies mixed up.---Katharine Hepburn being romanced in Venice by Rossano Brazzi in David Lean's Summertime (1955). ---Vivien Leigh being sought after by Warren Beatty in Tennessee Williams' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961). ---Rosano Brazzi is part of the cast in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). In THIS movie, Yvette Mimieux portrays a 27-year-old woman, Clara, who is brain damaged due to a childhood accident in which her pony had kicked her in the head. As a result of the accident, she has the emotional innocence of a 10-year-old girl with the body and hormones of an attractive 27-year-old woman. For years, Clara's mother and father, Meg and Noel Johnson (Olivia de Havilland and Barry Sullivan), have been struggling with each other as to what to do about her future. This struggle has only recently been exacerbated when Clara innocently had jumped into the arms of a mature male stranger her age. Since Noel Johnson is wealthy tobacco executive from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, he and Meg have the money to delay the decision by arranging a Italian vacation of indeterminate duration for Clara and Meg, while hoping for a magical solution to their problems. While Meg and Clara are touring in Florence (and learning Italian), Clara is attracted to a young Italian man her age, Fabrizio Naccarelli (George Hamilton), as he is naturally attracted to her. With no noticeable problems, Fabrizio and Clara fall in love. Meg hopes against hope that this may give Clara a "normal life" while Noel—who briefly comes to Rome to confer with her—is not convinced. Nevertheless, Meg and Clara return to Florence, and Meg proceeds with wedding plans for Clara to marry Fabrizio with the help of his unsuspecting parents (played by Nancy Nevinson and Rosano Brazzi). After all, she IS willing to covert to Catholicism and they are quite happy with the upcoming marriage ...

vincentlynch-moonoi In this film, Yvette Mimieux plays a beautiful young lady who, as a child, was kicked in the head by a horse, and whose mental development has been slowed to the level of a 10 year old...except when she is rapidly picking up a new language and in certain other social settings. (Interestingly, just one year later, Mimieux played the socially slow and naive wife of Dean Martin in "Toys In The Attic"). That's the first problem with this film -- an inconsistency with Mimieux's character.She is in Florence, Italy with her protective mother (the grand and gracious Olivia de Havilland). While there, they are stalked...well in 1962 it wouldn't be considered that...by an Italian suitor -- George Hamilton. Hamilton's limited ability as a serious actor was beginning to show by the time he made this -- his ninth credited film...but he gets by here. Is Hamilton on the level? Apparently so, since his family is relatively wealthy. His father is played by Rossano Brazzi. Barzzi is his normally suave self here, and rather enjoyable, although this film is not one of the highlights to his career.And then along comes Daddy...a very worn-out looking Barry Sullivan, long past his prime in film (if there ever was one). Apparently he was gotten on the cheap here, and they didn't even want to spend money for a little makeup. Daddy, by the way, wants to put daughter in a "country-club" institution.As a result of Daddy's plans, with a couple of stumbles along the way, Mama does everything she can to make the wedding happen, and when it does she says, "I know I did the right thing!" It's a bit distracting in places to watch this film due to what may be a deterioration in the film, or as shown on TCM, a bad print. Nevertheless, despite its flaws, this is an interesting film worth a couple of hours of your viewing time.

kirksworks I think this film is among the most underrated of its era. It has what is likely Yvette Mimieux' finest performance, and it's in a difficult role as well. Though the story centers around Clara (Mimieux), who is 26 but has the mind of a child, it is really her mother Meg's story, nicely played by Olivia de Havilland. Meg has brought Clara to Florence, Italy, to get her daughter away from a boy back in the states Clara had gotten close to. What drives the plot is Meg's desire for Clara who had been kicked in the head by a pony at age 10 and is mentally stunted, to have a normal life. When Clara is pursued by a young Italian Fabrizio (George Hamiliton), Meg doesn't really know what to do. On the one hand, she doesn't want Fabrizio and his family to discover Clara's "condition," but on the other, Fabrizio has an amazing effect on Clara. They are truly in love. Things get more complicated when Meg meets Fabrizio's father, who takes more than a friendly interest in Meg. She is very capable of taking care of herself, though. What really upsets her is a visit by her husband (Barry Sullivan), who has long ago given up on the idea that Clara could have any semblance of a normal life. Though Mimieux and de Havilland shine, the whole cast works well, including Hamilton as Fabrizio. Hamilton seems to be the whipping boy of the critics. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's his good looks and that he looks privileged. It may be acerbated by the fact that he often played characters of privilege. Two years before he was a rich playboy in MGM's "Where the Boys Are," so perhaps critics couldn't buy him as an Italian. Nevertheless, Hamilton is really appealing in "Piazza." Even his Italian accent blends with the real Italian actor who plays his father, Rossano Brazzi. Hamilton's scenes with Mimieux often surprise with their level of emotion. If you haven't figured this out already, this film is for romantics, and if you find these sorts of films corny, you'll probably have the same reaction here. However, for those of us who enjoy a nicely told romance in an idyllic setting, "Light in the Piazza" is hard to beat. It's much better than Warner's "Rome Adventure" the same year, a film full of beautiful locales but more soap than genuine opera. In "Piazza" director Guy Green unfolds the drama naturally, and keeps a tight grip on this character driven story all the way to the glorious ending. Green continued working with Mimieux in her next film, "Diamond Head," where she plays the sister of Charlton Heston. It's another exotic love story, but not as successful as "Piazza." Yvette Mimieux, who made a big splash in George Pal's "The Time Machine" and "Where the Boys Are" in 1960, never really reached her full potential, but she came awfully close to giving a great performance in "Piazza." To play a 26 year old who throws tantrums, has physical fits and sleeps with teddy bears without garnering audience disdain, is quite a feat. A role like this could easily become obnoxious or succumb to treacle, but Mimieux manages to make us care and root for her. As crazy as the idea of a girl so mentally stunted ever having a normal life might be, we come to want it for her. We never lose our affection for Clara, as crazy as some of her actions are. Mimieux plays her as a likable, lovable daughter and an appealing lover. A pleasant person. As Mimieux' performance shows us, it's clear why Fabrizio fell for her.Meg is the anchor of "Piazza," and de Havilland pulls us through the twists and turns of the story with a likable display of perseverance. Her scenes with Clara are filled with warmth, but tinged with unease, as they should be. de Havilland and Brazzi have many wonderful and amusing scenes together as they get to know each other, while at the same time keeping secrets from one another.The lush score by Mario Nascimbene is very much of its time, but is well suited to the film. It never seems to intrude, but adds that touch of European exotica appropriate for the time and place. Following "Piazza" and "Diamond Head," director Guy Green went on to do what is probably his best film, "A Patch of Blue," another unusual romance. He apparently liked them.There are things in the film that date it, primarily the use of rear screen projection for the scenes with de Havilland and Brazzi driving around in a small car. The filmmakers even removed the windshield so as not to block the view of the actors and this makes the scenes so ridiculously fake they are laughable. Interestingly, I recently saw 2010's "Letters to Juliet," which is also a romance that takes place in Italy, and the car scenes were done the same way. The only difference is that technology has gotten much better and the effects were harder to spot. Nevertheless, I spotted them. For some reason, some films made at MGM in 1962 were poorly received and heavily criticized. "Mutiny on the Bounty" with Marlon Brando, and "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" with Glenn Ford (and Mimieux as his sister), are two other examples. This was the same year as "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Lawrence of Arabia," both of which were well received. "Bounty" and "Horsemen" seemed to have been reassessed in recent years and if you read comments on both they are much better appreciated these days. Perhaps the reason "Piazza" is late in being reassessed is because until now, it has not been available. The Warner Archive has finally put this film on DVD and for those romantics willing to take a chance, they will probably enjoy it immensely.

MarieGabrielle Is lovely in this film, I cannot believe she was forty-seven, and such a classic, believable actress for the times. While this story is a bit predictable, it is well worth watching for deHavilland and the idyllic scenes of Florence, its architecture and natural beauty.The story is a basic romance with a twist. Yvette Mimieux portrays deHavilland's daughter, who is mentally impaired, although she seems highly functional, and other than being passionate and in love with a young Italian (improbably portrayed by a very young George Hamilton), frankly, the portrayal of an emotionally disturbed person seems rather archaic. (The approach to mental illness in this era was rather abstruse, watch "Tender is the Night" with Jennifer Jones and Jason Robards, the portrayal of her as schizophrenic was unrealistic, to say the least).Still and all, this is an enjoyable film, with deHavilland sacrificing for her daughter, feeling she has done the right thing. deHavilland has such a presence and lends credence to any role she endeavors. recommended. 8/10.