Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 23-April-06
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Oh, if only my life were like Maria Williams'. I would arrive in bellissima Roma on a clear day and be whisked off to a fabulous hilltop villa. There I would enjoy a sumptuous breakfast by my Italian cook (who would probably serve those knobby rolls that are to die for) and afterwards visit my new place of work and be welcomed with opened arms. My boss would refer to me as one of his "girls," it's true, but it would be the 1950s so it wouldn't bother me. What could possibly bother me? All I would have to do from now on (in addition to stenography and such) would be to soak up the history, beauty, and vibrance of Rome. Being matrimonially minded in my youth, I might try to hook the handsome Prince Dino even if my friends tell me he's a player. After all, he would fly me to Venice in his private jet and ask me to tea at his palazzo, and I might have a few tricks of my own.

Or maybe life would be more delicious as Anita Hutchins. In her shoes I would have moved to Rome before Maria but would still be susceptible to new delights. For example, I might one day notice that the handsome translator at the office, Georgio, had a crush on me despite the policy against international romances. And maybe he would invite me to a traditional festa at his family's bucolic mountain retreat. Wouldn't that just suit a feisty gal like me, whose wariness belied a yearning for adventure?

But then there's my quiet, contemplative side, so perhaps the life I crave is that of Miss Frances. After 15 years conforming to the rhythms of Italy, its cobbled streets and picturesque piazze might really feel like home. As the personal assistant to a famous author, I could work outside the bureaucratic grind and fancy myself a contributor to art. While it's true that my affection for my employer would appear unrequited, I'd be foolish to underestimate the persuasion of the Eternal City. If love cannot bloom among the ruins of the Forum, where can it?

Yes, it's a daydream-maker, this technicolor soap opera called "Three Coins in the Fountain." The adventures of Maria (Maggie McNamara), Anita (Jean Peters), and Miss Frances (Dorothy McGuire) are worth writing home about on a panoramic postcard of Rome, a city where troubles with a prince (Louis Jourdan), a translator (Rossano Brazzi), and an author (Clifton Webb) are easily defeated with a brandy or a passionate kiss. In my own life I once tossed a coin into Trevi Fountain as these ladies do, but I have yet to reap such a dolce vita as theirs.

Copyright © 2006 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.