Summertime: while the story doesn’t pick up, this film resembles a travelogue of Venice more than anything else. The upshot is that the city looks lovelier than ever, colorful and alive. However, when the characters are introduced and the situation set, the cast shines as one would expect. Katherine Hepburn is great and heartbreaking, playing a bit against type (but she could play it all, and well). David Lean chose to let many scenes play themselves, without cuts, giving enough […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: romance

Mogambo: solemn, awkward romance that fails to justify solidly why the characters are falling in love; by the other hand, as an adventure this is a fairly minor one. The exception is Ava Gardner’s character, well-constructed and well-acted. John Ford was out of his métier in many ways (most relevantly, perhaps, by having a female character as the central piece of the story, as well as not dealing with Americana); nevertheless, one has to appreciate that he took the risk. […]

Categories: Film reviews • Tags: romance