Time hasn't been kind to certain films and THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN is one of them. The story at its center is trite and only exists in order to show the splendors of Rome in color and CinemaScope to lure patrons away from their television sets when the film was made, in the mid-'50s.
The only performers emerging from the film unscathed are JEAN PETERS, gorgeous as a secretary looking for romance away from the office, and the two men who are in their physical prime and give the film's most ingratiating performances--ROSSANO BRAZZI and LOUIS JOURDAN, both being the prototypes of the sort of European men American women find so attractive.
DOROTHY McGUIRE is saddled with the role of a spinster (of 38) whose object of affection is CLIFTON WEBB (mid-'60s) who seems an odd choice for any woman and tries hard to be his usual urbane self. Nor is MAGGIE MacNAMARA any help as a conniving American girl who diligently learns the likes and dislikes of the man (Jourdan) she plans to trap into marriage. Miss MacNamara too often seems more annoying than charming.
But it's harmless fluff, nicely staged in real Italian locales so that there's something to look at when things get dull--as they often do. Surprisingly, the film--which gets off to a nice start with a rendition of the title song by Frank Sinatra--was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
Summing up: No surprises here, just a dull story that gets an occasional lift from the romance between Peters and Brazzi which is the best, but briefest, part of the whole film. As a story, it's all too familiar by now but Jean Negulesco manages to combine story and scenery with a fluid touch, disguising the fact that it's little more than a pleasant travelogue.
The only performers emerging from the film unscathed are JEAN PETERS, gorgeous as a secretary looking for romance away from the office, and the two men who are in their physical prime and give the film's most ingratiating performances--ROSSANO BRAZZI and LOUIS JOURDAN, both being the prototypes of the sort of European men American women find so attractive.
DOROTHY McGUIRE is saddled with the role of a spinster (of 38) whose object of affection is CLIFTON WEBB (mid-'60s) who seems an odd choice for any woman and tries hard to be his usual urbane self. Nor is MAGGIE MacNAMARA any help as a conniving American girl who diligently learns the likes and dislikes of the man (Jourdan) she plans to trap into marriage. Miss MacNamara too often seems more annoying than charming.
But it's harmless fluff, nicely staged in real Italian locales so that there's something to look at when things get dull--as they often do. Surprisingly, the film--which gets off to a nice start with a rendition of the title song by Frank Sinatra--was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.
Summing up: No surprises here, just a dull story that gets an occasional lift from the romance between Peters and Brazzi which is the best, but briefest, part of the whole film. As a story, it's all too familiar by now but Jean Negulesco manages to combine story and scenery with a fluid touch, disguising the fact that it's little more than a pleasant travelogue.