Also, often known as "Woman of the River". This story takes place in the Po River valley of northern Italy. Sophia Loren , as Niver Mongolini, is the main character, with Rik Battuglia as Gino. her sometimes boyfriend, and Gerard Oury as Enzo Cinti, a policeman admirer, who shows up periodically.
The film opens with handsome Gino bringing his trawler into port, next to the eel processing plant where Niver works. He teases Niver, but she wont show that she likes him. For one thing, it's widely known among locals that he's part of a cigarette smuggling operation at night. Small fishing boats also serve as transportation, with the many bicycles being loaded with passengers. Later, Endo tries to flirt with her, but she's not interested. At a Mambo dance party, she dances with several men, but not Gino. However, a motorcycle gang starts a fight, and Gino whisks Niver out of harm's way and onto his motorcycle, taking her home at high speed. During the ride, Niver changes her attitude toward Gino, and they end up sprawled on the grass together. That night, Gino sleeps with her, and continues to do so. Gino says he likes to travel around, but Niver says she would put her money into fixing the interior of her house. Soon, Gino takes off for a fiesta elsewhere, and doesn't return to her for 2 months. She is mad and hurt. She tells him she's pregnant, and he asks by whom. She slugs him and he slugs her back. As a result, she tells the police about his smuggling operation. They raid his house, and catch him as he attempts to flee. "She'll pay for this" he mutters. He is sentenced to prison.
About 2 years later, Gino breaks out of prison, and it is feared he will seek out and harm Niver. Enzo suggests she should flee from her present location and perhaps hide at his grandmother's house. But, she declines. She has a job cutting 'cane': a tall reed that grows along the banks of the Po. While she is gone, a teen girl: Ivan, looks after her toddler boy, as well as the older neighborhood children. But one day, the toddler wandered off while Ivan was otherwise occupied. Ivan could not find him, so when Niver returned, the two searched through the reeds. I will end my summary here. You can see this Technicolor film at YouTube.
I felt that the sequence where the children are playing tag, as well as the subsequent scene where the 2 are searching for the boy, were too long, producing boredom. Also, the Mambo dance scene was too long. Otherwise, this is a pleasant simple story. It won't tax your brain with a complicated plot and too many characters.
The film opens with handsome Gino bringing his trawler into port, next to the eel processing plant where Niver works. He teases Niver, but she wont show that she likes him. For one thing, it's widely known among locals that he's part of a cigarette smuggling operation at night. Small fishing boats also serve as transportation, with the many bicycles being loaded with passengers. Later, Endo tries to flirt with her, but she's not interested. At a Mambo dance party, she dances with several men, but not Gino. However, a motorcycle gang starts a fight, and Gino whisks Niver out of harm's way and onto his motorcycle, taking her home at high speed. During the ride, Niver changes her attitude toward Gino, and they end up sprawled on the grass together. That night, Gino sleeps with her, and continues to do so. Gino says he likes to travel around, but Niver says she would put her money into fixing the interior of her house. Soon, Gino takes off for a fiesta elsewhere, and doesn't return to her for 2 months. She is mad and hurt. She tells him she's pregnant, and he asks by whom. She slugs him and he slugs her back. As a result, she tells the police about his smuggling operation. They raid his house, and catch him as he attempts to flee. "She'll pay for this" he mutters. He is sentenced to prison.
About 2 years later, Gino breaks out of prison, and it is feared he will seek out and harm Niver. Enzo suggests she should flee from her present location and perhaps hide at his grandmother's house. But, she declines. She has a job cutting 'cane': a tall reed that grows along the banks of the Po. While she is gone, a teen girl: Ivan, looks after her toddler boy, as well as the older neighborhood children. But one day, the toddler wandered off while Ivan was otherwise occupied. Ivan could not find him, so when Niver returned, the two searched through the reeds. I will end my summary here. You can see this Technicolor film at YouTube.
I felt that the sequence where the children are playing tag, as well as the subsequent scene where the 2 are searching for the boy, were too long, producing boredom. Also, the Mambo dance scene was too long. Otherwise, this is a pleasant simple story. It won't tax your brain with a complicated plot and too many characters.