Think what this movie could have been had it been done in the 1950s. The Contessa would have been a perfect role for Ethel Barrymore and the girl could have been a star-making role for Leslie Caron, Julie Andrews, Yvette Mimieux or Audrey Hepburn. The film shares elements with the Mademoiselle sequence in Minnelli's film The Story of Three Loves, but sadly, this movie doesn't deliver. It could be remade with someone like Rita Moreno or Ann Margret as the Contessa and Amanda Seifried as the girl. (Maybe she's too old for the role now). Minnelli's last film should have been terrific. It just isn't.
Review of A Matter of Time
