There are three main things to know about 1964's Woman of Straw. First, it's worth watching at the very least to see three fine performances from Gina Lollobrigida, Sean Connery and Ralph Richardson. Second, the film's first half is slow, a bit of an obvious melodrama, but it gets much better. And third, the on-location shooting and sumptuous set decor make it a pleasing film to watch. It's an implausible but fascinating story, and quite edgy for 1964. So, it's a good film, worth seeing, but there are a few things that keep it from greatness, notably, as mentioned, that the first half is slightly tedious and that Richardson's character is drawn too harshly, too much an extreme caricature.