Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Light in the Piazza (1962)



Light in the Piazza
This is one of my favorites. A mother visits Italy with her grown mentally challenged daughter. Due to a riding accicdent her daughter is a perpetual child in a woman's body. Enter a young Italian man who is captivated by the daughter's beauty and innocence. At first the mother discourages the romance, but she is conflicted. She has always hoped that her daughter will overcome her disability to live a full and "normal" life. Eventually, she gives in, but will she tell the Italian family why her daughter is so innocent and naive?

Like fine wine...a film that gets better with time...
I have just seen the REMASTERED EDITION (from Warner Archives) of the recent DVD for LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA which came out a few months ago.

Olivia de Havilland is a worried mother travelling through scenic Italian locations with daughter Yvette Mimieux, who is mentally retarded. When a young Italian starts courting her daughter and showing up in the most unlikely places, de Havilland's predicament becomes apparent. Should she tell the truth or let her daughter marry the rather simple-minded Italian boy? It's a predicament that is nicely solved by the time we get to the fadeout with de Havilland declaring: "I did the right thing...I know I did."

Under Guy Green's direction, and photographed with gorgeous images of Italy's landmarks in Rome and Florence, the latest DVD transfer of "Light in the Piazza" is a sight to behold. And the intimate story of a mother's wish to find happiness for her daughter rather than giving in to the idea of shutting her away, is told with...

A sweet wholesome story
I remembered this movie from years ago but they never show it on TV. Light In The Piazza is a touching story of a mother concerned about her brain-injured daughter who travel to Italy on a holiday. Love blossoms between her daughter and a kind young Italian man. While the mother has some reservations she begins to realize that her daughter has a chance for a normal life if she marries this man. With a wonderful cast and beautiful scenes in Italy, I highly reccommend this movie to those who enjoy a sweet love story without violence or bad language.

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