Based on Tennessee Williams' only novel and set amongst the picturesque grandeur of post-war Rome The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone is a steamy tale of romantic obsession starring Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez. Fading Broadway star Karen Stone (Mirren) finds herself at life's crossroads when her adoring rich husband passes away while the couple are en route to Italy. Taking an apartment in Rome she seeks solace by embarking on a series of meaningless flings with a procession of
It's very hard to criticise anything with Helen Mirren in it. Even the dire National Treasure: Book of Secrets earned itself some of my respect when she appeared in it. However, this beautifully shot but occasionally bland adaptation of Tennessee Williams' novella isn't one of Mirren's strongest pieces. To be completely honest, the majority of the film is enjoyable drama, but when the credits start rolling you can't help but ask yourself "what was the point of all that".
Mirren plays Mrs Stone, a New York actress who moves to Rome when her husband dies. There she befriends, offends then bonks a dashing young Italian man named Paolo. Little does she know that greed lurks at every corner of the beautiful city she has inhabited, and not all, if any, of her new acquaintances are to be trusted. Unfortunately the film decides to concentrate on Mrs Stone's increasing obsession with Paolo without digging deep enough into her as a character. We get a one sided view of Mrs Stone, a fault which is not down to the glorious Ms Mirren, who plays her excellently, but down to the screenplay that lacks a sturdy structure to keep the characters on track. Olivier Martinez is also fine as Paolo, but occasionally fails to convey the varied use of emotion with the same scrupulous believability as Mirren. All in all, the film is like picking up a chocolate from an assortment box. It tastes good, but sometimes you wish you'd got a different flavoured centre.
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