THE BATTLE OF THE VILLA FIORITA
UK, 1965, 111 minutes, Colour.
Maureen O’ Hara, Rossano Brazzi, Richard Todd, Phyllis Calvert, Martin Stephens, Elizabeth Dear, Olivia Hussey, Maxine Audley, Ursula Jeans, Richard Wattis, Finlay Currie.
Directed by Delmer Daves.
The Battle of the Villa Fiorita is based on a novel by Rumer Godden, the English novelist whose novels, Black Narcissus, The River, The Greengage Summer, In This House of Brede, were all made into successful films.
The film reflects the changing mores and morals of the 1960s. The centre of attention is a woman who has left her husband and children and gone to live in a villa with an Italian pianist. The children come from their home, team up with the daughter of the pianist, to try to break up the relationship and bring the wife home.
This is very glossy emotional material, something of soap opera. It was directed by Delmer Daves who had made a number of action films in the 1940s and 1950s including Broken Arrow and 3.10 to Yuma. However, during the 1960s he made a number of glossy films like this one including Susan Slade, Parrish.
Maureen O’ Hara appeared in a number of films like this during the 1960s. She had made great impact in the late 30s with Jamaica Inn and The Hunchback of Notre Dame and moved to Hollywood where she had a very successful career. Italian actor Rossano Brazzi had appeared in Summertime with Katharine Hepburn as well as in South Pacific. Richard Todd was a leading man in the 40s and 50s and Phyllis Calvert was a leading lady in many British films of the period. Martin Stephens had appeared in Village of the Damned and as one of the children in The Innocents. Olivia Hussey was soon to appear as Juliet in Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet.
The film has beautiful Italian settings, especially around Lake Como.
1. The impact of this film? Director Delmer Daves and his soap operas of the sixties? Rumer Godden and expectations of her novels?
2. What is the basic appeal of soap operas? Interest in human beings, the emotional events, crises? Emotions heightened? The reality and unreality? The issues?
3. The film's use of colour, British and Italian locations, the atmosphere of gloss and glamour, music, the stars?
4. The importance of the introduction by Moira? The audience being involved on her side? What impact did she make initially? her ordinariness, charm, marriage, her meeting the children on their arrival from school and their ordinariness, her relationship with her friends?
5. How credible was it that she should fall in love with Lorenzo? His particular style and charm, the nature of her fascination, sufficient to make her leave her home? The warnings of her friends? Her attempt to fight the fascination? The concert and his award, her hearing it and succumbing to him?
6. How well did the film handle her leaving home? Her motivation, audience sympathy for her position, the reaction of her husband, of her children, of her gossipping friends? Their judgement on her? Did the audience share it?
7. Audience response to Lorenzo? As fascinating as Moira found him, his lack of scruple, his artistic background, the genuineness of his love for her? His gifts, his home, introduction to the servants? The background of luxury, the fulfilment of dreams? Moira's response to him and to this new background? The change in her personality?
8. Audience sympathy for Dowell? Coming home to find this situations, his immediate reaction, for Moira, the children, himself? How well did he handle the situation? Could he have done anything else?
9. The reaction of Michael and Debbie? Their love for their mother, for their father? The ordeal of selling the house, the preparations for their trip, the fact that they went? Did the audience want them to succeed?
10. The impact of their arrival, their fighting their mother, hurting her, their inability to understand her point of view? The arrival of Donna and her linking with them? The sequences of the girls not eating and bolstering themselves by the stories of the martyrs, their visit to the Church and confession, the atmosphere of hostility that they created? The effect on Moira and Lorenzo?
11. Lorenzo and his impatience with the children? Moira and her concern? The reaction of each, their being hurt, Moira's not wanting, to kiss in public, her slapping of Debbie, Lorenzo forcing Donna to eat? The significance of the title and the nature of the battle?
12. The impact of the storm, Lorenzo and Motra's decision to leave, being beaten by Michael and Donna, the crisis after the wreck, Donna and her injuries? Debbie's disillusionment with Donna and Michael because of the eating and the kiss? Debbie and her going to the priest for confession? His reaction to the parents?
13. The basis for the decision to leave? Motivation? How hard for Lorenzo, for Moira? The prospect of the future? Her asking the children to help her as she left?
14. What would the future of all of them be? The children said they had changed?
15. How credible is this kind of situation, how credible the people? Did the film help audiences to understand what happens in this situations the puzzle, the coping, the necessary insight?
