The Light in the Piazza (film)
Encyclopedia
The Light in the Piazza is a 1962 film adaptation of the Elizabeth Spencer
novel of the same title
. It was directed by Guy Green and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
.
The film starred Olivia de Havilland
as American
Meg Johnson and Yvette Mimieux
as her 26-year-old daughter, Clara. Clara was involved in an accident as a young girl and as a result, still has the mentality of a child
. During the summer of 1953, while visiting Rome
and Florence
, Clara meets and falls in love with Fabrizio Naccarelli, played by George Hamilton
. Fabrizio is blinded by his love for Clara and believes her to simply be naive. Meg spends the trip trying to keep the two lovers apart and fearing that Fabrizio or his family will discover the truth about her daughter.
Along with the drama and hearing Hamilton's Italian accent match that of Brazzi's, the film's other star is Italy itself affording a colorful travelogue of its art, architecture, landscape and streets. How many movies have a scene (where Hamilton and Mimieux cutely meet) shot at the Palazzo della Signoria in Florence with the statue of Michelangelo's David (albeit a copy) in the background with the cast sporting stylish early 1960's wardrobe (despite it being set in the early '50s)?
Elizabeth Spencer (writer)
Elizabeth Spencer is a writer. Spencer's first novel, Fire in the Morning, was published in 1948. She has written a total of nine novels, seven collections of short stories, a memoir , and a play...
novel of the same title
The Light in the Piazza (novel)
The Light in the Piazza is a 1960 novella by Mississippi writer Elizabeth Spencer.At its core are Margaret Johnson and her daughter Clara, on vacation in Italy, where Clara becomes enamored of local Florentine Fabrizio...
. It was directed by Guy Green and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
.
The film starred Olivia de Havilland
Olivia de Havilland
Olivia Mary de Havilland is a British American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. The sisters are among the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.-Early life:Olivia de Havilland...
as American
People of the United States
The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...
Meg Johnson and Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Mimieux
Yvette Carmen Mimieux is a retired American movie and television actress.-Early life and career:Yvette Mimieux was born in Los Angeles, California, to a French father and Mexican mother, Carmen Montemayor...
as her 26-year-old daughter, Clara. Clara was involved in an accident as a young girl and as a result, still has the mentality of a child
Mental retardation
Mental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
. During the summer of 1953, while visiting Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Clara meets and falls in love with Fabrizio Naccarelli, played by George Hamilton
George Hamilton
-Arts and sports:* George Hamilton American actor* George "Spike" Hamilton , , father of the actor George Hamilton* George Hamilton IV , country music performer...
. Fabrizio is blinded by his love for Clara and believes her to simply be naive. Meg spends the trip trying to keep the two lovers apart and fearing that Fabrizio or his family will discover the truth about her daughter.
Along with the drama and hearing Hamilton's Italian accent match that of Brazzi's, the film's other star is Italy itself affording a colorful travelogue of its art, architecture, landscape and streets. How many movies have a scene (where Hamilton and Mimieux cutely meet) shot at the Palazzo della Signoria in Florence with the statue of Michelangelo's David (albeit a copy) in the background with the cast sporting stylish early 1960's wardrobe (despite it being set in the early '50s)?