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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Three Coins in the
Fountain" is one of those big and brassy, but
oh-so-velvety smooth and glossy glazed confections
from 20th Century Fox's stable of Cinemascope
lovemaking, circa 1954.
The film stars Dorothy MacGuire (Miss France),
Jean Peters (Anita) and Maggie MacNamara (Maria)
as a trio of lovelorn American ladies working at a
consulate in Rome. Naturally, this pining for
testosterone does not go unheeded for very long.
After the girls take their hard earned dimes and
nickels and toss them into the Trevi Fountain,
they are not-so-miraculously visited by the likes
of three studly gentlemen: John Frederick Shadwell
(Clifton Webb), Georgio Bianchi (Rosanno Brazzi)
and Prince Dino de Cessi (Louis Jourdan). Not all
the romance goes sugary sweet, though make no
mistake, this is a film in which predictability is
the order of the day. As is the case with tripe
and treacle befitting any mind-decaying fancy like
this, "Three Coins" is greatly benefited by its
anamorphic Cinemascope projection, capturing Rome
in its vivid splendor and making at least half of
the film a dreamy travelogue. Director Jean
Negulesco lulls his audience with Oscar winning
cinematography showcased under Jule Styne and
Sammy Cahn Oscar winning title song performed by
Frank Sinatra.
Most of the folly and age in prior home video
mishaps has happily been corrected. The
Cinemascope image is generally sumptuous and at
times even startling in its clarity. Colors are
rich, and on the whole comparable to the quality
of the original source material. Contrast levels
do tend to be a bit weak with blacks coming off
more deep brown than black. There is also the very
annoying momentary degradation of color between
jump cuts, fades and dissolves that are inherent
in all Cinemascope productions of this vintage.
Contrast levels are nicely presented. A hint of
edge enhancement will not distract. The audio is a
remix of that melodious six-track wonder that was
Cinemascope stereo. Despite the soundtrack's
obvious shortcomings in fidelity when compared to
today's technological wizardry, there is great
admiration on the part of this reviewer for the
slippery ease with which Sinatra's vocals envelop
the home viewer aggressively from all five
channels. |
