The Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales (Lotte Lenya) poses as a wealthy, aging widow in Rome but is actually a female pimp who uses her contacts with other wealthy, aging, lonely widows to introduce them to her stable of young gigolos, demanding 50% of their take as her 'commission'. When she introduces recently-widowed, middle-aged, fading movie star Karen Stone (Vivien Leigh) to attractive young Paolo di Leo (Warren Beatty), Karen is at first standoffish but gradually becomes more and more infatuated with him. Unfortunately, Paolo has his own agenda, and it leads to disaster for Karen.
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone is based on a short 1950 novel of the same name by American writer and playwright Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III [1911-1983]. It is rumored that Williams based the story on his own relationship with a young man named Paul (to whom the novel is dedicated) during his years in Rome. The novel was adapted for the screen by British screenwriters Gavin Lambert and Jan Read. A TV remake, also titled The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003), was released in 2003.
The Contessa was obviously tired of waiting for her commission from Paolo, but viewers have suggested a some more subtle reasons why she might have asked Karen directly for money. One such suggestion is that she wanted to test Paolo's story that Karen had not given him any money and that he was in it for love. Another is that she wanted to let Karen know that it was she, the Contessa, who set up their meeting and to determine whether or not Karen was gratified enough with the stud service that she would be willing to recompense the Contessa for her time. A third reason is that the Contessa wanted to humiliate Karen and to rub it in that her affair with Paolo was not a 'relationhip of the heart'.
Devastated that Paolo has referred to her as 'hysterical' and 'cheap', to her mind as a 'cesspool', and intimated that the police might not renew her permit to stay in Rome, Karen goes walking and wanders past the Grande Albergo Palladio Hotel where she sees Paolo going in, obviously to meet young movie starlet Barbara Bingham (Jill St. John), his next mark. Karen returns to her apartment where she sees her young stalker (Jeremy Spenser) standing outside. She throws away the photo of Paolo that was in the picture frame standing near her bedside, wraps up the keys to her apartment in a white lacy handkerchief, and tosses it to the stalker standing below her terrace. She goes back inside, turns off the living room light, sits in a chair, lights a cigarette, and waits. Moments later, the front door opens, and the young man enters. As he advances toward her, the screen goes dark.
That is a matter of how a viewer interprets the movie. Some viewers, remembering Paolo's comment about how most women her age are found killed by their lovers and Karen's reply about needing only four years whereupon, after that, a cut throat would be convenient, conclude that he did just that...killed her...and that she knew he would. Others see him as the Angel of Death who has been stalking her for some time and just waiting for her to invite him in. On the other hand, some viewers, including Jill St John in an interview on the DVD, think that he became her new lover, albeit certainly a less spectacular version of Paolo without the fancy trappings of a gigolo or a lady pimp in tow. Whatever the interpretation, the message is clear that most, if not all viewers, see the ending as dark, a statement of how depressed and debased Karen had become after her experience with Paolo.
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- How long is The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?1 hour and 43 minutes
- When was The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone released?December 28, 1961
- What is the IMDb rating of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?6.4 out of 10
- Who stars in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who wrote The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who directed The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who was the composer for The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who was the producer of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who was the cinematographer for The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who was the editor of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?
- Who are the characters in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?Karen Stone, Paolo di Leo, Mrs. Barrow, and Tom Stone
- What is the plot of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?An aging actress travels to Rome with her husband; after he suddenly dies during the flight, she begins a passionate affair with a young gigolo.
- How much did The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone earn at the worldwide box office?$7,740
- What is The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone rated?Approved
- What genre is The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone?Drama and Romance
- How many awards has The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone been nominated for?2 nominations
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By what name was The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961) officially released in India in English?
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