A Matter of Time (1976 film)
| A Matter of Time | |
|---|---|
|
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| Directed by | Vincente Minnelli |
| Produced by |
Jack H. Skirball J. Edmund Grainger |
| Written by | John Gay |
| Based on | The Film of Memory novel by Maurice Druon |
| Starring |
Liza Minnelli Ingrid Bergman Charles Boyer Isabella Rossellini |
| Music by |
Score: Nino Oliviero Songs: Fred Ebb John Kander George Gershwin B.G. DeSylva |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | Peter Taylor |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | American International Pictures |
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Release date
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October 7, 1976 |
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United States/Italy |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
A Matter of Time is a 1976 American-Italian musical fantasy film starring Liza Minnelli and Ingrid Bergman, directed by Vincente Minnelli. The screenplay by John Gay is based on the novel The Film of Memory by Maurice Druon. The fictional story is based loosely on the real life exploits of the infamous Italian eccentric, the Marchesa Casati, whom Druon knew during her declining years in London while he was stationed there during World War II. The film marked the first screen appearance for Isabella Rossellini, the last for Charles Boyer, and it proved to be Vincente Minnelli's final project.
The film opens at a mid-1950s press conference, where scenes are shown for an upcoming film starring Nina (Liza Minnelli), a popular screen celebrity. While on her way to the conference, Nina looks at herself in an ornate mirror, which triggers a flashback to her arrival in Rome, when she was 19 years old. Her cousin, Valentina (Tina Aumont), has arranged for her to work as a chambermaid in a dilapidated hotel.
In the course of her duties, Nina meets an ailing, eccentric Senora Contessa Sanziani (Ingrid Bergman), who was once the toast of Europe. The Contessa receives a visit from her husband, Count Sanziani (Charles Boyer), from whom she has been estranged for 40 years. Old quarrels are revived and Sanziani leaves the hotel, sadly telling the manager that he does not wish to be informed if anything should happen to his wife.
After having a discussion with Nina, the Contessa decides to take her under her wing and turn her into a lovely and sophisticated woman. Nina is troubled by a birthmark on her forehead, but the Contessa assures her that someday important men will be eager to press their lips to it. One evening, the Contessa summons Nina to her room and shows her a scarlet sari an Indian ambassador had once given her.
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