The Light in the Piazza (film)
| Light in the Piazza | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Guy Green |
| Produced by | Arthur Freed |
| Screenplay by | Julius J. Epstein |
| Based on |
The Light in the Piazza by Elizabeth Spencer |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Mario Nascimbene |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Frank Clarke |
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Production
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| Distributed by | MGM |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,261,000 |
| Box office | $2.2 million |
Light in the Piazza is a 1962 American romantic drama film directed by Guy Green and starring Olivia de Havilland, Rossano Brazzi, Yvette Mimieux, George Hamilton, and Barry Sullivan. Based on the 1960 novel The Light in the Piazza by Elizabeth Spencer, the film is about a beautiful but mentally disabled young American woman traveling in Italy with her mother and the Italian man they meet during one leg of their trip.
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Light in the Piazza is notable for its extensive location shooting in 1960s Florence and Rome by the award winning cinematographer Otto Heller.
While taking a summer holiday in Florence with her mother Meg, 26-year-old Clara meets and falls in love with a young Italian named Fabrizio Naccarelli, played by George Hamilton. Fabrizio is blinded by his love for Clara and believes her mental disability to be simple naivety. Meg tries to explain her daughter's condition to Fabrizio's father but the opportunity never seems to be right. Fabrizio's family are taken with Clara and her simple remarks are taken as evidence of her innocence.
Meg spends the remainder of the trip trying to keep the two lovers apart and fearing that Fabrizio or his family will discover the truth about her daughter.
She moves their holiday quickly to Rome in the hope that Clara will soon forget Fabrizio. On discovering how unhappy this has made Clara she calls her advertising executive husband, Noel, and asks him to fly to Rome to meet them. The couple discuss their daughter's future and Noel reveals that previous suitors have been repulsed as soon as they discover that Clara is mentally disabled. He also reveals that he has made plans for Clara to be placed in an expensive care home for the mentally disabled. Meg is set against what she sees as the incarceration of her daughter for the rest of her life. The couple row and Noel returns to America.
Meg realizes that Clara will have a much better life as a wealthy Italian wife with servants and inane gossip to entertain her than in such a home. She returns to Florence and does everything she can to expedite the marriage without her husband's knowledge. Fabrizio and Clara are overjoyed and plans are made for the wedding. Clara begins religious conversion to become a Roman Catholic and the priest instructing her is impressed with her childlike devotion to the Madonna. This, together with the Naccarelli family's connections in the Catholic Church, allows the wedding date to be brought forward.
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