Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren play two lonely, recently widowed people whose tentatively blossoming romance is in danger of being derailed by the behaviour of their respective children in this Martin Ritt melodrama that calls for its audience to exercise a high degree of patience combined with a low expectation of anything exciting happening.
Quinn is very good as the single father of a grown daughter, exuding a charm that makes the speed with which the widow Rose's initial reluctance towards him is turned into a willing embrace believable. Loren is OK, although for me she lacked confidence in some of the quieter moments in which she is called upon to emote without words. But then, she was only in her early twenties – a good few years younger than her co-star – so perhaps a disparity in the quality of their acting is forgivable.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the movie is that it isn't Rose's tearaway juvenile son (Jimmy Baird) who proves to be the biggest obstacle to their romance, but Quinn's grown daughter Mary (Ina Balin) who is herself on the verge of marriage. This aspect of the story is also the least convincing, and to be honest you just feel like telling her to get over herself and let her Dad get on with his life. Any adult who would deliberately imitate the behaviour of their mother immediately before she (the mother) committed suicide in order to get their way really deserves no sympathy from the audience and a lot less understanding than they get from the characters here. This situation also lacks any meaningful resolution between father and daughter as it is Rose who finally brings Mary around – and then seals the deal by showing her prospective daughter-in-law how to cook the perfect sausage
Quinn is very good as the single father of a grown daughter, exuding a charm that makes the speed with which the widow Rose's initial reluctance towards him is turned into a willing embrace believable. Loren is OK, although for me she lacked confidence in some of the quieter moments in which she is called upon to emote without words. But then, she was only in her early twenties – a good few years younger than her co-star – so perhaps a disparity in the quality of their acting is forgivable.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the movie is that it isn't Rose's tearaway juvenile son (Jimmy Baird) who proves to be the biggest obstacle to their romance, but Quinn's grown daughter Mary (Ina Balin) who is herself on the verge of marriage. This aspect of the story is also the least convincing, and to be honest you just feel like telling her to get over herself and let her Dad get on with his life. Any adult who would deliberately imitate the behaviour of their mother immediately before she (the mother) committed suicide in order to get their way really deserves no sympathy from the audience and a lot less understanding than they get from the characters here. This situation also lacks any meaningful resolution between father and daughter as it is Rose who finally brings Mary around – and then seals the deal by showing her prospective daughter-in-law how to cook the perfect sausage