jcnsoflorida Review of The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003 TV Movie)

Bravo for Mirren and Martinez

[7/10 · 11 September 2014]

Knowing of its cable provenance I rented this with mild trepidation. It bears a few telltale signs of Cable Drama 101 but manages at least partly to transcend. Mirren is superb as always and near the end even looked a little like Vivian Leigh. (Some credit due to costumes and makeup). Kudos to her for baring her breasts. The interesting surprise here is Olivier Martinez who is better than Warren Beatty in the 1961 original. WB was derailed by the Italian accent with which El Martinez has no problem. Also, Martinez is the right age for the part; WB was young and up-and-coming, wrong for the story. Both Mirren and Martinez seem to have been aware of the cable tendency towards obviousness because the best thing about the remake is the fact that they do bring layers and subtlety to their respective performances. Enough years have elapsed to make this is a period film, whereas the 1961 version was not. Any period film also has to finesse the sensibility of the time when it was made. This remake portrays the period fairly well and in some ways takes a rather fresh approach. Despite its shortcomings you too might find yourself liking it more than you thought you would. (2014)