Three Coins in the Fountain (1954)

Three American women working in Rome, Italy, share a spacious apartment and the desire to find love and marriage, each experiencing a few bumps in their journeys to romance.

Director:

Jean Negulesco

Writers:

John Patrick (screen play), John H. Secondari (from a novel by)

Stars:

Clifton Webb, Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Clifton Webb	...	John Frederick Shadwell
Dorothy McGuire	...	Miss Frances
Jean Peters	...	Anita Hutchins
Louis Jourdan	...	Prince Dino di Cessi
Maggie McNamara	...	Maria Williams
Rossano Brazzi	...	Giorgio Bianchi
Howard St. John	...	Mr. Burgoyne
Kathryn Givney	...	Mrs. Burgoyne
Cathleen Nesbitt	...	Principessa

Storyline

Three American women, rooming together while working abroad in Rome, Italy, hope for romance and marriage. Frances, oldest of the three, has been fifteen years a secretary to novelist John Frederick Shadwell, a man whom she loves but whose reclusive nature prompts most people to believe him long since dead. Anita, one week away from returning to America (under the claim of getting married), finally bucks company rules (and gets caught) by finally accepting an invitation from an Italian co-worker to visit his family's farm for his sister's wedding. Newly arrived Maria soon sets her generally innocent eyes on Dino di Cessi, an actual prince with a reputation for womanizing, and makes a play for him by making herself his perfect match.

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Plot Keywords:

fountain | italy | secretary | prince | love | 

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Taglines:

You've Never Lived Until You've Loved in Rome!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

May 1954 (USA)

Also Known As:

Drei Münzen im Brunnen

Filming Locations:

Villa Lante, Passeggiata del Gianicolo, 10, 00165 Roma, Italia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Average Shot Length (ASL) = 16 seconds (including opening Sinatra travelogue montage).

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Goofs

Despite the title, and the title song, only TWO coins are tossed in the fountain; one of the three participants chooses not to do so.

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Quotes

Miss Frances: [sarcastic toast] To the fountain of Trevi! To the lovely, romantic fountain of Trevi. Where hope can be had for a penny!
John Frederick Shadwell: People are looking at you.
Miss Frances: Well, high time!

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Connections

Referenced in Pan Am: One Coin in a Fountain (2011)

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Soundtracks

Three Coins in the Fountain
(1954)
Lyrics by Sammy Cahn
Music by Jule Styne
Sung by Frank Sinatra (uncredited) during the opening credits
Sung also by an unseen chorus at the end

User Reviews

brilliantly metaphorical

Whilst ignoring the glossy subject matter of the film, this is a great satire on how America views Europe, and how that view is perceived by Europeans: the American characters are parochial and surprised whenever another fellow countryman displays any culture, whilst the European characters are all stereotypically over-sexed, over-stylised and painfully cultured. This film is about as European as "Happy Days" relates to the reality of life in America. Everyone lives in huge flats/houses, and the outside scenes look like they were filmed at 6 in the morning... if you've ever been to any European city, then you'll know that it's a lot busier and bustling than depicted here in the superbly photographed location shots. As usual, Europe is seen as living in the past, with all that funny sounding food and affected cultural idiosyncrasies, the buildings are all pre-historic, crumbling and steeped in shadow, the general public are depicted as being wolfish and spending most of their time pinching girls or riding around on scooters. It appears to be a "nouvelle vague" film, made for non-European audiences, as a joke at the expense of that audience. Look under the initial fluff, and there is quite a witty and biting satire on cultural mores.