Light in the Piazza (1962)

Upper class Americans Noel and Meg Johnson have a twenty-six year old daughter named Clara Johnson. Clara suffered a head injury as a child which resulted in her being mentally disabled. ... See full summary »

Director:

Guy Green

Writers:

Elizabeth Spencer (story), Julius J. Epstein (screenplay)

Stars:

Olivia de Havilland, George Hamilton, Yvette Mimieux

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Olivia de Havilland	...	Meg Johnson
Rossano Brazzi	...	Signor Naccarelli
Yvette Mimieux	...	Clara Johnson
George Hamilton	...	Fabrizio Naccarelli
Isabel Dean	...	Miss Hawtree
Moultrie Kelsall	...	The Minister
Nancy Nevinson	...	Signora Naccarelli
Barry Sullivan	...	Noel Johnson

Storyline

Upper class Americans Noel and Meg Johnson have a twenty-six year old daughter named Clara Johnson. Clara suffered a head injury as a child which resulted in her being mentally disabled. Clara's mental capacity is equivalent to that of a ten year old. In many social situations, Clara's disability can be passed off as a simple joy of life. The issue of Clara's care has placed a strain between Noel and Meg, the latter who clings to the hope that one day Clara can lead a "normal" life. While on an extended vacation through Italy, Meg and Clara meet a twenty-three year old Italian named Fabrizio Naccarelli in Florence. Fabrizio is instantly smitten with Clara, who returns the affection. Always protecting Clara, Meg initially resists Fabrizio's constant measures to insinuate himself into their lives. But as Meg learns more about Fabrizio and meets his family, Meg begins to believe a marriage between Fabrizio and Clara is Clara's chance for that normal life, all the while not telling the ...

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Plot Keywords:

mental retardation | florence italy | based on novel | italy | disability | 

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Taglines:

Were they too young for the love they dared?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ena fos sto skotadi

Filming Locations:

Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$553,280 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Broadway production of the musical version of "The Light in the Piazza" opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theater in New York on April 18, 2005, ran for 504 performances and was nominated for the 2005 Tony Awards for the Best Musical and Book and won for Best Score.

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Goofs

When Mrs. Johnson walks around town on her own, just before she decides to go to the US consulate, there is, at one point, a clearly visible crowd of onlookers (and a man trying to keep them back by spreading his arms) in the background. There is nothing about the place or the circumstances that could explain their attitude; they are clearly all watching the shooting of the film.

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Quotes

Meg Johnson: Nobody with a dream should come to Italy. No matter how dead and buried you think it is, in Italy, it will rise and walk again.

User Reviews

Enchanting Film

I just watched this film today and I had not seen it for probably 20 years. I remembered it fondly and was happy that a friend taped it for me from TCM (which I do not have unfortunately) I was so thrilled to get to see it again after all these years- This is one of the most enchanting films I have seen. The love story is so sweet, and I enjoyed George Hamilton as an Italian. As an Italian myself, I found him to be very realistic and the accent was not all that bad. Olivia DeHavilland is as usual beautiful and her acting is so natural that you really believe that she is Clara's mother. I can only hope that someone at MGM will see their way to get this wonderful film on DVD- If you have the chance to see this movie, get so popcorn and sit back & enjoy!!