A Place for Lovers

Before I read her telling autobiography, I didn't sense much about Faye Dunaway that was either grounded or warm. Of course she's a first-rate actress, but she's also an aloof one (most of the time she could be acting in front of the mirror). Her performance in "A Place For Lovers" (the US title) is no different. She never connects with the viewer and spends the entire time staring at Marcello Mastroianni's collar (these two did have an off-camera affair--go figure!). The romantic set-up: he's a married Italian, she's an American businesswoman in poor health. She also harbors a peculiar death wish for the both of them. This is an odd, unaffecting picture only worth-watching out of curiosity, but it won't thrill anyone--particularly fans of Dunaway, who floats by in a whiff of chiffon, with impossibly blonde hair and impossibly thick eyelashes. * from ****