If A Little Romance had only been made 15 years earlier it would have been a perfect vehicle for the greatest boulevardier of all, Maurice Chevalier. The part of the aging conman and pickpocket was made for Chevalier. But with Maurice beyond the casting calls instead we got an ersatz Frenchman and a most reasonable substitute in Laurence Olivier.
Set in Paris, Venice, Verona, and the countrysides of France and Italy, A Little Romance is a charming film about two teens reaching puberty, the daughter of actress Sally Kellerman who is filming in Paris played by Diane Lane and Thelonius Bernard, the son of a Parisian taxi driver with all that that profession's reputation brings to bear.
Bernard is an American film fanatic and when he hears about Kellerman shooting in Paris he sneaks on the set and meets Lane. The two start spending an awful lot of time together and also meet up with Olivier who as his profession of conman brings to bear has quite a line for them. They conceive of a plan to follow a legend to have a romantic kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. And they have to get it done quick because Kellerman's husband Arthur Hill is being transfered to Houston from Paris by his company.
The kids are charming, but they sure have to go some to keep up with Laurence Olivier. Sir Larry pulls out the entire bag of scene stealing tricks for his performance.
Broderick Crawford who also in the film Kellerman is shooting plays himself and in this cameo is brutally and frankly himself. Crawford's well known fondness for liquor is talked about here by Crawford with incredible frankness. I was surprised to that it was thusly so.
Film fan Bernard was in Parisian cinema houses seeing some old films and among those he saw were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting both directed by George Roy Hill who directed A Little Romance. I guess Hill was saying Bernard had excellent taste in American cinema.
A Little Romance could easily be remade today, but I wonder where you would find a Maurice Chevalier or a Laurence Olivier for the aging matchmaker. Perhaps Ian McKellan would be best.
Set in Paris, Venice, Verona, and the countrysides of France and Italy, A Little Romance is a charming film about two teens reaching puberty, the daughter of actress Sally Kellerman who is filming in Paris played by Diane Lane and Thelonius Bernard, the son of a Parisian taxi driver with all that that profession's reputation brings to bear.
Bernard is an American film fanatic and when he hears about Kellerman shooting in Paris he sneaks on the set and meets Lane. The two start spending an awful lot of time together and also meet up with Olivier who as his profession of conman brings to bear has quite a line for them. They conceive of a plan to follow a legend to have a romantic kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. And they have to get it done quick because Kellerman's husband Arthur Hill is being transfered to Houston from Paris by his company.
The kids are charming, but they sure have to go some to keep up with Laurence Olivier. Sir Larry pulls out the entire bag of scene stealing tricks for his performance.
Broderick Crawford who also in the film Kellerman is shooting plays himself and in this cameo is brutally and frankly himself. Crawford's well known fondness for liquor is talked about here by Crawford with incredible frankness. I was surprised to that it was thusly so.
Film fan Bernard was in Parisian cinema houses seeing some old films and among those he saw were Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Sting both directed by George Roy Hill who directed A Little Romance. I guess Hill was saying Bernard had excellent taste in American cinema.
A Little Romance could easily be remade today, but I wonder where you would find a Maurice Chevalier or a Laurence Olivier for the aging matchmaker. Perhaps Ian McKellan would be best.