A Wonderful Film !
I saw this gem back in the middle 50's and the images and the sound never leave me.
This film was done exceedingly well w\perfect casting in the guise of Kirk Douglas:somehow he gets under the skin of the character and breathes life into him !
The color is beguiling and there is poetry throughout with scenes which take a person to another dimension...another time...an exotic distraction.
I like Tony Quinn though he receives short shrifting because he appears too little.But he nevertheless struts his machismo and that is duly noted !
This version has never been improved on;Armand Assante's 1997 effort is more than passable but feels not as dreamlike as it could be.
Be that as it may,Kirk's the Man and Italy spent some serious money in this 1954 undertaking...and the ending with Penelope is heartachingly moving with a tinge of bittersweet;
Sadly,they don't quite make'em like this "no more"
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