Story of a Woman
| Story of a Woman | |
|---|---|
| Storia di una donna | |
| Directed by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Written by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Produced by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Starring | Bibi Andersson Robert Stack James Farentino |
| Cinematography | Piero Portalupi |
| Edited by | Milton Shifman |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Westward Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | Italy United States |
| Languages | English Swedish |
| Budget | $1.4 million[1] |
Story of a Woman is a 1970 Italian-American drama romance film written, produced and directed by Leonardo Bercovici and starring Bibi Andersson, Robert Stack and James Farentino.[2]
Plot
[edit]A Swedish girl studying to be a concert pianist in Rome falls in love with a medical student. When she discovers the student is married to an older woman, she heads home to Sweden and marries an American diplomat. The diplomat is assigned to Rome.
Cast
[edit]- Bibi Andersson as Karin Uilman
- Robert Stack as David Frasier
- James Farentino as Bruno Cardini
- Annie Girardot as Liliana
- Didi Perego as Bruno's Girl Friend
- Mario Nascimbene as Prof Ferrara
- Francesco Mulè as Manzetti (as Francesco Mulé)
- Frank Sundström as Mr. Ullman
- Toivo Pawlo as Rushenov
- Beppe Wolgers as Fahlen
- Birgitta Valberg as Mrs. Ullman
- Cathy Riney as Cathy
- Erika Rosell as Sissi
Production
[edit]Universal wanted Robert Stack to sign to a long-term contract and star in the TV series The Name of the Game; as an inducement they offered him one feature film a year the first of which was Story of a Woman. He made it just before he started the series.[3]
Stack called it "a love story, in the genre of A Man and a Woman with its own kind of style. The role is a real departure for me, my first unabashedly romantic story. When I saw daily footage I saw a character I'd never seen on film before - me."[3]
James Farentino joined the cast in February 1968.[4]
Filming began in March 1968 in Stockholm.[5] It was also filmed in Rome.[6]
Composer John Williams contributed to the film's score with the song "Uno di qua, l'altra di là", which was sung by Onella Vanoni.[7]
Reception
[edit]The film's release was delayed a long time.[8] According to one report the film "played a week in Cleveland and died."[9] It screened in Los Angeles in late 1971, the Los Angeles Times calling it "well made".[10] The Motion Picture Herald also reviewed the film, noting that it was "straight out of the pages of one of the better women's magazines".[11] Variety predicted its "clichéd development will have very limited appeal."[12]
Stack later wrote "despite good reviews, the film came in over budget and didn't make a nickel."[13] Stack says that Universal tried to get out of its commitment to him to make one film a year for the next two years - they ended up paying him off.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "All Of This 'Story' Drama Is Not On Celluloid". Daily Variety. June 7, 1968. p. 2.
- ^ STORY OF A WOMAN "(Storia di una Donna)" Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 37, Iss. 432, (Jan 1, 1970): 36.
- ^ a b Browning, Norma Lee (24 November 1968). "Stack Living in Best of All Worlds". Chicago Tribune. p. e10.
- ^ Martin, Betty (2 February 1968). "MOVIE CALL SHEET: 'Story' Role for Farentino". Los Angeles Times. p. c14.
- ^ MOVIE CALL SHEET: Kamala Devi in Co-Star Role Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 5 Mar 1968: c11.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (1968-05-26). "Actors Roam Rome in Search of a Home". The Kokomo Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Audissino, Emilio (2014-06-12). John Williams's Film Music: Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the Return of the Classical Hollywood Music Style. University of Wisconsin Pres. p. 90. ISBN 978-0-299-29733-6.
- ^ Hollywood's 'Skeletons' By Joseph Gelmis. The Washington Post and Times-Herald 14 Nov 1971: H7.
- ^ The Celluoid on the Shelves Vernon, Scott. Chicago Tribune 3 Oct 1971: g7.
- ^ 2 Heroines From the Shelf Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 17 Nov 1971: f20.
- ^ Motion Picture Herald. Quigley Publishing Company. 1970. pp. lxvii.
- ^ "Film Reviews". Variety. 4 Feb 1970. p. 18 – via Proquest Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive.
- ^ Stack, Robert; Evans, Mark (1980). Straight shooting. Macmillan. p. 268.
- ^ Stack p 271