The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (2003)

Picking up the dusty Tennessee Williams 1960 novella "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" was risky because it's dated and there's a pretty definitive version already. So, it's great news that this new adaptation made by gay men for Showtime Television is stunning. Martin Sherman (Bent) wrote the screenplay and he has placed a Tennessee Williams character in the film, with his own young lover and made Paolo, the gigolo, bisexual. Helen Mirren ("Prime Suspect") is breathtaking in her portrayal of Karen Stone, the aging American widow played in the original by Vivien Leigh. Anne Bancroft is hysterically horrible as the "Contessa", a female pimp who sets up Paolo (Olivier Martinez) with Mrs. Stone. Martinez is not only stunning, but his portrayal of the slick emotional Italian gigolo is brilliant. For you lovers of film nudity, Mirren shows us her still beautiful breasts, Martinez lies in bed with a magazine placed to cover the goods - but what he shows us is rather amazing.

The great stage actress Karen Stone is cast as Juliet -- in what is to be her last Broadway role. Not only is she too old for the role, her insecurities are fighting against her acting abilities. She flees to Rome with her wealthy husband Tom (Dennehy) to recover from the bomb. While there her husband dies of a heart attack. In her mourning she calls "The Contessa" a discreet pimp for a stable of young, well-mannered men who sleep with older women and men for money. The Contessa sets her up with a series of young men who are each discharged with a check. That is until she meets Paolo, her finest man. Paolo woos her with false claims of amorous desire, which Karen falls for. There is true passion in this relationship, as evidenced by a very steamy car sex scene -- but Paolo is waiting for the money at the end. When the Contessa demands her share, Paolo wanders...

Everything from the excellent Rome sets to the period sixties costumes and haunting score rings true in the production. Once again Showtime scores with this new adaptation that honors the author and entertains the viewers.

Scott Cranin