The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1961)

On their overseas flight to Italy, Vivien Leigh’s rich husband suffers a fatal heart attack. She decides to continue on with the trip, but her loneliness pulls her into the clutches of madam Lotte Lenya and a gigolo in her stable, Warren Beatty. The early parts of the film were the best part with Leigh being an independent woman in Rome, wearing beautiful dresses, and surrounded by gorgeous scenery. Then Beatty plays a much bigger role and it becomes ludicrous. His fake tan and atrociously comical accent are incredibly distracting, even Leigh’s hair and costumes become dowdy in his presence. While the assumed ending is probably fitting for a Tennessee Williams work, I prefer to believe a happier ending; Vivien deserved it after being saddled with Warren for so long in the film.

Oscar Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role