WasAnnon Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Dunham16 THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE is the first published work of Tennesee Williams to survive as a hit novel more than once professionally filmed. The ionic 1961 Jose Quintero filming follows the novel exactly focusing on William's thoughts wealth and fame bring the ability to pay for ease and luxury but not the ability to hang on to what you enjoyed in life before changing the public perception of yourself. this 2003 remake has a different focus. The name stars familiar to most are Helen Mirren as the title character and Brian Dennehy who is given more screen time than in most filmings because he is a relatively minor personage in Williams. Williams himself seems to appear on stage in the 2003 made for television film as Christopher saying many of the speeches in the novel representing the author's perceptions though in this case said by the author who is not a named character in the novel merely personified as the fictitious Karen Stone. The homeless streetwalker who is her alter ego is portrayed in the 1961 film more as what Williams had in mind namely needing what Karen has in terms of wealth, security and comfort but possessing what Karen mourns when she lost namely youth joi de vivre and physical attractiveness. In this 2003 remake he is ill and disturbed not behaving socially as someone merely down on his luck.

raejeanowl I love Helen Mirren. She is a beautiful, mature woman and a fine actress. Unfortunately, like a role undertaken by the character Mrs. Stone in the story, she is far too old for this casting. Likewise, Brian Dennehy is far too young to be her "much older" and ailing husband. I do wonder if the original 1961 film with Vivien Lee and Warren Beatty had similar chasms of verisimilitude and belief to leap.A failing, has-been actress and her wealthy and asexual or impotent husband take advantage of his bad health to book a face-saving trip to Europe. The husband dies en route. During her mourning period, Mrs. Stone is forced to occupy herself in Rome with post-war society, largely comprised of bitter and now-impoverished Italian royalty and a few lightweight and false-faced inter-continental "friends." I do not understand how Mrs. Stone's character unfolds and becomes so dependent upon the gigolo who has been assigned to compensate for her years without a sex life (and bilk her of whatever money he can) by a hungry Contessa. I also don't understand how she, starved in her marriage or not, is supposed to be so constantly sexually ready at the age of "50." Nevertheless, Mrs. Stone in some respects appears to be resigned to the loss of her youth and realistic about the affair; then, in the next moment, behaves like a lovesick girl. She has a great deal going for her and with her intellectual and financial resources one wonders why she did not move on voluntarily,geographically or romantically. She did not need to be lonely or immobilized. I suppose these developments say more about author Tennessee Williams, his mindset and prejudices, and his era than reality today.One curious character throughout the movie is a young, homeless and starving stalker, who is every bit if not more beautiful than Paolo the gigolo. He does seem to worship Mrs. Stone, who is indeed a handsome and well-put-together lady for her age. She is aware of and appears to be repulsed by his constant nearness, as he is socially beyond redemption, not just in his impoverished disarray, but his vulgar and undisciplined habits.The gigolo increasingly abuses and humiliates her, and inevitably breaks with her under pressure from the Contessa and perhaps his own restlessness. He has cruelly teased Mrs. Stone by comparing her to others of her ilk who are typically found with their throats slit.The final scene has Mrs. Stone flinging the keys to the gates of her villa down to the homeless stalker. You see him approach her and her standing in wait with a pained face and eyes downcast.I did not interpret this to be a romantic or sexual scene in the least. It was chilling and tragic. The phrase I used to my husband was "suicide by psycho."

vvfilms The movie was not the best and Martinez has always been a little weak in his films... (I could not except the fact that he was the the other guy to Diane Lane in "Unfaithful" over Richard Gere... I'm not gay or anything but Richard Gere is much more appealing than Martinez)... That being said... I'm 30 years old... and I hope my wife is that sexy and looks that good when she is over 60 years of age. Mirren was downright sexy and so appealing for a woman her age. I'm a huge fan of hers. God bless her and her continued sexiness. Her measurements have barely changed in over 40 years. How does she do it. Has she had plastic surgery or boob enhancements? Does anyone know any info about her?

Ripshin Since the other users have provided details, ad nauseam, I will only say that Mirren seems to be channeling Vivien Leigh at times, especially in the last half. Many mannerisms are nearly identical to Leigh's actions in the 1961 studio version.Also, strangely enough, I prefer the sound stage artifice of the 1960s. This cable movie was actually filmed on location, but in muted, boring colors. The 1961 feature has the wonderful Technicolor hues.I found the actor portraying The Young Man/stalker to be far more sexy than Martinez's Paolo, even though he eats food off the ground, urinates in public, hacks up phlegm and never speaks.Bancroft is fine, although I would have loved to have seen Sophia Loren take a stab at it.And will you cable movie directors STOP overusing the "atmospheric" smoke machines?!! It looks like your entire film crew was smoking cigarettes during the interior scenes.