She is photographed VERY badly, and has an unflattering sun tan. One of the world's great sex goddesses looks, even when she's dolled up in a sophisticated dress, like the "peasant" she is impersonating. Also, to remind us that Loren's character is Sicilian, we have her father threatening (seriously or not, I can't tell) Grant with violence if he doesn't treat his daughter right, saying he has ties to the Mafia!
shareYou're insane. She was absolutely HOT in this film, and I'm not very partial to Sophia Loren to begin with.
And that line delivered by her father was the funniest one in the film, in my opinion. Unless you're one of those "offended" liberals who's trying to rewrite history, where do you think the very word "mafia" originates from?
"Affirmative action is a stain on the American soul." - Charlton Heston
I think she looked pretty swell, seeing as how it was to 50's and all. I did think she was photographed poorly in a few shots, in most of the movie she looked fine. What a figure! Too bad we can't have full-bodied women in the movies nowadays, just anorexic young twits.
share"I think she looked pretty swell, seeing as how it was to 50's and all." ["the '50s"?]
As if there was a dearth of swell-looking women in the 1950s.
I just saw the movie last night on local TV. I remembered it a lot better,
but it was still cute and funny. The OP is right though, in some scenes
she looks unflattering, but you have to also remember that from the
start she is portrayed as kind of a dirty tramp. Grant makes a comment
when they first meet about her not bathing and being dirty.
The next scene she comes in all dolled up and looking amazing. A very
beautiful women, and they go out of their way to make her look a little
questionable at first ... but you are right too ... it is hardly believable.
But, where does the word mafia come from, and what do you mean by that?
I guess her not great is alot better than most women's best!! I do think her hair looked a little weird but other than that,she looked very good. Today she would be considered overweight I guess,nobody likes women w/bodies anymore. What a shame.Whats w/the skinny skanky young actresses today?
there is one scene as she stands by the gunwale,which more accurately may be described as a banister on the boat,and looks directly in the camera. this may be the sexiest look in motion picture history.
sharethe "suntan" itself wasn't too bad but the makeup to try to match her suntan. Oy!
Everyone in that film seemed to have a deep tan including the children. Did anyone know if this film was shot when everyone actually did have tans or were they photographed that way to give the impression of spending the summers outdoors on the boat?
I'm not a Sophia fan to begin with, but she is not very pretty here. Wardrobe is terrible and not flattering. The gold lame dress that is Cary's gift to her is, as it is supposed to be, a real sow's ear. However, her alterations fail to convert it into a silk purse. It is gaudy and inelegant. Her tan is terrible, the makeup to match is distractingly bad. She seems to have a very sour expression on her face through the whole film, except when she is belting one her songs - 2 of the most childish in cinema. Poor camera work didn't help. Sophia looked better in almost every other film she made.
John 3:16
I don't think Sophia looks ugly here.A bit gawky at times,but she is quite tall.Edith Head's costumes are ok.Martha Hyer looked great.Sophia never felt at home in Hollywood,and perhaps the Paramount movie that she is at her best in is It Started In Naples,for obvious reasons.Sophia improved with age.Attractive in her twenties,she was at her peak in her thirties between 1963 and 1972.All I have to say is the lady must have something,to still be around making movies after nearly 60 years in the business.
shareShe didn't look good in this movie at all, with the exception of when she showed up at the Winston's apartment door in the blue dress and hat. Pretty much at all other times, she was photographed poorly and made-up poorly. She does have a phenomenal figure, but she's not a great actress, at least not based on this performance.
The fake tans were in the first shots - in the "mansion" scene. The kids were made up like this throughout the movie. Terrible.
I didn't find her appealing at all. The marriage won't last. Raising kids who try to accept her for their dad's sake, but deep down hate her.
shareI think that the kids deep down really liked her. They just weren't ready to have her replace their mother.
"Getting old is not for sissies."
Bette Davis
I see what you mean, but she still looks gorgeous. By the way, people do have their off days--nobody looks good all of the time.
Never coming, always leaving--right before summer solstice...share
Honestly, "Carolyn" looks better than Sophia in this movie. I don't know if it's the make-up, hair or what...but something did not suit her. OTOH, they got Carolyn's look perfect.
share"You're ugly!You're the ugliest old girl I ever saw!"
Said to Sophia Loren by one of the boys as he runs out. Funny coincidence that I would be on this thread at that point in the film, which is on TCM today.
It seemed to me that she was wearing dark make-up on her face that didn't match the rest of her; and it looked very unnatural & odd in some shots - especially when we first see her in the wedding scene - it was almost greenish! I wondered if maybe they made her up to look darker as a point to drive home the fact that she was foreign?
I am a fan & think she is & was beautiful, but for some reason she looked...off......in some of the scenes here. She actually looked better as Eldonza in Man of La Mancha than she did as the character here! I think the best she looked in this film, was when she had on the black dress & hat when she accepts the maid position.
"Are you going to your grave with unlived lives in your veins?" ~ The Good Girl
I couldn't work out what all the fuss was either, but this is the first movie I've seen her in, so it's obviously not the fairest possible judgement...
Love United. Hate Glazers.
She's one actress who got better looking as she got older. She's pretty gawky and pointy here. Plus she's photographed to look 9 foot tall. If you want to see some real Italian beauties check out L'Aventurra or I Vetelloni.
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I have to agree.. She looks awful. The skin tone and hair was terrible.
But her beauty in other films made up for it.