MovieChat Forums > Light in the Piazza (1962) Discussion > Mimieux in a similar role

Mimieux in a similar role

posted 15 years ago by LadyJaneGrey
7 replies | jump to latest

I read Joy In The Morning by Betty Smith (she also wwrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn) ages ago and remembered the movie with Yvette Mimieux and Richard Chamberlain while watching Light in the Piazza. Her role in that film is also of a rather simple-minded girl with a husband who takes care of her, albeit not played out againt the splendorous backdrop of Italy.

Light in the Piazza is a beautiful film, with solid performances, and scenery that just can't be beat.

Am I anywhere near the imaginary cliff?

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ajbarlas 14 years ago

I think the OP was making the point that Mimieux had twice played a simple-minded girl who found a kind man to look after her.

A third example is Weena in The Time Machine (in that case, uneducated rather than simple-minded).

[–] LadyJaneGrey 14 years ago

The idiotic poster above you is someone on my ignore list who persists in making petty remarks to things I post here, because I had the effrontery to spell Katharine Hepburn's name wrong once. I don't know what he posted above, but it is sure to be petty and pointless.

Am I anywhere near the imaginary cliff?

[–] ajbarlas 14 years ago

Yes, that latest remark was petty, pointless, and deserved to be ignored.
Thanks for the warning.

[–] BlueGreen 14 years ago

I saw that film, ages ago. It was depressing - sad - but OK.
It was also darker than "Light in the Piazza", if I remember it correctly.

I suppose Yvette was the fragile child-woman "type" at the time.
It would be interesting to know whether it was she who stopped accepting such roles, or they just stopped coming.

[–] solex10 10 years ago

Possibly a little bit of both in her case, or the fact that she was let go from MGM because the studio system collapsed.

These kind of roles MGM had her in remind me of what happened to her co-star in Where The Boys Are, Dolores Hart; she couldn't take them, and so left movies behind in order to be a nun. It's sad that the early 60's MGM could only make movies like these for women.

[–] jmatrixrenegade 10 years ago

I vaguely remember that though guess I read the book, maybe the film was different. But, I recall her being more immature (18 or something) than simple-minded. One review said "ditsy." The husband is a bit older, but both are pretty young. Didn't take it as quite the same thing.