Well, I have to tell ya - Had Sophia Loren not been in The Black Orchid, then, you can bet, I would have probably rated this picture somewhat lower than I did.
Not only do I consider Loren to be one of the greatest beauties of her day, but, besides being just another pretty face, she was really quite a competent actress, as well. Loren certainly had the ability to inject a sense of genuine believability into her character portrayals, as she did so here in The Black Orchid, as the recently widowed, Rose Bianco.
I think it's kinda funny to note that at the time of filming The Black Orchid, Loren was 25 years old which, in reality, made her only 12 years older than the age of her character's son in the story.
In this "Eat-Drink-And-Be-Merry" tale of love, Italian-style, Loren plays an unglamorous role of a struggling, single mother (with a few skeletons in her closet) who is being romantically pursued by a boisterous and persistent older man with a few family problems of his own.
The Black Orchid's "lonely hearts" story (which was set in NYC) was basically something of a soap opera, and it really wasn't all that great. But because of Loren it earned itself 6 stars from yours truly.
*Note* - Sophia Loren is now 80 years old.
Not only do I consider Loren to be one of the greatest beauties of her day, but, besides being just another pretty face, she was really quite a competent actress, as well. Loren certainly had the ability to inject a sense of genuine believability into her character portrayals, as she did so here in The Black Orchid, as the recently widowed, Rose Bianco.
I think it's kinda funny to note that at the time of filming The Black Orchid, Loren was 25 years old which, in reality, made her only 12 years older than the age of her character's son in the story.
In this "Eat-Drink-And-Be-Merry" tale of love, Italian-style, Loren plays an unglamorous role of a struggling, single mother (with a few skeletons in her closet) who is being romantically pursued by a boisterous and persistent older man with a few family problems of his own.
The Black Orchid's "lonely hearts" story (which was set in NYC) was basically something of a soap opera, and it really wasn't all that great. But because of Loren it earned itself 6 stars from yours truly.
*Note* - Sophia Loren is now 80 years old.