Film Friday: Come September (1961)
In honour of Sandra Dee's 74th birthday, which is tomorrow, this week on «Film Friday» I bring you the first film I ever saw her in. Incidentally, this is one of my personal favourites. Directed by Robert Mulligan, Come September (1961) follows the tribulations of Robert Talbot (Rock Hudson), a wealthy American businessman and confirmed bachelor who, once a year — always in September — flies to Italy to romance his beautiful, but highly temperamental, Roman mistress, Lisa Fellini (Gina Lollobrigida), at his luxurious seaside villa in Portofino. Although Lisa loves him, she has grown tired of waiting for his elusive marriage proposal and has decided to marry instead a stuffy Englishman named Spencer (Ronald Howard). However, when Robert moves up his annual visit to July and calls her on his way from Milan, Lisa cancels the wedding and rushes to meet him. Upon his arrival, Robert discovers that, in his absence, his major-domo, Maurice Clavell (Walter Slezak), has transformed the v...