La contessa di Castiglione

(plot):The countess of Castiglione,who wishes Italian unity ,saves a young patriot ,Falengo,at the time of a murder attempt on Victor- Emmanuel II,then tries to seduce Napoleon the Third to urge him to support Cavour.

Most of the action takes place in the imperial court,where Castaglione meets an enemy,in the shape of Madame De Metternich.The romantic ending ,a la Comedia Della Arte ,is rather tasteful.

The cast is rather bizarre : Yvonne De Carlo,in one of her more obscure parts ,is well cast as one of the most beautiful women of the nineteenth century;George Marchal is a good match,in the grand tradition of Jean Marais;Paul Meurisse ,cast as Napoleon III ,is the future villain of "les Diaboliques" .

(After the fall of the second empire and the coming of the Third Republic,Madame De Castiglione's decline was fast:she reportedly became so ugly that people did not want to recognize the intriguer who used to fascinate the crowds.)