Jessica

Just watched this obscure movie on Amazon Prime with my mom. Angie Dickinson plays an American woman who's a midwife in Sicily. Her beauty and her sunny attitude attracts the men making their wives jealous. Priest Maurice Chavalier is trying to keep the peace and has his hands full, that's for sure! I'll just now say that Mom and I found this pretty entertaining with much humor and some drama sprinkled throughout as well as Mr. Chavalier warbling occasionally. So we say Jessica is worth a look.

Jessica is an American lady (Angie Dickenson) who has inexplicably come to a small Italian town to be their midwife. What is a super-hot American doing there?! And what is the town to do? All the men spend all their time lusting after her and the women spend all their time complaining that their men are lusting after sweet Jessica. The town priest (inexplicably played by the French actor, Maurice Chevalier) tries to get everyone to accept Jessica--but it looks like it's an impossible task.

"Jessica" is a comedy that never really hits the mark--and its script clearly could have used a lot more work before it was filmed. As a comedy, it was supposed to be funny but it wasn't. Sadly, it was just pretty dull and it isn't particularly charming. As a result, the film just drags despite nice scenery.

Curvaceous young nurse from America--widowed on her wedding day and possibly still a virgin--is causing male hormones to race and females tempers to burn in a Sicilian village where she's the new midwife. Flora Sandstrom's novel "The Midwife of Pont Clery" becomes tepid showcase for star Angie Dickinson, who looks great riding around town on her Vespa but otherwise doesn't have much pizazz (the film's tagline calls her 'dynamite', yet Dickinson is so polite and low-keyed this is hardly the case). The women rebel against the sexy outsider by withholding lovemaking from their husbands, which might be an understandable reaction if leggy Jessica actually posed a threat to anybody. As it is, the girl is as innocent of her charms as the husbands are guilty of their ogling--though the picture does get a boost when Dickinson decides to fight back and be a flirt. Not to worry, she's already caught the eye of the wealthy, handsome marchese (himself a widower!), which leads to a limp and predictable conclusion. *1/2 from ****

Great scenery and great girls! Pity Angie comes in about 3rd in the "glamour stakes"! It is a light-hearted romp though and is mildly entertaining. Chevalier does his usual bit in his usual style-talking to himself,the audience,his jeep,his god and his congregation,with a big cheesy grin(the old ,"I'm glad I'm not young anymore"routine. Oh golly,I've got to write more lines!How about,Angie's love interest,the titled "heavy" of the film,tortured by the memory of his wife's execution by the Nazis,has little more than a walk on,walk off role.I guess he is there to ensure a happy ending. Angie doesn't do to bad,from village midwife to grand dame in the château-in less than a year.Beats having the stuffing knocked out of you by a demented Michael Caine!

An attractive young blonde woman (Angie Dickinson), who is a midwife, arrives for work in a Sicilian village and the men ogle over her. This action alienates the local women. As a group, they decide to forgo sex with their men. Without sex, they get even with their husbands. Also, without sex there are no babies. Without babies, there is no need for a midwife. The village priest, Father Antonio (nicely played by Maurice Chavalier), aware of what is happening, has his hands full. The irony is that some of the women are just about Ms. Dickinson's equal (like Sylva Koscina and Rosanna Rory). The last scene is a howl! Harmless fluff!