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There are several stars of this film. While Hemmingway's source novel was pretty universally panned, the screenplay, cinematography, and fine acting and casting in this film set it apart as a long overdue adaptation of one of Hemingway's lesser known works. First the acting by Mr. Schreiber - it is outstanding, showing emotional trauma damage, an appreciation of the natural and artistic world, and the vulnerability of an old warrior dealing with his illness and mortality. The cinematography is a delight - flirting with color as well as black and white and a variety of aspect ratios, it adds a thoughtful overlay to the story. Love interest Renata is played with aplomb by a beautiful, young Italian actress named Matilda de Angelis. To capture the emptiness of postwar Venice, the COVID restrictions played a major part - providing empty waterways and a deserted St Marco Square for the action of the story to take place in. It was a beautifully produced film and well worth seeing for any fan of Hemingway's work or of Mr. Schreiber's fine acting abilities, which have never been showcased better.

The only reason I gave this any stars is because fans of the original classic will be interested in watching it out of curiosity. Unfortunately it's like watching a train wreck. Judy Holliday won the Oscar as Best Actress in the original, Melanie Griffith plays a cartoon-like "Hallmark Movie" version of the same role, it is a truly uninspired performance. Don Johnson is no William Holden - he is terribly miscast as an erudite journalist, so much so that he is not believable in the role. John Goodman always does a great job, but he can't hold a candle to Broderick Crawford, who was actually a drunk, playing a drunk. So watch it to satisfy your curiosity, but be prepared to fast forward through most of it.