Woman of Straw

I had heard of this movie for years, but never saw it on cable TV or on DVD, but did stumble across it on NetFlix. This movie was filmed around the time Connery made From Russia with Love. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that it's a pretty good thriller, and a great "Bond" bonus for Connery fans. The character of Tony Richmond has a lot of overlap with James Bond - his wardrobe, looks, association with fancy locales and sports cars, and treatment of women. As you watch Connery in this role, you will not be able to avoid thinking of him as Bond. That's not a bad thing, and doesn't detract from the movie, itself. But rather, I look at it as a bonus Bond movie. Connery was at his physical peak during the filming of this movie. His appearance, vocal delivery, and acting are also some of his best work in a film. I think Connery's physical appearance changed so rapidly between 1962 and, say, 1980, that every year he looked markedly different than the year before. Fans of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger will appreciate seeing Connery in this movie when all his looks and skills were at their finest. If you have a couple hours to spend watching an older style film, or are a big Sean Connery fan, this is a recommended movie.

If you can find Woman of Straw, buy yourself a copy. You're going to want to watch it over and over again. This is a romantic thriller with a fantastic cast of Sean Connery, Gina Lollobrigida, Ralph Richardson, and Alexander Knox, that will have you talking about it for days afterwards.

Ralph Richardson is extremely wealthy, and as mean as he is wealthy. He abuses everyone who works for him, and most people, if they can afford to, quit. However, his latest nurse, the beautiful Gina Lollobrigida, stays despite the verbal assaults. Does she have a heart of gold, or does her endurance have anything to do with Ralph's sexy nephew, Sean Connery? That's all I'm going to tell you about the plot, and if you can watch this fantastic drama without anyone telling you more about the plot, take advantage of the opportunity. Yes, this is a short review, but it's one that highly recommends this smart, tense drama. Rent it for the eye candy or rent it for the great story, but whatever the reason, you'll be glad you did.

Charles Richmond (Ralph Richardson) is an elderly, angry tyrant....and a rich one at that. He treats everyone around him with contempt....and is a racist and treats his black servants like dogs. All in all, it's hard to like anything about the man. So, it's not surprising that his new nurse (Gina Lollobrigida) stomps off the job. What is surprising is when Richmond, in a strange act of contrition and decency, seeks her out and even apologizes for his actions. After all, he misses her. What is most surprising, however, is what happens next...he asks her to marry him...and she agrees. Whether she agrees because she genuinely likes him or because Richmond's handsome nephew (Sean Connery) convinces her to marry him because they will share the money soon (after all, Richmond is sickly and old) is unknown. What happens next...well, I'll let you find out about that if you watch the film. I just don't want to spoil the story by telling you more.

Although the film has a modest score currently of 6.7 and was a box office disappointment, I actually enjoyed the movie....mostly because it was so original. Overall, a very good film and one that will keep you guessing!

Enjoyed this film from beginning to end and and never realized how great an actress Gina Lollobrigida was and the performance she gave in this film as Marie Marcello. This story concerns itself all around a very wealthy billionaire named Charles Richmond, (Ralph Richardson) who was a very evil man and loved to mistreat everyone he came in contact with and treated his servants just like dogs and even the dogs hated this Charles. Anthony Richmond, (Sean Connery) hated his uncle and took all his abuse like a grain of salt until he met up with a nurse who came to the large mansion to attend to a dog bite. This nurse was Marie Marcello, ( Gina Lollobrigida ) who was very beautiful and had plenty of sex appeal both to Anthony and his uncle Charles. Anthony and Marie get their heads together and come up with a very clever scheme to get hold of this rich man's money. This is a very tricky story and you are kept guessing just how this film will end.

So they don't make 'em like this anymore, really. Photography does wonders here. Players and story get thick into it. Gina L the very meaning of woooman...yummy thing. Story keeps you hanging on. Yes there is the Bondian flair to Sean but are we all prisoners of our being. Music, customes and editing round it out. Just a real treat from when movies were still movies not film de art or music videos.