Deceptions

I enjoyed this movie so much, I have carried it around in my head for 15 years, ever since I saw it. The music was great. It was really appropriate for the story. The twist was so unexpected. It was a shock that made the movie unforgettable for me. I was expecting a straight forward romance type movie. I love romance. Stephanie Powers was fantastic. She made the movie truly memorable. I don't know if can purchase a copy of it but I am going to try so that I can watch it as many times as I want.

Loved it!

Charley

This happens to be one of my favorite "trash wallows" as we used to call these expensive soapers in the '80s. Unfortunately, there aren't the budgets for TV movies that there used to be.

Stefanie Powers is in her prime in this dual role of a plain Jane wife of a college teacher and her glamorous jet setting twin sister. The cast includes Sherlock Holmes himself, Jeremy Brett and none other than Gina Lollabrigida. Part of the movie takes place in Venice and it's glorious!

Deceptions embodies a certain '80s decadence for me - I love the scene on the yacht where all these hedonists are dancing to the Pointer Sisters. But my favorite is the night of the twins' birthday, celebrated in an Italian villa, where they dance to "Don't Let it Stop" and the shy sister starts to really get into it, juxtaposed against some nefarious doings outside the villa. It's great fun.

This is one of the few 80s miniseries I thoroughly enjoyed. It's very exciting and enjoyable, and just cheesy enough to not take itself too seriously. AND it has Gina Lolobrigida! The Princeton subplot wasn't all that interesting, but the rest of this movie was great. And who could forget Mrs. Thirkel insulting the medical profession and Italian food. Classic. This isn't for beer swilling dudes or high culture snobs, but most everyone else will love it for the scenes in Europe, the exciting plot, and the comedic high drama. I'm upset it's not available on video.

Although this is standard stuff, the mini-series is made thoroughly interesting by its appealing stars, especially Ms. Powers who was always a sight for sore eyes. Quite enjoyable although very obvious from the start. Pity this hasn't been released on video or DVD - would be great for a rainy evening.

I was not expecting much out of this made-for-TV film but found myself enjoying it mostly on account of its production values. The scenes filmed on location in Venice, Rome and London were especially exciting, and the finale was definitely very well done. The only fault: Southern California is unmistakable and cannot pass for Portofino (the yacht scene). Other than that, we are very noticeably in the 80's (hairstyles, fashion), the story has its originality and most of the acting is adequate. Gina Lollobrigida as a sexy movie star-turned-princess is highly enjoyable and glamorous as always. Stefanie Powers does very well as the twin sisters, registering both roles with credibility.