Regina Roma

if you like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" then you'll love this offbeat, interesting little movie that's more like a play than a film. 4 actors in one room, that's it! A great script, fantastic acting by all involved. It's a look at a tense family relationship with an overly doting mother (Ava Gardner), her beaten-down husband (Anthony Quinn) and her 36 year old son who returns after being away from home for 3 months. He brings his shy new girlfriend (Anna Karina) home with him and that's what fuels the dialogue and action of this movie. If you're a fan of any of the actors in this definitely buy the DVD. So what if it's a cheesy DVD, this is one rare movie so we're lucky it's available at all!

"Regina Roma" is a film which looks much like a play, as the entirety of the story takes place in a home...and mostly in the living room. It also has a small cast of four and in style it sure looks like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?". It also seems like it as well, as during the course of the story, you see just how screwed up these four people are...and it's pretty painful to watch (which is why I am not a fan of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"). But before the pain sets in, the film is quite slow...so much so I had a hard time sticking with it...and it then morphed into the Christmas from Hell!

This film marks the final big screen appearance by Ava Gardner. Her co-star is Anthony Quinn. Both are good with what they are given. But the script is slow, depressing and claustrophobia-inducing. In other words, it's NOT a pleasant movie to watch.

Brilliant actors in a play of three and a mute - simply watching forth person. Ava Gardner is on top, playing with persuasion and great skill the over dominant Italian I think, mother. She uses all tricks and lies to have her husband and son on her hand. She wants to be the only person in their lives, and that turns to be an absolute catastrophe to their day routine. The drama reaches it's pick when she rejects his son's fiancé as improper for him, accusing her that she's a prostitute! All action takes place in the living-room with Anna Karina (fiancé) watching dumbfounded, Anthony Quinn (husband) accusing her all the time, and the son begging her to stay with them - not to abandon them! Really an opportunity for Ava Gardner's big talent in dramatic, theatrical roles. I consider that her beauty apart, Ava Gardner was a great actress - equal to Liz Taylor.

If you think you might be watching a production of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf I couldn't blame you. It's what instantly hit me looking Regina Roma with Ava Gardner and Anthony Quinn, the Martha and George of this piece.

Maybe seeing what Virignia Woolf did for Elizabeth Taylor's career convinced Ava to sign on for this four character drama. She and Tony are great, but the rest of the film is strictly ho-hum.

Tony and Ava are awaiting the arrival of their son Ray Sharkey only Sharkey is bringing Anna Karina and he announces their engagement.

In less than 90 minutes all the family secrets get aired. Just like Virginia Woolf.

The production values are strictly from Hollywood Poverty row days. Virginia Woolf is a mostly talk in the living room, but the sets were top rate. Here the cheapness of production is very apparent.

Fans of Tony and Ava should see this. Others take it or leave it.

Altho it doesn't really matter, the geographcal location of this domestic crash and burn is perplexing, to say the least. The production was apparently filmed in Italy, and the characters are maybe meant to be an Italian family somewhere in Louisiana - mention made of Baton Rouge and sepia tinted flashbacks to New Orleans style cemeteries and Spanish Moss draped oak trees. But no one is affecting Louisiana southern accents, so, yeah, perplexing.

Actually all the acting is fine - Anthony Quinn is simply excellent as "Papa", Ava Gardner, "Mama" is iconic-ly neurotic and the son and fiancé play their roles as intended, I think.

The narrative is straight Tennessee Williams southern family gothic - Mama, Papa and Son, only child, have lived as a tight - claustrophobically tight - family unit for 37 or so years. So, you won't have to stretch your imagination to imagine Mama's reaction to Sonny walking in the front door with a Fiancé, out of the blue (altho, it's raining outside, with thunder cracking at all the right times, no less). And, also, a/la Tennessee Williams southern gothic, there are a LOT of innuendoes and dramatic freeze-frame cross stares as among Mama, Papa, and Sonny Boy as the tensions gain steam - you know what I'm talking about.

It might be said that Eva Gardner's performance is a tad too theatrical for a filmed production in basically a one-room indoor setting - but that's the director's fault, he should have guided her as to hitting the right tenor which I sure she could easily achieved, she's clearly 100% the great actress that the name Ava Gardiner evokes.

Well, bottom line, I recommend this as a quite worthwhile "curiosity" piece; I don't think you'll regret it and it is a close-up prolonged glimpse of two very great actors - Gardiner and Quinn - in a tight little bare bones production where their acting has to carry the whole thing.

:-)