Pão de Açúcar

I had never heard of this film (English title on DVD: "Instant Love"), and I have it only because it came as the 4th item in a set of four Romantic Comedies in a Turner DVD set. The other 3 comedies were all from the 1940s, in black and white; this one, in color and from 1964, was a good change of pace.

The atmosphere of the 60s pervades this film. With the scenes of jets and international travel, the beautiful shots of the Brazilian cityscape and harbor and mountains, the breezy upbeat music, the great color photography, the bouncy theme song by Neil Sedaka and the actual appearance of Sedaka in a nightclub act in one scene -- this has that light 60s feel all the way.

Rhonda Fleming, an underrated actress often spoken of primarily for her stunning beauty rather than for her dramatic talent, shows that she is more than a pretty face in this film, and does a wonderful job as the American woman who marries a Brazilian man on "love at first sight" without taking into account the possible cultural differences between Brazilian and American males.

The film balances its treatment of the serious side of marriage (especially intercultural marriage) with light romantic comedy, with the comedy element predominant. It is not primarily physical comedy (though there is some of that), but more a comedy of manners and of situation. Fleming's nerdy American would-be lover is nicely contrasted with her macho Brazilian husband.

There is nothing deep about this film, but it's entertaining -- beautifully filmed, with perfect period music and great costumes etc. -- and the story is paced briskly and therefore keeps up one's interest. It holds its own with much of the medium-quality 1960s romantic comedy filmed in America, Britain, France, etc. It surely deserves at least a 7 out of 10; the 4.9 average currently showing on the IMDb is ridiculous. You give a 4.9 to a cruddy low-budget 1950s sci-fi flick, not to a polished, urbane romantic comedy like this. Probably a 7.2 would be a more accurate estimate of the film's quality.

An American actress (Rhonda Fleming) visits a college chum in Brazil, meets a wealthy coffee-grower (Rossano Brazzi), and marries him before the visit is over. Envisioning him as a Latin lover, she finds herself married instead to a workaholic with an old-world point of view. But as a modern woman used to working for a living, whose every need is now supplied by a household full of servants, she struggles to adjust to the cultural differences and to fill her days with useful activity.

Enter an oily American (William Redfield), a U.S. government efficiency expert in Brazil on assignment, who pursues our heroine at every opportunity. Eventually, she turns his relentless advances to her own advantage in a desperate attempt to resolve her situation.

Burdened by a trite script and at times seemingly ponderous proceedings, Pão de Açúcar is saved by lush photography, gorgeous costumes, a brilliant orchestral score (mid-20th century European style), and the efforts of its stars.

What is truly remarkable, however, is the near-seamless continuity in the final edit of this film that the stars and others associated with it thought was never finished due to financial insufficiencies.

Apparently, this film, Pao de Acucar, ran out of money and wasn't completed until later. It stars Rhonda Fleming and Rossano Brazzi. Fleming is Pamela Jones, an actress from America in Brazil on vacation. There, she meets and falls in love with Claudio DeSantis (Brazzi), a coffee plantation owner, and they marry.

Pamela isn't used to being a traditional wife, and Claudio has to be away for work much of the time. It's boring for her. She decides to leave him, but she's in for a surprise.

If it weren't for the color -- and how can you make a film with Rhonda Fleming without making it in color -- and Fleming's beauty and outfits -- this film wouldn't be worth watching. There's really not much to it.

A photographer once photographed Fleming with no special light, and also in unflattering, awful light, and guess what, she looked the same - gorgeous. While she was not Meryl Streep, she was a pretty good actress as well, though, with her looks, she wasn't given many opportunities to show her abilities. She acquits herself well here, though this wasn't a high point in anyone's career.

I found this a very interesting movie - almost an unknown. To date, even IMDb does not carry the American title nor the full casting lineup with matching roles. TCM recently aired it for the first time as a "lost and found" feature (under the American title - "Instant Love"). Robert Osborne mentioned that the project ran out of production money during the general filming. Apparently, needed completions were done later, causing a delay in release.

While watching, I couldn't help being reminded of the 1959 "Count Your Blessings," also starring Rossano Brazzi, having beautiful locations, excellent wardrobe and the quickie marriage element. However, "Instant Love" compares very favorably. Despite its faults, it survives if not thrives. Even with the gifted Deborah Kerr in CYB, that movie stumbled and, in the opinion of most, fell. It was so halting and artificial that it became increasingly difficult to just endure. That is not true of this film. Even Rossano Brazzi is more effective in this one. And, as Mr. Osborne pointed out, when Rhonda Fleming was given a role of true dimension, she did very well. It comes as a great surprise to find she possessed a range, since we have been given little opportunity to experience it ("Home Before Dark" another fuller range example). She seemed to be mostly cast for her beauty alone, essentially replaying the same type, which is unfortunate and a loss to moviegoers.

There is a quality about this film that attracts and holds interest. The cinematography is very pleasing, with locations unique to my film experience anyway. As for casting, the leads do surprisingly well together. The friend and her husband are attractive. The American "boyfriend" was a disappointment, being unbelievable as any kind of attraction for Ms. Flemings' character. Being a regular throughout the film, that was for me a detractor. Regardless, I personally don't think this qualifies as a bad movie. It is good viewing in general, has a competent and fuller Rhonda Fleming performance, along with the unique and successful pairing with Brazzi. I am glad it has surfaced, and believe it will garner support with subsequent airing.