13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Touching romance, November 11, 2003
There is more than a hint of the Oscar winning Marty in this quiet and well obseved drama ,shot in luminous black and white by Roberet Barr and directed with ecconomy and restraint by Martin Ritt.
Anthony Quinn palys a widower who falls in love with Rose Bianco -the Black Orchid of the title.She is a widow whose husband was entangled with the mob and killed in a mob hit.She is eking out a living working in an artificial flower company and worrying about her son who is a persistent escapeee from the county farm.Initially resistant she soon falls heavily for Quinn's rough hewn charms but there is an obstacle -the staunch opposition of his possessive daughter ,played by Ina Balin.
The movie is the story of the courtship and its eventual resolution .
Sterling performances by the leads and a strong musical score by Alessandro Cicognini compensate for the slighly over sentimental script but overall this a neglected little gem
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A film about second chances., May 4, 1999
By A Customer
Sophia Loren is a headstrong widow and loving mother with a past. Her deceased husband was involved in the crime world and the neighbors aren't too friendly to her. Her young son is lost without guidance. Anthony Quinn, who portrays a lonely widow, tries hard to convince Loren and his daughter that they could be a happy family. Quinn is great as he desperately tries to reason with people all caught up in the past. There is always hope and love, if you try hard enough seems to be a good message here in this film. Good chemistry between Loren and Quinn.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Black rose, November 2, 2006
A pair of Oscar-winning actors, and a comedy about two widowed people finding second love. Not much can go wrong, right? Well, sadly Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren are the main good things about "The Black Orchid," which desperately tries to cover up its shortness of plot.
Rose (Loren) is a young Italian-American mother, widowed when her husband was killed by mobsters. Since her love of luxury drove him to crime, Rose blames herself, and tries to amend by making artificial flowers to support herself and her young son. She isn't interested in anyone else... until she meets the wealthy, widowed Frank Valente (Quinn).
Rose and Frank soon fall in love and become engaged, and Rose's young son is delighted to find that he will have a father at last. But Frank's daughter Mary (Ina Balin) becomes distraught when she hears the news, and Frank reluctantly breaks up with Rose. Will there be a happy ending for anyone?
"Uninspired" is the best word for "Black Orchid" -- nowhere in the movie does anything really make sense. It's a purely by-the-numbers romance flick, which putters along with little enthusiasm, right up to the predictable conclusion. There isn't even any sense of tension, except for Loren's dramatic way of speaking.
The plot itself unfolds in basic movie fashion, but is way too short. Apparently realizing this, the makers threw in a plot twist -- Mary inflicting her Electra complex on dear Daddykins. It's very contrived, and at times it's almost comical. But of course, expect all twists to be untwisted in a matter of minutes, and with only a few heart-to-heart talks.
The only good things about this tepid film are Quinn and Loren. Loren exudes passionate penitance and love as Rose, who is determined to make things right this time around. And she has amazing chemistry with Quinn, who has a rough, jovial charm that was quite different from the smooth guys who populated Hollywood.
"The Black Orchid" is a forgettable and contrived little romance, but Loren and Quinn are delightful. Too bad they weren't given a worthy script to follow.
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