Editing Three Coins in the Fountain (film)

{{Short description|1954 film by Jean Negulesco}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name        = Three Coins in the Fountain
| image       = Three Coins in the Fountain (poster art).jpg
| caption     = Theatrical release poster
| director    = [[Jean Negulesco]]
| screenplay  = [[John Patrick (dramatist)|John Patrick]]
| based_on    = {{based on|''[[Coins in the Fountain (novel)|Coins in the Fountain]]''|[[John H. Secondari]]}}
| producer    = [[Sol C. Siegel]]
| starring    = {{Plainlist|
* [[Clifton Webb]]
* [[Dorothy McGuire]]
* [[Jean Peters]]
* [[Louis Jourdan]]
* [[Maggie McNamara]]
* [[Rossano Brazzi]]
* [[Howard St. John]]
* [[Kathryn Givney]]
* [[Cathleen Nesbitt]]
}}
| cinematography = [[Milton R. Krasner]]
| editing     = [[William Reynolds (film editor)|William Reynolds]]
| music       = [[Victor Young]]
| studio      = [[20th Century Fox]]
| distributor = 20th Century Fox
| released    = {{Film date|1954|05|20|United States}}
| country     = United States
| runtime     = 102 minutes
| budget      = $1.7 million{{sfn|Solomon|1989|p=249}}<ref name="var">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/variety200-1955-11/page/n103/mode/1up|magazine=Variety|date=9 November 1955|title=20th Blessing|page=20}}</ref><ref name="jump">{{cite magazine|title=With 20th's Widescreen Jump|magazine=Variety|url=https://archive.org/details/variety196-1954-12/page/n3/mode/1up?|page=4|date=1 December 1954|access-date=9 August 2024}}</ref>
| gross       = {{Plainlist|
* $5 million (US rentals){{sfn|Solomon|1989|p=225}}<ref>{{cite magazine |title=The Top Box-Office Hits of 1954 |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=January 5, 1955}}</ref>
* $12 million (worldwide rentals)<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|date=November 9, 1955|page=1|title=20th's Global C'scope Jackpot}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''''Three Coins in the Fountain''''' is a 1954 American [[Romance film|romantic]] [[comedy drama]] film directed by [[Jean Negulesco]] from a screenplay by [[John Patrick (dramatist)|John Patrick]], based on the 1952 novel ''[[Coins in the Fountain (novel)|Coins in the Fountain]]'' by [[John H. Secondari]]. It stars [[Clifton Webb]], [[Dorothy McGuire]], [[Jean Peters]], [[Louis Jourdan]], and [[Maggie McNamara]], with [[Rossano Brazzi]], [[Howard St. John]], [[Kathryn Givney]], and [[Cathleen Nesbitt]]. The film follows three American women working in [[Rome]] who dream of finding romance in the Eternal City.<ref name="imdb">{{cite web|title=Three Coins in the Fountain |website=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047580/ |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref> It was originally titled ''We Believe in Love''.

The film's [[main title]] song "[[Three Coins in the Fountain (song)|Three Coins in the Fountain]]", sung by an uncredited [[Frank Sinatra]], went on to become an enduring [[Pop standards|standard]]. The film was made in Italy during the "[[Hollywood on the Tiber]]" era.

At the [[27th Academy Awards]] in 1955, the film received two [[Academy Awards]]—for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]] and [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Song]]—and was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]].<ref name="imdbawards">{{cite web|title=Awards for Three Coins in the Fountain |website=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047580/awards |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{Long plot|date=November 2020}}
Young American secretary Maria Williams arrives in Rome and is greeted by Anita Hutchins, the woman whom she is replacing at the United States Distribution Agency. They drive to the Villa Eden, which Anita shares with Frances, the longtime secretary of American author John Frederick Shadwell, an expatriate living in Rome. On their way into town, the three women stop at the [[Trevi Fountain]]. Frances and Anita tell Maria that according to legend, if she throws a coin in the fountain and makes a wish to return to Rome, she will. Maria and Frances throw in their coins, while Anita, who is planning to return to the United States to marry, declines.

Anita takes Maria to the agency and introduces her to Giorgio Bianchi, a translator. Maria senses that Anita and Giorgio are attracted to each other, though Anita states that the agency forbids its American and Italian employees to fraternize. Later that evening at a party, Maria becomes smitten with the handsome Prince Dino di Cessi, despite being warned by Frances and Anita of his reputation as a womanizer who is notorious for taking his girlfriends to [[Venice]] for romantic trysts. Dino charms Maria, telling her to ignore what she has heard about him.

Walking home after the party, Anita confesses to Maria that she has no fiancé but believes she has a better chance of finding a husband in the United States, since wealthy Italian men are not interested in mere secretaries, and the men who are interested are too poor. They later encounter Giorgio, who invites Anita to attend a celebration with him at his family's country farm the next day. Anita reluctantly agrees.

The next morning, as Giorgio picks Anita up in his cousin's dilapidated truck, they are spotted by her boss, Burgoyne. On Giorgio's family farm, Giorgio tells Anita that he hopes to become a lawyer, despite his poverty. The couple later give in to their attraction and they kiss. Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Dino asks if Maria will accompany him to Venice. Desiring to see Venice but not wanting to lose Dino's respect, Maria arranges for Frances to chaperone them—to Dino's disappointment.

At the agency on Monday, Burgoyne questions Maria about Anita's weekend with Giorgio, and although she maintains that Anita did nothing wrong, Burgoyne assumes Anita is having an affair with Giorgio. The following day, he fires Giorgio. Anita blames Maria for betraying her confidence and insists on moving out of their apartment. She visits Giorgio, worried that she might have ruined his chances of becoming a lawyer. Giorgio has no regrets.

Determined to win Dino's affections, Maria collects information about his interests and preferences, including his love of modern art and his favorite food and wine. She also lies about being "three-quarters Italian". Beguiled by how much he apparently has in common with Maria, Dino introduces her to his mother, the Principessa, who expresses her approval. When Dino confides in Maria that his mother is the only woman whom he has ever completely trusted, she confesses her subterfuge, showing Dino her notebook listing his interests. He angrily takes her home.

Frances meets Anita, who admits that she and Giorgio are in love but will not marry because he is too poor. Frances returns home to comfort the guilt-stricken Maria, who also plans to leave Rome because Dino has not contacted her since her admission. The next morning, Frances suddenly announces to Shadwell that she is returning to the United States, not wanting to end up as an old maid in a foreign country. Shadwell, unaware that Frances has been in love with him for 15 years, offers her a marriage of convenience based on mutual respect, which she accepts.

The next day, Shadwell learns that he is terminally ill and has less than a year to live unless he goes to the US for experimental treatment. Shadwell returns to his villa and coldly ends his engagement to Frances. After learning from Shadwell's doctor the truth about his condition, Frances follows him to a café, where they drown their sorrows while bickering about whether he should pursue treatment. After taking an intoxicated Frances back to the villa, Shadwell visits Dino and informs him that he is leaving for the United States, where he will marry Frances. Shadwell uses reverse psychology to convince Dino that he loves Maria.

After Anita and Maria are packed and ready to leave, Frances telephones and asks to meet them at the Trevi Fountain. There, Maria and Anita are disappointed to see the fountain emptied for cleaning. When they are joined by Frances, however, the water springs up again, much to the women's excitement. Dino and Giorgio arrive, and as the men embrace their respective girlfriends, Frances is joined by Shadwell, and they happily admire the fountain.

==Cast==
* [[Clifton Webb]] as John Frederick Shadwell
* [[Dorothy McGuire]] as Miss Frances
* [[Jean Peters]] as Anita Hutchins
* [[Louis Jourdan]] as Prince Dino di Cessi
* [[Rossano Brazzi]] as Giorgio Bianchi
* [[Maggie McNamara]] as Maria Williams
* [[Howard St. John]] as Burgoyne
* [[Kathryn Givney]] as Mrs. Burgoyne
* [[Cathleen Nesbitt]] as Principessa<ref name="imdbcast">{{cite web|title=Full cast and crew for Three Coins in the Fountain |website=Internet Movie Database |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047580/fullcredits#cast |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Critical response===
Upon its theatrical release, the film received generally positive reviews, particularly for its color and [[CinemaScope]] widescreen cinematography of Italian filming locations. In his review in ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Bosley Crowther]] wrote, "''Three Coins in the Fountain'' is quite clearly a film in which the locale comes first. However, the nonsense of its fable tumbles nicely within the picture frame." Crowther underscored the film's visual appeal to the audiences of his time.
{{blockquote|A nice way to take the movie audience on a sightseeing tour of Rome, with a flying side trip to Venice, through the courtesy of CinemaScope, has been devised in ''Three Coins in the Fountain'', a handsomely colored romance that 20th Century-Fox delivered to the [[Roxy Theatre (New York City)|Roxy]] yesterday. The trick is to underpin the picture with flimsy and harmless accounts of the plainly romantic adventures of three American girls in Rome and then chase them with the camera around the Eternal City as they pursue their destinies.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|last=Crowther |first=Bosley |title=Eternal City Glows in Film at the Roxy |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 21, 1954 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02E5DD173FE23BBC4951DFB366838F649EDE |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref>}}

''Variety'' noted that the film "has warmth, humor, a rich dose of romance and almost incredible pictorial appeal."<ref name="variety">{{cite magazine|title=Three Coins in the Fountain |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |year=1954 |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117795680?refcatid=31 |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref>

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film holds an approval rating of 60% based on 10 reviews, with an average rating of 5.9 out of 10.<ref name="rotten">{{cite web|title=Three Coins in the Fountain |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/three_coins_in_the_fountain/ |access-date=March 25, 2012}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
! Ref.
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[27th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Sol C. Siegel]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center" rowspan="3"| <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1955 |title=The 27th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-08-20 |publisher=Oscars.org ([[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]])}}</ref>
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| [[Milton Krasner]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]]
| "[[Three Coins in the Fountain (song)|Three Coins in the Fountain]]" <br> Music by [[Jule Styne]]; <br> Lyrics by [[Sammy Cahn]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[7th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| rowspan="2"| [[Jean Negulesco]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dga.org/Awards/History/1950s/1954.aspx?value=1954 |title=7th DGA Awards |website=[[Directors Guild of America Awards]] |access-date=July 5, 2021}}</ref>
|-
| [[15th Venice International Film Festival|Venice International Film Festival]]
| [[Golden Lion]]
| {{nom}}
| align="center"| 
|}

The film was recognized by the [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2002: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions]] – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/passions400.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150610/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/passions400.pdf |archive-date=2011-03-13 |url-status=live |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>
* 2004: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs]]:
** "[[Three Coins in the Fountain (song)|Three Coins in the Fountain]]" (song) – Nominated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313152313/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/songs400.pdf |archive-date=2011-03-13 |url-status=live |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees |access-date=August 20, 2016}}</ref>

==Remakes==
Three other films based on the same novel have been released. The first was the 1964 [[Musical film|musical]] ''[[The Pleasure Seekers (1964 film)|The Pleasure Seekers]]'' starring [[Ann-Margret]], [[Carol Lynley]] and [[Pamela Tiffin]], directed by [[Jean Negulesco]]. The second was a 1966 [[20th Century Fox]] pilot for an unsold television series, which was directed by [[Hal Kanter]], written by Kanter and [[Melville Shavelson]] and starred [[Cynthia Pepper]], [[Yvonne Craig]] and [[Joanna Moore]]. The television film was finally broadcast in 1970. [[Sergio Franchi]] sang the title song. The third was the 1990 [[television film]] ''[[Coins in the Fountain]]'' starring [[Loni Anderson]].

The plot of the 2010 film ''[[When in Rome (2010 film)|When in Rome]]'' is the reverse of ''Three Coins in the Fountain'' — a woman takes coins from a love fountain in Rome and finds unwanted love.<ref>{{cite web|title=‘When in Rome’ vs ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’|publisher=[[New York Post]]|author=Lou Lumenick|url=https://nypost.com/2010/01/29/when-in-rome-vs-three-coins-in-the-fountain/|date=January 29, 2010|access-date=May 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=REVIEW: "THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN" (1954); TWILIGHT TIME BLU-RAY RELEASE|author=Raymond Benson|publisher=[[Cinema Retro]]|url=https://www.cinemaretro.com/index.php?/archives/2019/05/C17.html|date=May 15, 2019|access-date=May 19, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=When in Rome Cast Interview Featurette|author=Jami Philbrick|publisher=[[MovieWeb]]|url=https://movieweb.com/exclusive-video-when-in-rome-cast-interview-featurette/|date=January 29, 2010|access-date=May 19, 2025}}</ref>

A stage musical using [[musical standard|standards]] by [[Jule Styne|Styne]] and [[Sammy Cahn|Cahn]] was presented in 1997 at the [[The Muny]] in St. Louis, directed by [[Paul Blake (theatre)|Paul Blake]]. It starred Leslie Denniston, [[Lara Teeter]], [[Joel Higgins]], Maureen Brennan, [[Michele Pawk]] and James Clow.<ref>{{cite web|title=Three Coins in the Fountain Opens at St. Louis' Muny, July 7|publisher=playbill|date=July 7, 1997|access-date=April 24, 2025|url=https://playbill.com/article/three-coins-in-the-fountain-opens-at-st-louis-muny-july-7-com-70902}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Aubrey |title=Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History |series=The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]] |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-8108-4244-1}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|0047580}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|three_coins_in_the_fountain/reviews}}
* {{AFI film|51378}}
* {{TCMDb title|93066}}

{{Jean Negulesco}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Coins In The Fountain (Film)}}
[[Category:1954 films]]
[[Category:1954 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1954 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:1954 romantic drama films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:CinemaScope films]]
[[Category:Films based on American novels]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jean Negulesco]]
[[Category:Films produced by Sol C. Siegel]]
[[Category:Films scored by Victor Young]]
[[Category:Films set in Rome]]
[[Category:Films shot in Rome]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography Academy Award]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:Three girls movie]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy-drama films]]