Chapter Eighteen

Here, we enter the period of Rossano's career following South Pacific. 

 We are, initially at a football match and then make our way to the Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence to have coffee. 

The photo on the left shows Rossano at a sporting event with a friend. As we're not sure whether this is a family photo or not, it didn't go in the book. The other photo is the view from the Piazzale Michelangelo showing the panoramic view of Florence.

The first English-speaking movie released after South Pacific was A Certain Smile. Rossano's frustrations in respect of the censorship rules surface here. A Certain Smile can be viewed on YouTube. Don't bother getting the DVD because it is of the same quality as the YouTube video.  But, at least you can see it if you want to. Look out for a very young Johnny Mathis in the night club singing the film's theme song. I did contact Johnny Mathis about his appearance but he apologised, telling me it was so long ago he couldn't really remember much about it!

The book is brilliant and I can understand why Rossano was frustrated. I'm of the opinion that many films during the 1950s were completely ruined because of the censorship. This could have been a brilliant film.

Count Your Blessings was based on the Nancy Mitford novel, The Blessing. Like A Certain Smile, the censorship put a dampener on what is a very good book, insisting that a vital component of the story be taken out. There are some good comedic moments in this, though, and the casting was good.  I would definitely recommend reading the book because it has a wonderful subplot in there, too, that the American censorship took out because it touched on Americans being involved in communism. 

On the left is Jean Negulesco discussing a scene with Deborah Kerr and Rossano on the set of Count Your Blessings. On the right, it appears that both Rossano and Deborah are not sure about something being offered to them!

This chapter details an in-depth debate between Rossano and Roger Vadim over their love of women. It took place on the terrace of Rossano's apartment. It's very intimate but not in the least bit sordid. It's really a homage to the female in every sense. The drawing here is in the book and shows a side to Rossano that most journalists never touched on because they always focussed on the 'serious' image. This is much more in keeping with his personality. My thanks to the artist, Sarah Bairstow, for giving me permission to use this.