Story of a Woman
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| Story of a Woman | |
|---|---|
| Storia di una donna | |
| Directed by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Written by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Produced by | Leonardo Bercovici |
| Starring | Bibi Andersson Robert Stack James Farentino |
| Cinematography | Piero Portalupi |
| Edited by | Milton Shifman |
| Music by | John Williams |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Westward Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | Italy United States |
| Languages | English Swedish |
| Budget | $1.4 million[1] |
Story of a Woman is a 1970 Italian-American drama romance film written, produced and directed by Leonardo Bercovici and starring Bibi Andersson, Robert Stack and James Farentino.[2]
A Swedish girl studying to be a concert pianist in Rome falls in love with a medical student. When she discovers the student is married to an older woman, she heads home to Sweden and marries an American diplomat. The diplomat is assigned to Rome.
Cast
- Bibi Andersson as Karin Uilman
- Robert Stack as David Frasier
- James Farentino as Bruno Cardini
- Annie Girardot as Liliana
- Didi Perego as Bruno's Girl Friend
- Mario Nascimbene as Prof Ferrara
- Francesco Mulè as Manzetti (as Francesco Mulé)
- Frank Sundström as Mr. Ullman
- Toivo Pawlo as Rushenov
- Beppe Wolgers as Fahlen
- Birgitta Valberg as Mrs. Ullman
- Cathy Riney as Cathy
- Erika Rosell as Sissi
Production
Universal wanted Robert Stack to sign to a long-term contract and star in the TV series The Name of the Game; as an inducement they offered him one feature film a year the first of which was Story of a Woman. He made it just before he started the series.[3]
Stack called it "a love story, in the genre of A Man and a Woman with its own kind of style. The role is a real departure for me, my first unabashedly romantic story. When I saw daily footage I saw a character I'd never seen on film before – me."[3]
James Farentino joined the cast in February 1968.[4]
Filming began in March 1968 in Stockholm.[5] It was also filmed in Rome.[6]
Composer John Williams contributed to the film's score with the song "Uno di qua, l'altra di là", which was sung by Onella Vanoni.[7]
Reception
The film's release was delayed a long time.[8] According to one report the film "played a week in Cleveland and died."[9] It screened in Los Angeles in late 1971, the Los Angeles Times calling it "well made".[10] The Motion Picture Herald also reviewed the film, noting that it was "straight out of the pages of one of the better women's magazines".[11] Variety predicted its "clichéd development will have very limited appeal."[12]
Stack later wrote "despite good reviews, the film came in over budget and didn't make a nickel."[13] Stack says that Universal tried to get out of its commitment to him to make one film a year for the next two years - they ended up paying him off.[14]