Yellow Rolls-Royce

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In this drama, from director Anthony Asquith, the lives and stories of three different people are linked together by their possession of an unusual car, a yellow Rolls Royce Phantom II. Lord Frinton (Rex Harrison) is a diplomat who purchases the exquisite auto as a gift for his wife (Jeanne Moreau). After Frinton's horse wins the Royal Gold Cup, Lady Frinton incurs the Lord's wrath when she is caught in the back seat of the Rolls with his underling John Fane (Edmund Purdom). In the 1930s, the car is bought by Italian gangster Paolo Maltese (George C. Scott), who is carrying on with the hatcheck girl Mae Jenkins (Shirley MacLaine). The two take a tour of Italy and see all the historic sights, but Mae is less than impressed. While Paolo is in the United States on one of his frequent hit-man assignments, Mae and a street photographer try out the back seat for comfort and carnal pleasure. Art Carney plays Paolo's associate Joey. In the final episode, Gerda Millett (Ingrid Bergman) is the married American woman who buys the car in 1942. With Hitler attacking Yugoslavia the brave and brazen beauty helps fight the Nazis by smuggling Davich (Omar Shariff) across the border, and this duo also find themselves in the back seat for a roll in the Rolls. Davich shows his gratitude by shipping the car along with Gerda back to the United States. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Letterbox for TV, Color
• Subtitle: French, Japanese, English, Thai
• Features:
  • Theatrical trailer

AWARDS

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Original Song - 1965 (Riz Ortolani, Norman Newell)
•     Nominated Best Original Score - 1965 (Riz Ortolani)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Rex Harrison - Marquess of Frinton
       Jeanne Moreau - Marchioness Eloise of Frinton
       Shirley MacLaine - Mae Jenkins
       Edmund Purdom - John Fane
       Moira Lister - Lady Angela St. Simeon
       George C. Scott - Paolo Maltese
       Ingrid Bergman - Gerda Millett
       Isa Miranda - Duchesse D'Angouleme

• Director:

  Anthony Asquith

• Producer:

  Anatole de Grunwald

• Screenwriter:

  Terence Rattigan

• Cinematographer:

  Jack Hildyard

• Composer (Music Score):

  Riz Ortolani

• Songwriter:

  Norman Newell, Riz Ortolani

• Editor:

  Frank Clarke

• Art Director:

  William Kellner, Vincent Korda, Elliot Scott

• Associate Producer:

  Roy Parkinson

REVIEWS:

• {#The Yellow Rolls-Royce} is running on empty, but it's filled with so many stars and looks so beautiful that most viewers won't mind that the ride doesn't really get them anywhere. {$Terence Rattigan}'s screenplay takes "formulaic" to a new height; there's very little here that's original or even moderately surprising, and the dialogue is at times painfully obvious. Still, formulas by nature come with a framework and set of rules that guarantee a certain response, and by layering the formula with such a wide array of talent, {#Yellow} comes out ahead of the game. Not that anyone is giving a career-height performance, mind you, but almost everyone is good. The major exception is {$Jeanne Moreau}, who is surprisingly wooden. {$Shirley Maclaine}'s dumb-blonde moll is a matter of taste; some will find her annoying, others terribly funny. But few would fault {$Rex Harrison}, {$Ingrid Bergman}, {$Omar Sharif}, or {$George C. Scott}, and even those who find the film not to their taste will probably find it hard to take their eyes off of a very sexy {$Alain Delon}. The best performance probably comes from {$Art Carney}, whose work is relatively low-key and nicely calibrated. {$Jack Hildyard}'s lush cinematography is another plus, and the entire production is glossy and shows where the money went. For those looking for pretty but mindless entertainment, {#Yellow} is a good bet. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
• The Yellow Rolls-Royce is running on empty, but it's filled with so many stars and looks so beautiful that most viewers won't mind that the ride doesn't really get them anywhere. Terence Rattigan's screenplay takes "formulaic" to a new height; there's very little here that's original or even moderately surprising, and the dialogue is at times painfully obvious. Still, formulas by nature come with a framework and set of rules that guarantee a certain response, and by layering the formula with such a wide array of talent, Yellow comes out ahead of the game. Not that anyone is giving a career-height performance, mind you, but almost everyone is good. The major exception is Jeanne Moreau, who is surprisingly wooden. Shirley Maclaine's dumb-blonde moll is a matter of taste; some will find her annoying, others terribly funny. But few would fault Rex Harrison, Ingrid Bergman, Omar Sharif, or George C. Scott, and even those who find the film not to their taste will probably find it hard to take their eyes off of a very sexy Alain Delon. The best performance probably comes from Art Carney, whose work is relatively low-key and nicely calibrated. Jack Hildyard's lush cinematography is another plus, and the entire production is glossy and shows where the money went. For those looking for pretty but mindless entertainment, Yellow is a good bet. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide

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