Movies:
The Story of Three Loves
- Rating:
- Genre: Drama
- Movie Type: Romantic Drama
- Themes: Haunted By the Past, Dancer's Life
- Director: Vincente Minnelli
- Main Cast: Anna Maria Pier Angeli, Ethel Barrymore, Leslie Caron, Kirk Douglas, Farley Granger, James Mason
- Release Year: 1953
- Country: US
- Run Time: 122 minutes
Plot
This anthology film tells three stories of love involving the passengers of an ocean liner at sea. In the first, "The Jealous Lover," James Mason plays Charles Coudray, a well-known ballet director. When someone asks Coudray why he staged his masterpiece, "Astarte," only once, he tells the story of Paula Woodward (Moira Shearer), a superb dancer he found practicing in his theater. He was awestruck by her technique and her beauty, but he discovered that she had a secret -- due to a cardiac condition, she has been forbidden to dance too strenuously, as it could tax her heart and eventually kill her. Charles urges Paula to perform for him, so he may use her movements to choreograph his next great work; she agrees, but the exertion proves too much for her and she dies. He arranges for the work she inspired to be performed only once, in hopes that she will somehow see it from on high. In the second segment, "Mademoiselle," Tommy (Ricky Nelson) is a 12-year-old boy travelling with his French governess and tutor (Leslie Caron); she's tired of spending her days watching over a child, and he'd like to get away from Teacher for a while. Mrs. Pennicott (Ethel Barrymore), a older woman who happens to be a witch, hears Tommy wishing he could be a grown-up, and she grants his request: suddenly Tommy is a grown man (played by Farley Granger), but only for the next four hours. The Governess meets the mysterious stranger Tommy has become, and soon they fall in love. In the final segment, "Equilibrium," Kirk Douglas plays Pierre Narval, a high-wire artist who retired from performing after his partner died while performing a trapeze act, an accident Pierre blames on himself. He begins to reconsider his decision when he saves the life of Nina (Pier Angeli), a woman who attempted to drown herself; her husband died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, and she feels she is to blame for his death. Their shared fatalism equals fearlessness in Pierre's eyes, and he teaches Nina the art of the trapeze; however, when he begins to fall in love with her, he's no longer so certain that he wants her to risk her life. "The Jealous Lover" and "Equilibrium" were directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, while "Mademoiselle" was directed by Vincente Minnelli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie GuideCast
- Anna Maria Pier Angeli - Nina [Equilibrium]
- Ethel Barrymore - Mrs. Pennicott [Mademoiselle]
- Leslie Caron - Mademoiselle
- Kirk Douglas - Pierre Narval [Equilibrium]
- Farley Granger - Thomas Campbell [Mademoiselle]
- James Mason - Charles Coudray
Moira Shearer - Paula Woodward; Agnes Moorehead - Aunt Lydia; Ricky Nelson - Tommy: aged 12; Zsa Zsa Gabor - Flirt at Bar [Mademoiselle]; Peter Brocco - Bartender [Mademoiselle]; Argentina Brunetti - Saleswoman [Mademoiselle]; Paul Bryar - River Policeman [Equilibrium]; Noreen Corcoran - Little Girl [Mademoiselle]; Bruce Edwards; Steven Geray - Legay [Equilibrium]; Jacob Gimpel - Pianist; Sam Harris - Ad Libs; Robert Horton - Young Man on Boat [Mademoiselle]; Anne Howard; Colin Kenny; Rudy Lee - Little Boy [Mademoiselle]; John Lupton - Studious Young Man; Paul Maxey - Bill Cyrus [Equilibrium]; Torben Meyer - Man [Equilibrium]; Joan Miller - Woman on Bridge [Equilibrium]; Alberto Morin - Mr. Sandes [Mademoiselle]; Leo Mostovoy - Stranger in Cafe [Equilibrium]; Ottola Nesmith - Usher; Larry Olsen - Terry [Mademoiselle]; John M. Pickard - Ship's Officers [Equilibrium]; Jack Raine - Doctor; Paula Raymond - Mrs. Campbell [Mademoiselle]; Hayden Rorke - Mr. Rorke [Mademoiselle]; Frank Scannell - Master of Ceremonies [Equilibrium]; Reginald Sheffield - Production Manager; Elizabeth Slifer - Concierge [Equilibrium]; Alice Talton - Rose [Equilibrium]; Jack Tesler - Bartender [Equilibrium]; Nick Thompson - Coachman [Mademoiselle]; Kaaren Verne - Madame Legay [Equilibrium]; Frank Wilcox - [Equilibrium]; Ken Anderson - Jacques [Equilibrium]; Miklos Rozsa - Conductor; Tom Quinn - American Man in Bar [Mademoiselle]; Peter Norman - Rudolph Kramer [Equilibrium]; Kay English - Nurse [Equilibrium]; Ernesto Morelli - Railway Porter [Mademoiselle]; Manuel Paris - Mr. Carlos [Mademoiselle]; Florence Wix; Ed Agresti - Railway Conductor [Mademoiselle]; Victor Desny - Italian Air Force Officer [Mademoiselle]; Bertha Feducha - Woman Vendor [Equilibrium]; Phyllis Graffeo - Italian Girl [Mademoiselle]; Ivan Hayes - Chorus Boy
