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The Love Specialist
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Wikipedia article
'The Love Specialist' is an Italian-French movie filmed in 1958, and released in the U.S. in 1959 with the title 'The Love Specialist'.
Plot
Diana Dixon, a Texan girl (played by Dors), wins a quiz show jackpot, and uses her winnings (a prize in cash and a brand new Cadillac car) for a trip to Italy. Her car breaks down near Siena where she meets Prince Piero di Montalcino (Gassman), a handsome Italian nobleman. He believes that she must be rich, and she also thinks that he must be wealthy, but that's very far from the truth.
The romance reaches its climax at the traditional Palio horse race where, after Diana breaks up with the prince upon hearing that he bribed the jockey of the rival 'contrada' into throwing the race so that his horse could win, she fast-talks the rival horse's owner into letting her ride. After winning the Palio, she will accept to marry the Prince.
Cast
* Diana Dors - Diana Dixon
* Vittorio Gassman - Piero di Montalcino
* Franca Valeri - Contessa Bernardi
* Bruce Cabot - Mike
* Teresa Pellati - Laura
* Tina Lattanzi - Madre di Piero
* Enrico Viarisio - Il zio di Piero
* Nando Bruno - Pap ferrari
* Ronaldo Bonacchi - Tino
Production
The film was based on a novel which was published in 1957/
The film was known as 'The Girl from Palio' or 'The Girl Who Rode the Padlio'. The casting of Dors and Gassman was announced in April 1957.iana going to Italy Date: Wednesday, Apr. 3, 1957 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England) p 3GOAL IS 36 MOVIES AT ALLIED ARTISTS: 12-Month Program Studio's Heaviest in 5 Years--Engel Plans Film on Bible Story
By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times. New York Times (17 Sep 1957: 39. Dors was one of a number of English and American stars making movies in Italy - others included Mamie Van Doren and Steve Reeves.STUDIO ACTIVITY ALONG THE TIBER: Busy Production Slate For Native Talent And Visitors
BY ROBERT F. HAWKINS. New York Times 1 Sep 1957: 65.
Dors arrived in Rome in July 1957.
Many of the extras for the horse race scenes were real jockeys, some of which quite known to the Sienese. One of them, Pietro De Angelis (nicknamed '"Pietrino"'), winner of two previous Palio races, died of a heart attack while the movie was being filmed in August.
The movie was also a springboard for the career of the sole woman jockey of the modern Palio horse race, Rosanna Bonelli, nicknamed '"Diavola"' but better known as '"Rompicollo"' ("breakneck") from the name of an operetta written by her father. She raced first in a mock Palio race staged for the shooting crew, in place of the jockey of the '"Pantera"' team (unbeknownst to the film production) and then as a stuntwoman for Ms. Dors in the victory scenes, riding the mare 'Gaudenzia'. That helped the girl's rise to local fame and to crown her dream to run in the real Palio race of August 16, 1957 racing for the '"Aquila"' team, her first and last race on Siena's scenic 'Piazza del Campo', and although she didn't finish in first place like the film's heroine, she was bestowed the title of "honorary jockey" by the '"contrada"'.
Filming was completed by October. Dors and Gassman were to be reunited in 'Strange Holiday'.Andy Hardy's Return Forecast; Diana Dors Will Rejoin Gassman
Schallert, Edwin. Los Angeles Times 15 Oct 1957: A9.
Reception
'Variety' called it "colorful, splendidly lensed."[https://archive.org/details/variety210-1958-03/page/n268/mode/1up?q=%22La+Ragazza+Del+Palio%22 Review of film] at Variety
The 'Monthly Film Bulletin' called it "sheer pulp fiction".LOVE SPECIALIST, The "(La Ragazza del Palio)"
Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 27, Iss. 312, (Jan 1, 1960): 39.
'Filmink' called it "a gorgeous-looking movie, incidentally, in which Dors never appeared more beautiful on screen; theres also a climax where she gets to win a horse race, the Palio di Siena more of a triumphant finale than British cinema ever gave her. However, the film was little seen outside Europe."
References
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