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Woman of Straw

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Wikipedia article




'Woman of Straw' is a 1964 crime thriller directed by Basil Dearden and starring Gina Lollobrigida and Sean Connery. It was written by Robert Muller and Stanley Mann, adapted from the 1954 novel 'La Femme de paille' by Catherine Arley.

Premise



Playboy Tony Richmond (Connery) schemes to acquire the fortune of his uncle Charles Richmond (Richardson), a tyrannical, wheelchair-using tycoon, by persuading Maria (Lollobrigida), the new personal nurse he has hired, to marry the old man. After his uncle's demise Maria becomes a murder suspect. Lollobrigida's character is the 'Woman of Straw' of the title.

Cast



* Gina Lollobrigida as Maria Marcello

* Sean Connery as Anthony 'Tony' Richmond

* Sir Ralph Richardson as Charles Richmond

* Alexander Knox as Detective Inspector Lomer

* Johnny Sekka as Thomas

* Laurence Hardy as Baynes, the butler

* Peter Madden as Yacht Captain

* Danny Daniels as Fenton

* Michael Goodliffe as Solicitor

* Noel Howlett as Assistant Solicitor

Production



The film was shot at Pinewood Studios, Audley End House in Saffron Walden, Essex and in Majorca in the Balearic Islands between August and October 1963. The Majorca footage, including much footage in a boat off the coast, was shot on location in September 1963. Gina Lollobrigida was reportedly "demanding and temperamental" during the filming, frequently clashing with Connery and Dearden.

Critical reception



In a contemporary review in 'The New York Times', Eugene Archer wrote, "what could be more archaic than the sight of James Bond himself, Sean Connery, stalking glumly through the very type of old-fashioned thriller he usually mocks? That is exactly what we have in "Woman of Straw," and you can be certain that Mr. Connery did not look one bit more unhappy than yesterday's audience at the Criterion, where the hapless British film crept into town. For, despite the fancy trappings laid on by the respected old producer-director team of Michael Relph and Basil Dearden, this handsomely colored exercise is the kind of pseudo-Victorian nonsense that Alfred Hitchcock long ago laid to rest". In a 2008 review, Steve Lewis in 'Mystery File' noted, "Most of professional reviews have been negative ('Variety' and so on), but with one tiny qualification on my part, in my opinion most of the professional reviews are wrong. If you are a fan of detective fiction and if you ever come across a copy of this movie, by all means, don't hesitate. Snap it up at once."

References




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