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To me, this movie is perfection.

That was an excellent one.

Slow pace in the most part of the movie.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS STONE is the first published work of Tennesee Williams to survive as a hit novel more than once professionally filmed. The ionic 1961 Jose Quintero filming follows the novel exactly focusing on William's thoughts wealth and fame bring the ability to pay for ease and luxury but not the ability to hang on to what you enjoyed in life before changing the public perception of yourself. this 2003 remake has a different focus. The name stars familiar to most are Helen Mirren as the title character and Brian Dennehy who is given more screen time than in most filmings because he is a relatively minor personage in Williams. Williams himself seems to appear on stage in the 2003 made for television film as Christopher saying many of the speeches in the novel representing the author's perceptions though in this case said by the author who is not a named character in the novel merely personified as the fictitious Karen Stone. The homeless streetwalker who is her alter ego is portrayed in the 1961 film more as what Williams had in mind namely needing what Karen has in terms of wealth, security and comfort but possessing what Karen mourns when she lost namely youth joi de vivre and physical attractiveness. In this 2003 remake he is ill and disturbed not behaving socially as someone merely down on his luck.

Knowing of its cable provenance I rented this with mild trepidation. It bears a few telltale signs of Cable Drama 101 but manages at least partly to transcend. Mirren is superb as always and near the end even looked a little like Vivian Leigh. (Some credit due to costumes and makeup). Kudos to her for baring her breasts. The interesting surprise here is Olivier Martinez who is better than Warren Beatty in the 1961 original. WB was derailed by the Italian accent with which El Martinez has no problem. Also, Martinez is the right age for the part; WB was young and up-and-coming, wrong for the story. Both Mirren and Martinez seem to have been aware of the cable tendency towards obviousness because the best thing about the remake is the fact that they do bring layers and subtlety to their respective performances. Enough years have elapsed to make this is a period film, whereas the 1961 version was not. Any period film also has to finesse the sensibility of the time when it was made. This remake portrays the period fairly well and in some ways takes a rather fresh approach. Despite its shortcomings you too might find yourself liking it more than you thought you would. (2014)

There's much about this production that is very good. I think Martinez is much better than Warren Beatty, who was dreadfully miscast. Some things are better realized in the recent version, such as the young man who waits in the shadows. The camera work is outstanding and I think Mirren's wardrobe is better than in the earlier film.But I think there's a fatal flaw in the casting of Helen Mirren as Karen Stone, for the reason which I think made Vivien Leigh more suitable to the role. This goes to the heart of a major theme in Tennessee Williams: evil people bent on destroying those who are fragile and vulnerable.For all her greatness as an actress, there's nothing vulnerable about Helen Mirren. She's too strong and formidable a person to play a fragile flower. I always feel a sense of "Don't tread on me" when watching her.

*****May contain spoilers***** Okay - where do I start. Although he has quite a pretty face, Olivier Martinez can't act his way out of a bag in this movie. He just wasn't convincing and his lines were stiff at best. I personally thought that Rodrigo Santoro who played the beggar in the street was better looking and more appealing - this should tell us something.Anne Bancroft was a miscast in the role of the "pimp". She came off as a comic character - you just had to laugh at her trying to be pathetic and evil. It lacked any feeling at all.Brian Dennehy probably was the best portrayed although he dies in the first 20 minutes of the movie.Then there is Helen Mirren who is quite a good actress, but is surrounded by lack luster performances. Nothing she could have done could drag this movie out of the ditch.I also think that the people who see the ending as some death wish are reading way to much into it - I can't give this director that much credit. I just think it shows how far Mrs. Stone has sunk - she wants so badly to be loved and wanted that she takes the beggar/stalker off the street.All in all - just pass this one up folks and get the 1961 original.