This wholesome, disarmingly ingenuous Franco-Italian comedy-drama with English dialogue is superbly photographed in Technirama and Technicolor and tells of a checkered romance between an attractive Texan and a handsome Italian prince, each of whom thinks the other wealthy.
Diana Dors and Vittorio Gassman are superb, and the constantly varied Italian backgrounds are delightful (the picture is headquartered in Siena but also calls at Pisa and other well-known places for laughs and romance).
Diana Dixon (Dors) is the comely daughter of a petrol station attendant from Idle Falls, Texas, who hits the jackpot – $1,000, a monstrous Cadillac and a new wardrobe – on an American TV quiz show. She spends the prize money on a long-dreamed-of trip to Italy and meets Prince Piero di Montalcino (Gassman), a dashing but impoverished blue blood.
He believes Diana is an heiress and chases her, and she – confident that Piero has wealth as well as position – encourages him.
During a ball given by his people to celebrate the young couple’s engagement, it is disclosed that Diana has no cash, and Piero’s family humiliates her. Later, Diana – seeking revenge – rides against Piero in the famous Contrada of Siena (“the Palio”), a traditional race around the ancient town, and wins.
Her victory leads to her and Piero realising that their love is more important than money.
Diana Dors is bewitching and wears beautiful gowns. Vittorio Gassman looks and acts his part well, and Franca Valeri, Bruce Cabot and Tina Lattanzi head a first-rate supporting cast.
Many of the extras for the horse race scenes were real jockeys, some of which were quite well-known to the Sienese.
One of them, Pietro De Angelis (nicknamed “Pietrino”) – the winner of two previous Palio races – died of a heart attack while the movie was being filmed in August 1957.
Originally released as La Ragazza del Palio.
Diana Dixon
Diana Dors Prince Piero di Montalcino
Vittorio Gassman Countess Bernardi Scotti
Franca Valeri Mike Stevens
Bruce Cabot Laura Bernardi Scotti
Teresa Pellati Uncle Guido
Enrico Viarisio Adelaide Serravezza di Montalcino
Tina Lattanzi Car Mechanic
Nando Bruno Car Mechanic’s Wife
Gisella Monaldi Butler at Montalcino’s
Enzo Biliotti Piero di Montalcino’s chubby Friend
Carlo Sposito Diana Dixon’s Father
Thomas Chalmers Diana Dixon’s Mother
Gertrude Flynn The Jockey ‘Baffo’
Nello Putzu Maria
Cristina De Angelis The tall ‘Mangino’ for the Aquila Contrada
Gianni Baghino Count Alberti
Federico Collino Quiz Show Host
Charles Fawcett
Director
Luigi Zampa
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He believes Diana is an heiress and chases her, and she – confident that Piero has wealth as well as position – encourages him.
Many of the extras for the horse race scenes were real jockeys, some of which were quite well-known to the Sienese.
