A Breath of Scandal


A Breath of Scandal is a 1960 film adapted from Ferenc Molnár's stage play Olympia. It stars Sophia Loren, Maurice Chevalier, John Gavin and Angela Lansbury and was directed by Michael Curtiz. The film is set at the turn of the 20th century and features lush technicolor photography of Vienna and the countryside of Austria. The costumes and lighting were designed by George Hoyningen-Huene and executed by Ella Bei of the Knize fashion house. In part because Loren was at odds with Curtiz's direction, Italian director Vittorio De Sica was hired to reshoot certain scenes with Loren after hours without Curtiz's knowledge.
The film is based on the 1928 play Olympia rather than being a remake of the 1929 MGM film His Glorious Night.

Plot

An Austrian princess falls in love with a Pittsburgh mining engineer over the Prince of Prussia, whom her father favors.

Cast

The film was part of a three-picture deal, which Loren had, under contract with Paramount. It was also a co-production between Paramount and producers Ponti and Girosi. Filming started on 1 June 1959 in Vienna.
John Gavin, who had been borrowed from Universal, later recalled, "we were being directed by Michael Curtiz, which sounds so good on paper." Apparently, he soon realized the director was past it.
I said to Sophia , "We're in a terrible picture. He may have been a great director once but he doesn't know what he's doing."
According to Gavin, Sophia had looked worried and asked, "do you really think so?"
Said Gavin, "The next thing I know Vittorio de Sica is turning up on set, at 2:00am every morning to give Sophia a few hours coaching before shooting started. Imagine! Drama classes at that hour! Still, I wouldn't have minded a little help myself. So I asked him and he said 'Don't change a thing. Everything you do is so American.' That sort of left me up in the air without a compass."

Reception

Gavin later called the film a "turkey" saying Sophia Loren playing a princess was "not what she does best."