Wonderful Movie

That was an excellent one.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Apparently, this film, Pao de Acucar, ran out of money and wasn't completed until later. It stars Rhonda Fleming and Rossano Brazzi. Fleming is Pamela Jones, an actress from America in Brazil on vacation. There, she meets and falls in love with Claudio DeSantis (Brazzi), a coffee plantation owner, and they marry.Pamela isn't used to being a traditional wife, and Claudio has to be away for work much of the time. It's boring for her. She decides to leave him, but she's in for a surprise.If it weren't for the color -- and how can you make a film with Rhonda Fleming without making it in color -- and Fleming's beauty and outfits -- this film wouldn't be worth watching. There's really not much to it.A photographer once photographed Fleming with no special light, and also in unflattering, awful light, and guess what, she looked the same - gorgeous. While she was not Meryl Streep, she was a pretty good actress as well, though, with her looks, she wasn't given many opportunities to show her abilities. She acquits herself well here, though this wasn't a high point in anyone's career.

. . . INSTANT LOVE illustrates how hard it was for rich White Americans to stay out of trouble in the 1960s. First, they quarreled with Cuba. Then they vied with Vietnam. A rumble with Russia always seemed in the offing. INSTANT LOVE is so offensive it's a wonder Brazil didn't declare war back on America. The redhead U.S. actress character "Pamela Jones" is so clueless that she does not even realize that Texas has been part of America since 1865, when she brazenly asserts that Brazil is a country "bigger than the United States and Texas combined." Her Harvard-educated extra-marital "friend" Gary works as an "efficiency expert" for the U.S. government. About the only thing at which Gary is efficient is causing trouble. His bumbling threatens the Brazilian coffee crop, and he almost ruins Mardi Gras by diverting the parade onto an ocean liner. Perhaps the best way to view INSTANT LOVE is as a "lost episode" of I LOVE LUCY, in which all the characters have been replaced by their understudies, and a half-hour of second-rate material has been stretched out for 90 minutes.

I found this a very interesting movie - almost an unknown. To date, even IMDb does not carry the American title nor the full casting lineup with matching roles. TCM recently aired it for the first time as a "lost and found" feature (under the American title - "Instant Love"). Robert Osborne mentioned that the project ran out of production money during the general filming. Apparently, needed completions were done later, causing a delay in release. While watching, I couldn't help being reminded of the 1959 "Count Your Blessings," also starring Rossano Brazzi, having beautiful locations, excellent wardrobe and the quickie marriage element. However, "Instant Love" compares very favorably. Despite its faults, it survives if not thrives. Even with the gifted Deborah Kerr in CYB, that movie stumbled and, in the opinion of most, fell. It was so halting and artificial that it became increasingly difficult to just endure. That is not true of this film. Even Rossano Brazzi is more effective in this one. And, as Mr. Osborne pointed out, when Rhonda Fleming was given a role of true dimension, she did very well. It comes as a great surprise to find she possessed a range, since we have been given little opportunity to experience it ("Home Before Dark" another fuller range example). She seemed to be mostly cast for her beauty alone, essentially replaying the same type, which is unfortunate and a loss to moviegoers. There is a quality about this film that attracts and holds interest. The cinematography is very pleasing, with locations unique to my film experience anyway. As for casting, the leads do surprisingly well together. The friend and her husband are attractive. The American "boyfriend" was a disappointment, being unbelievable as any kind of attraction for Ms. Flemings' character. Being a regular throughout the film, that was for me a detractor. Regardless, I personally don't think this qualifies as a bad movie. It is good viewing in general, has a competent and fuller Rhonda Fleming performance, along with the unique and successful pairing with Brazzi. I am glad it has surfaced, and believe it will garner support with subsequent airing.

Truly awful..not even up to a cult standard..you know, the bad films we love to watch. This is not one them, poor Rhonda Fleming, I hope she got a good vacation. The sound quality is bad and the film suffers from poor editing among so many other problems. Neil Sedaka, in his one scene, sounds like he is singing in an echo chamber. I liked the title song and the sights of 1960's Brazil are lovely. Some of Fleming's wardrobe is outstanding except for the dress she wears to the Festa, not flattering at all. She does wear a fabulous cocktail black dress in a "seduction" scene.Watch this film only if you have time to kill