Heaven on Earth
Brief Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Robert Spafford
Barbara Florian
Charles Fawcett
Gabriele Tinti
Arnoldo Foa
Johann Sebastian Bach
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
In Rome, Count Verbano, a handicapped World War II veteran whose wife was killed in the war, is visited by his war friend, American Henry Brent and his daughter Caroline. The count enlists his son Antonio to show the Americans around Rome, despite the teenager's thinly veiled contempt for Americans, whom he blames for his mother's death. Among the sights they visit are the Vatican, featuring the Sistine Chapel and its choir singing "Ave Maria"; the Catacombs of St. Sebastian; St. Peter's; and many artworks by such artists as Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli. In addition, Antonio treats them to thrilling accounts of Italian history, including an explanation of the election of Pope John XXIII. Antonio is so openly hostile to the Americans, however, that Caroline asks him to stop acting as their guide, a request that shocks Antonio into behaving more civilly. Exhausted by the teenagers' enthusiasm for sightseeing, Henry retreats to the hotel room, and Antonio and Caroline continue on alone. Along the way, the two fall in love, and Antonio finally realizes that his prejudices are unjust.
Director
Robert Spafford
Cast
Barbara Florian
Charles Fawcett
Gabriele Tinti
Arnoldo Foa
Crew
Johann Sebastian Bach
Mgr. Domenico Bartolucci
Rino Filippini
Dominick Franco
Charles Gounod
Fulvio Lucisano
Robert Spafford
Murray Hill Topman
Mgr. Lavinio Virgili
Alberico Vitalini
Film Details
Technical Specs
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
No print of this film could be located; the above information was gleaned from contemporary reviews. Heaven on Earth was an Italian-American co-production shot on location in Rome. According to the Harrrison's Reports review, the filmmakers were afforded "special Papal permission" to film in the Vatican. The picture includes travelogue footage of Rome, newsreel footage of Hungarian Cardinal József Mindszenty and the Hungarian uprising, the fictional story of "Antonio Verbano" and "Caroline Brent" and, according to the New York Times review, "excerpts from what appear to be recent Italian costume epics" which include Barbara Florian and Gabriele Tinti "in full costume." The ^Var review stated that the dialogue was "badly post-synched." An August 1960 Hollywood Reporter news item noted that Fae R. Miske had acquired worldwide distribution rights for Heaven on Earth.
