What goes on during a 24 hour period in the Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome.

THERE is something uniquely fascinating about a large municipal park, with its natural beauties, its formal arrangements and its array of visitors to be observed. Amid its inducements to serenity, one may invariably catch intriguing glimpses of people and their behavior that hint of drama and little crises in their affairs.

It is this intrinsic fascination that runs through 'It Happened in the Park,' a French-language film produced in Italy. The beautiful Villa Borghese Gardens in Rome are the setting for five vignettes and are well performed by several French and Italian stars.

The first episode is poignant. A girl student is persuaded by her pals to trap their professor (François Perier) in an embrace so they may photograph it and blackmail the professor into giving them passing grades. But the girl, when she sits with the professor on a park bench, discovers something she didn't know--something sad and arresting. She doesn't go through with the deal.

The second episode is funny. A successful lawyer (Vittorio De Sica, no less) gets embarrassingly caught in the middle of a youthful lovers' quarrel. Thinking himself quite a dandy, he has a rendezvous with the girl, only to have her fiancé pop up and cause a row. Mama comes along and gets into it. So does a nosey young pop. The confusion of Signor De Sica is the delightful element here.

Then there is a little drama in which six people, including a marriage broker, sit down to make a match for a wistful young lady (Giulia Rubina) who reveals a pathetic flaw at the wrong time. This one is comical and tender, showing the Italian nature affectionately. And there's a wry scene exposing a last quarrel between a spoiled married woman (Micheline Presle) and her lover (Gerard Philipe).

The final episode is cheerfully ironic. A not-too-youthful lady of the night (Eloisia Cianni) and a younger competitor (Franca Valeri), while fleeing the police, get mixed up in a beauty contest, with screaming consequences.

Cast & Crew

•       Anna Maria Ferrero
•       Francois Perier
•       Vittorio De Sica
•       Giovanna Ralli
•       Maurizio Arena
•       Giulia Rubino
•       Eduardo De Filippo

Director: Vittorio De Sica

Director: Gianni Franciolini

Producer: Giorgio Agliani

Additional Details

Label: Televista

Genre: Foreign Film

Run Time: 80 mins

Region: 0

Release Date: 02/19/13

UPC: 029502941734