The Yellow Rolls-Royce

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The Yellow Rolls-Royce
Film poster
Directed by	Anthony Asquith
Produced by	Anatole de Grunwald
Written by	Terence Rattigan
Starring	Rex Harrison Jeanne Moreau
Music by	Riz Ortolani
Cinematography	Jack Hildyard
Editing by	Frank Clarke
Distributed by	MGM
Release date(s)	1964
Running time	122 min.
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
IMDb profile

The Yellow Rolls-Royce is a 1964 drama film. It is also considered an anthology film.

Directed by Anthony Asquith, produced by Anatole de Grunwald and written by Terence Rattigan, it tells the story of three very different owners of a yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom II: an English aristocrat, a Chicago gangster and a wealthy American widow. It is set in the years up to and including the start of World War II.

Produced as a result of the success of The V.I.P.s a year earlier, it boasts a similar all-star cast, including Rex Harrison, Ingrid Bergman, Shirley MacLaine, Omar Sharif, George C. Scott and Jeanne Moreau.The famous song "Forget Domani" is sung by Katyna Ranieri in this movie.

[edit] Plot

The car is first purchased by the Marquess of Frinton (Rex Harrison) as an anniversary present for his French wife, Eloise (Jeanne Moreau). The marquess is a longtime horse owner who has his heart set on winning at Ascot Racecourse. This year, his horse is favoured and does indeed win. However, his elation is blighted when he finds his wife with her lover and his underling, John Fane (Edmund Purdom), in the back of the Rolls. For appearances sake, he will not divorce her, but he sends back the car.

The Rolls is next purchased by American gangster Paolo Maltese (George C. Scott). He is touring Italy with his fiancée Mae Jenkins (Shirley MacLaine) and his right hand man Joey Friedlander (Art Carney). When Paolo returns to the United States to take care of some unsavoury business, he leaves Joey to chaperone Mae. Joey turns a blind eye when she falls in love with Stefano (Alain Delon, a handsome young street photographer. However, when Paolo rejoins them, Mae lies to Stefano, telling him that it was just a fling, in order to protect him from her lethal boyfriend.

The third owner of the car is Mrs. Gerda Millett, a bossy, wealthy American widow touring Europe. When the Germans invade Yugoslavia, patriot Davich (Omar Sharif) commandeers her automobile to sneak into the country. However, none of his men know how to drive, so Mrs. Millett volunteers, much to Davich's surprise. They survive a German aerial attack and reach their destination. Along the way, the two very different people fall in love. She wants to stay and help repel the invaders, but Davich will not permit it, saying it is not her fight. He tells her to go back to America and tell people what she has witnessed.