| JEAN-PAUL BELMONDO and URSULA ANDRESS,
two of Europe's sexiest young stars of the sixties, came under intense
public scrutiny when the press got wind of their stormy affair. The attention
Wrecked Andress' marriage to actor/photographer John Derek. As a teenager
in search of a film career, the Swiss-born actress went to Rome. American
audiences didn't see the sensuous beauty until she played opposite Sean
Connery in the first James Bond movie, Doctor No (1962), a British
film. Belmondo had been a top French star ever since his appearance in
Jean-Luc Godard's first feature A Bout deSouffle (1959), or Breathless
as it was called in the U.S. Although he never quite found the right vehicle
to connect with American audiences, Belmondo has remained a French cinema
favorite for decacdes. |
Three significant films of the sixties featured swimming
pool sclenes for dramatic effect. CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: PAMELA TIFFIN
dancing on the diving hoard of the Hilton estate in Bel-Air in the film
Harper (1966) with Paul Newman. Although the film. which was based
on Ross McDonald's mystery The Moving Target, estahlished Newman
as a star. Tiffin didn't fare as well. The Graduate (1967) catapulted
little-known actor DUSTIN HOFFFMMAN to instant stardom. In this
early scene from the film, Hoffman, who is undecided about his future,
seems isolated as he floats on the pool. even though he's accompanied by
his parents. Federio Fellini's black-and-white classic La Dolce Vita (1960)
was a view of the shallow "sweet life" of Rome's society circles
as seen through the eves of a gossip columnist played by Marcello Mastroianni.
In hot European summers. a city's central fountain often serves the function
of a pool bv providing a public spot for a cool dip. One of La Dolce
Vita's most unforgettable scenes shows voluptuous ANITA EKBERG
wading through the Trevi Flountain. |
