User Reviews

This little film is so early 60's - and it shows the beautiful Annette Funicello off to perfection! For those into campy 'cult' classics and nostalgia of yesteryear when teenagers swooned over the likes of Elvis, Ricky Nelson and Fabian - then this one is for you! If you like the Original "Parent Trap" or "The MoonSpinners" then you are sure to enjoy this little romp - a wonderful campy film catching the character and vibrancy of a delightful era, and for that this is really worth dusting off. With catchy songs penned by Walt Disney's incomparable Sherman Brothers and Annette's own sweet girlish voice, one can't help but be utterly charmed by this 1962 Italianette adventure! As fellas at the Drive-In used to say: "Man O'Man! Dig that crazy chick!" And they're absolutely right - it's an Annette classic one - that will surely please any devoted Disneyphile!

I ought to let you know I've just screened Escapade in Florence and was quite taken by it. The setting, the story, the music and the Superior Technicolor process, of course all doing justice to Florentine and the subject matter. I would say there's only a handful of Disney's that are really great from a film making point of view and i say this would be one of them. It has a good story with humor and mystery amongst

the best backdrop one could ever desire for atmosphere reflecting a bygone era in gorgeous Technicolor , the early 1960's. With brilliant reds and green and blues, lively animated people and dinky and fancy motor vehicles of the past like the old vespers set amidst a beautiful city of art and monuments, quite chic and savvy.

If you are at all a romantic, nostalgic and love Europe, I urge you not to pass this up. this show is priceless. You'll find this program is a record of great romantic bygone era. It's essence has well been captured with high production values unsurpassed!

Catchy songs and renditions of old Italian favorites are the highlights with an all star Disney cast, this in itself is enough to win you over.

This is a fun movie, filmed on location in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Annette is a student studying art, and Tommy discovers an old painting underneath one of her paintings. He believes it to be an original piece of art, and tries to convince his friends that it's not an old copy. But Tommy discovers a secret behind the painting, and gets caught in the middle of an elaborate forgery scheme.

A lot of fun, and an old favorite.

Art-villains are after Tommy Kirk and Annette Funicello in Italy after the kids discover the secret of a pricey painting. Two-part mystery for Walt Disney's television show was released theatrically overseas; it has local color to spare and fun music, yet the script is thin and spends far too much time on the bad guys of the piece (I bet most viewers would rather see more of Annette, who seems to disappear for long stretches of the film). Sleepy-eyed Tommy Kirk works well with Annette, but this isn't as good as their other Disneyland episode, "The Horsemasters". Nice location filming, a perky opening, but it quickly wears out due to a lack of spark in the handling and wit in the writing.

I just watched the film, and seeing what people were voting for it (it was weighted 9.4!), I figured I'd better add a dose of reality. The music is AWFUL! If the Sherman Brothers (who I love) could sink any lower than writing "Dream Boy" I haven't heard it. Annette is perky and pretty as usual, but her voice is seriously out of place singing Italian opera, it shows her off to her worst advantage. The plot is pedestrian, and only saved by the extremely likeable actors (all of whom are well-cast) and scenery (and since when should a movie be given points for it's scenery?) OK, that said, it's a likeable enough film, although in my book there could have been much more slapstick, much more humor, and I'll say it again, a LOT less canned (EVERYONE in this movie sings with a heavy studio echo) pseudo-Italian singing. I gave it a four.

I ought to let you know I've screened Escapade in Florence and was quite taken by it. The setting, the story, the music and the seperior technicolor process, of course all doing justice to Florentino and the subject matter. I would say there's only a handful of Disney's that are really great from a filmmaking point of view and i say this would be one of them. It has good story with humour and mystery amongst the best backrop one could ever desire for atmosphere reflecting a bygone era in gorgeous technicolor , the early 1960's. With brilliant reds and green and blues, lively animated people and dinky and fancy motor vehicles of the past like the old vespers set amidst a beautiful city of art and monuments, quite chic and saavy.

>If you are at all a romantic, nostalgic and love Europe, I urge you not to pass this up. >this show is priceless. >You'll find this program is a record of great romantic bygone era. It's essence has well been captured with high production values unsurpassed!

> >Catchy songs of old italian favorites are the highlights with an all star Disney cast, this in itself is enough to win you over.

>

Trying to echo Roman Holiday (the main couple drive a vespa alongside Firenze) the best thing about this picture is beautiful city of Firenze in the sixties and the title song. Acting is rather bad and you have the impression that neither Anette nor Tommy were much interested in their roles to make them believable. Plot is really weak and silly even for children- an architecture student meets an art student and falls for her while discover an art forgery ring involving some renaissance painting masterpieces -but could have been better if it wasn't for a poor script. Colour is not very good either. Annette sings several really bad chosen opera songs (Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata duo) that do not fit her voice at all and even sings italian Funiculì-funiculà in a terrible English version that should had blushed their translators. While the original Italian song was written in 1880 to celebrate the opening of the Vesubian funicular, Annette's version totally changes lyrics to a love song (Dream boy). In addition to the main couple there is Italian actor Nino Castelnuovo (Les parapluies de Cherbourg) who sings and plays the guitar with Annette in a local restaurant. Loosely based on Edward Fenton's book The golden doors, the film runs heavily and slowly, it totally lacks of rhythm and that's a pity, since the scenery and a well written script would have included romance, excursions in Firenze's many museums and landscapes and songs that fit in -only the main title one does- would have much improved the movie. A faithful adaptation of Fenton's novel with a younger teenager actress like Hailey Mills would have been a much better option.