Adapted to the stage and screen several times since its inception in the 19th century, Honore de Balzac's romantic tragedy Eugenie Grandet was given another cinematic go-round by Italian filmmaker Mario Soldati in 1946. Alida Valli plays the title character, a naïve young woman who refuses to heed her father's advice in affairs of the heart. Eugenie believes that her beloved cousin Charles (Gualtiero Tumiati) is above reproach, insisting upon sending him money when his father commits suicide. Charles repays Eugenie's love and loyalty by betraying her at the first opportunity, leading to the story's doleful finale. Eugenie Grandet represented Alida Valli's final European production before her Hollywood debut in Hitchcock's The Paradine Case.
by Hal Erickson
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