I learned about the movie and book from Roger Ebert’s Great Movies II. He wrote a very nice review of it. I read the novel first, and I enjoyed that. This adaptation does the book justice. Both of them have the same maudlin and sad nostalgia that everyone may not appreciate, but they are lovely. The movie is a beautiful period piece. Burt Lancaster said this was his best work, and he captures the character very well. If you like sentimental, beautiful, historical, foreign movies, I’d recommend this.