Set in Viareggio an Italian famous tourist place, this movie is a gentle comedy where we admire a beautiful and remarkable debutant, Jacqueline Sassard supported by a good swarm of actors, the italian sex symbol of that moment Raf Vallone, Sylva Koscina and the young Raffaele Mattioli, all directed with steady hand by Alberto Lattuada. Based on a subject of Valerio Zurlini, the movie well screenplayd tells the transformation of a young and spoilt rich girl that discovers the substance of the sentiments in a period where she lives the drama of her parents divorce and the delights of love. The love story is showed in a very delicate way, such as the adolescence stories told in "Le blé en herbe (1954)" by Claude Autant Lara, and it is built with a great crescendo untill the nostalgic final.

I am sorry but this movie,which I looked for quite a lot of time, turned into a complete disappointment for me. The plot is weak, poor, even banal. Anyway, the character of Guendalina is wonderfully played by young Jaqueline Sassard and this only justifies my four stars. It seems like the whole movie were created only in order to evaluate and underscore the young actress's talent. On the contrary, the other characters are little more than clichés: Guendalina's father -the usual, handsome woman chaser- , her mother, a beautiful unsatisfied woman, and the pathetic boyfriend, too stupid to capture any empathy from the viewer. What particularly disappointed me is the representation of the scenery. A poor and insignificant photography gives no idea of the emotions that the Versilian landscape was used to communicate to poets, artists and especially painters, such as Boecklin and Carrà. And please...at the end of the movie we are informed that the location is Viareggio. But all the shots at the seaside are taken in Forte dei Marmi, a place which is famous for its magic light, also in Autumn and Winter. Where did that stunning light go?

When I first watched this film, I was shocked as hit by lightening and captivated instantly by the charm and beauty of Guendalina. Many scenes were printed in my brain and are still there vividly even now half a century later - such as the scene Guendalina appears in all-in-one tights dancing in front of Oberdan. After the release of this film, many girls rushed to shops to buy Jacqueline-Tights in Japan. The story is just a bittersweet memory of vacances but this film is one of the most impressive films I've ever seen due to the overpowering charms of Guendalina. I've been looking for the video or DVD of this film for many years, in vain. It is really incredible! But rumour has it that this film was TV broadcasted in Italy a few years ago and I dream of the day I have DVD of this film in my hand. If my memory is correct, I saw a report that Oberban (Raffaele Mattioli) died very young. I always thank God who led me to see Guendalina - Jacqueline Sassard - when I was as young as her.