The Black Orchid (1959)

Anthony Quinn and Sophia Loren star in this tale of bittersweet romance directed by the legendary Martin Ritt. Rose Bianco (Loren) helped her late husband become involved in crime so she could live lavishly; after his death, she is beset with both grief and guilt. Making matters worse, her teenage son seems to be following in his father's criminal footsteps when he is convicted of theft and sentenced to reform school. Then one day Rose meets Frank Valente (Quinn), a kindhearted widower with a headstrong child of his own. Frank soon falls in love with Rose, but daughter Mary (Ina Balin) vehemently opposes her father's courtship of this woman with a checkered past. As Frank and Rose's growing affections complicate the lives of both their children, THE BLACK ORCHID becomes a touching exploration of the sometimes delicate balance between familial and personal happiness.