Sophia Loren, on her way to becoming a major star, really had her own exuberant, vital qualities and talents and Il Segno di Venere is a fine vehicle for these; at the same time, it typifies the way that these qualities were fast becoming the new national archetype. The plot says it all, chronicling the romantic adventures of two cousins, one too feminine (Loren), the other too plain (Franca Valeri). Involved in the tale are some key comics of the day: Vittorio De Sica as a penniless poet, Peppino De Filippo as Valeri's last-resort steady beau, Alberto Sordi as a frustrated, would-be car thief, and Raf Vallone as a too-sensible fireman. Director Dino Risi was (like Emmer) a former documentarian whose career took off with the comedies (his models were Lubitsch and Wilder), although an obsessive fidelity to realism remained his trademark throughout.