Boy on a Dolphin

The ensuing battle over the fate of the statue, waged by a corrupt treasure hunter (Clifton Webb) and an American archaeologist working in the interests of the Greek state (played by Alan Ladd), becomes an allegory of cultural guardianship and national stewardship in the post-WWII world. A conflicted Loren, caught between the two men and the ideals they represent, symbolizes the instability of Greece following her liberation from Nazi occupation and simmering civil war between communist and anti-communist forces.