Saturday, June 30, 2012

Amore in the Eternal City



We have globe trotted with Woody Allen to London (Match Point and Scoop), Barcelona (Vicky Christina Barcelona) and the City of Lights (Midnight in Paris). Next up on the writer and director's film/travel schedule is To Rome With Love, a romantic comedy about the loves and adventures of an American architect, a retired opera director and his wife, a man mistaken for a celebrity and a young Italian couple in love.

Alec Baldwin and Jesse Eisenberg

The ensemble cast stars Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Judy Davis, Ellen Page and Woody Allen. From the Trevi to the Trastevere, the film is a wonderful travelogue of one of the most alluring cities in the world. Shot entirely on location, Allen teams with French production designer Anne Seibel (who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction on Midnight in Paris) who created the film's sets including a full production of the opera Pagliacci and a beautiful fashion show at the Ara Pacis museum. In a classic case of "when in Rome do as the Romans do," Seibel scouted the city on scooter, influenced by the Rome of Fellini and La Dolce Vita (she even watched Gidget Goes to Rome for inspiration). For more on the sets of To Rome With Love, see my article in Architectural Digest.


Allen giving instructions to his cast
To Rome With Love is currently playing in Los Angeles and New York and opens nationwide July 6th.


Photo Credits: Sony Classics