Rome in four films not to be missed
Rome, thanks to its charm and evocative atmosphere, has been and continues to be the protagonist of some of the most beautiful and important films in the history of cinema. Its monuments, neighborhoods, squares and alleys make it a real open-air film set.
Among the countless films set in the capital, we have selected four to see and review. They will make you travel with your mind while remaining comfortably seated on the sofa.
Roman Holiday
If we talk about films shot in the Eternal City, it is impossible not to mention “Roman Holiday”, a 1953 romantic comedy directed by the German naturalized American director William Wyler. The film tells the story of Princess Anna (played by Audrey Hepburn) visiting Rome and her meeting with reporter Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck). Set in the glittering Rome of the Dolce Vita, it introduced Italian beauties to audiences all over the world. The two protagonists tour the city on foot and on a flaming Vespa, passing by the most famous monuments: the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum, Castel Sant’Angelo and the Roman Forum, just to name a few. It received 7 nominations and won 3 Academy Awards in 1954.
La dolce vita
Another timeless masterpiece to see and review is “La dolce vita”, a 1960 film directed and co-scripted by the director Federico Fellini, the man who knew how to tell the dreams and fears of Italian society in the twentieth century. The film tells the story of the gossip journalist Marcello Rubini, played by Marcello Mastroianni. Set mainly between via Veneto and the Quirinale palace, it reveals the lights and shadows of the worldly Rome of the 1960s. Unforgettable is Anita Ekberg’s bathroom scene in the Trevi Fountain. It obtained 4 nominations and won an Oscar in 1961. Small curiosity: the term “paparazzo” was invented by the Rimini director on the occasion of the film.
To Rome With Love
Another great success set in Rome is “To Rome with Love”, a sentimental comedy of 2012 written and directed by the American director Woody Allen. It boasts a truly exceptional cast with international and Italian stars of the caliber of Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenberg, Judy Davis and Woody Allen himself. Freely inspired by Boccaccio’s Decameron of 1350, it tells the cross stories of four American tourists, between loves and misunderstandings, unlikely adventures and flirtations, which unfold against the backdrop of a beautiful Rome in August. The film is a passionate tribute to the Eternal City and its cinema myths.
La Grande Bellezza
The last of the films on this small list is “La Grande Bellezza”, a 2013 film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, with Toni Servillo in the role of the protagonist. The cast also includes: Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Roberto Herlitzka and Isabella Ferrari. The plot revolves around the sixty-five-year-old Jep Gambardella, an experienced costume journalist and theater critic who begins to reflect bitterly on his own existence. The film is a fresco of contemporary Rome and winds through some of the most beautiful and iconic places in the city. It won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 2014 for best foreign film.
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