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Rogue 10: Ten Movies Set in Rome

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Rogue 10: Ten Movies Set in RomeRogue 10: Ten Movies Set in Rome

Woody Allen continues his European tour this Friday with To Rome With Love.  The legendary and prolific writer-director spent decades focused almost exclusively on his native New York, but starting with 2005's London-based Match Point, six of Allen's last seven yearly offerings have been set across the pond.  Something of a renaissance (more accurately one of the periodic critical upswings in a career as long and varied as his) has involved Vicky Cristina Barcelona and last year's Midnight in Paris, which marked a commercial best for Allen.

To Rome With Love, naturally takes place in the Italian capitol, and as he did with London, Barcelona, and Paris, Allen trains his directorial eye on both seemingly obvious and trivial observations of what makes each city special.  The comedy follows an ensemble of different unconnected characters, some denizens of Rome and others tourists.  Allen himself appears in the film for the first time since 2003's Anything Else, and he's joined by Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Alison Pill, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, and Alessando Tiberi.

In honor of the film's debut in limited release this Friday, we here at IAR decided to compile a list of ten notable films set entirely or partially in Rome.  A city with thousands of years of history and a founding myth as dramatic as the story of Romulus and Remus is obviously a perfect place for a compelling film.  So we present, in no particular order, ten examples of Rome-based movies.  Keep in mind, however, that this is not a "Best Movies Set in Rome," as we always welcome a few outliers and oddities.

Without any further ado, here's the latest Rogue 10:

The Talented Mr. Ripley, directed by Anthony Minghella (1999)


Minghella's adaptation of Patricia Highsmith follows Matt Damon's Tom Ripley, whose titular talents include impersonation, forgery, lying, and murder, to various stunning Mediterranean locales.  Venice, San Remos, and Naples all have their moments, but its to Rome that the duplicitous Ripley first absconds in his adopted identity as Dickie Greenleaf.  In a movie packed with pretty people like Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, and Cate Blanchett, the late Minghella never relegates his setting to a mere background.

Jumper, directed by Doug Liman (2008)


Proving the point that this list isn't intended as a "Best Rome Movies" compilation is Jumper, a sci-fi adventure that hobbles itself with, amongst other things, its own transparent franchise ambitions, jumbled logic, and a hero who is unsympathetic without being even modestly compelling.  Still, a mid-movie jaunt to the city results in some very pretty views and nice photography on location at the Coliseum.  And when else are you going to see a teleportation-fight on the ancient gladiatorial grounds?

National Lampoon's European Vacation, directed by Amy Heckerling (1985)

Because dammit, when you have the opportunity to create a list that includes both Federico Fellini and Chevy Chase, you seize that opportunity.  The second film in the Vacation franchises follows the misadventures of the Griswolds across the continent, starting in England and continuing through France and Germany before ending up in the Italian capitol.

Roma, directed by Federico Fellini (1972)


Fellini narrates the first of his two entries here, one is ostensibly an autobiography but is really, as the title suggests, all about the city itself.  And not about the real city, either.  At least not in the straightforward sense.  Roma is about Rome as Fellini himself – and his onscreen surrogate – experienced it, arriving as a young man from Rimini, a small town by comparison.  There's really no plot, no narrative in a conventional sense, just the connection between Fellini himself and this fantastical, carnal,colorful, larger-than-life iteration of Rome.

Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott (2000)


As a director, Scott likes to call what he does "world-building."  Though the production never actually took place in the ancient city, Scott's action epic used massive construction in Malta and digital artistry to create Rome of nearly 2,000 years ago more vividly and convincingly than jaded modern audiences had ever seen, capturing the grandeur of the empire and the bustling urbanity of a living city.

Only You, directed by Norman Jewison (1994)


Fatuous and frivolous, this is a romantic comedy that coasts on its two leads and the scenery, which includes Venice but mostly stays in Rome.  Marisa Tomei plays the aptly-named Faith, who so believes she's destined to fall in love with a man named Damon Bradley (remember that last name, it pops up later on) that she takes off to Italy on the eve of her wedding to find him.  Instead, she happens upon Robert Downey Jr. as a man who loves her, but doesn't happen to be named Damon.  Or Bradley.  Think of it like Iron Man in Italy.

Ben-Hur, directed by William Wyler (1959)


Like Gladiator, Ben-Hur creates a spectacular vision of ancient Rome, but it does so without the benefit of CGI and with some, if only a little, actual shooting in Rome itself.  Based on Lew Wallace's novel, the film stars Charlton Heston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who sets out for vengeance against his old friend Messala, a Roman commander who kicked him into slavery.  Wyler, who shows up elsewhere on this list for a very different movie, actually served as one of dozens of assistant directors on the original 1925 Ben-Hur, the most expensive silent film ever made and a notoriously calamitous production.

La Dolce Vita, directed by Federico Fellini (1960)


A black and white snapshot of a decadent and amoral wealthy nightlife, Fellini's film takes place over a week in the life of Marcello Rubini, a callow gossip columnist avoiding the domesticity afforded by ladyfriend at all costs.  Played by Marcello Mastroianni, Rubini's orgiastic nights and sobering days on the Via Veneto structure the story and give it an undeniably allegorical bent, but it can be appreciated for its visual gorgeousness and exuberance alone.  Fun fact: many of the recognizable locations were actually studio recreations, though the Trevi Fountain into which Rubini and Sylvia, played by Anita Ekberg, go splashing is the real thing.

Roman Holiday, directed by William Wyler (1953)

The romantic comedy may have been bastardized and genericized over the years, but this movie shows how to do it right, with two endlessly charming leads, a beautiful setting to evoke a fairy tale, and no small amount of wish-fulfillment.  Audrey Hepburn broke out with her role as Anne, sheltered princess of an unspecified nation on a European diplomatic tour.  When she frees herself of her handlers, journalist Joe Bradley (remember?), played by Gregory Peck, squires her about town on his Vespa, providing an excuse for Wyler to shoot an idealized travelogue.  Of course, the two fall in love in a cinematic version of the city designed to facilitate exactly that.

Bicycle Thieves, directed by Vittorio De Sica (1948)


Possibly the finest example of the Italian Neo-Realist style to emerge from the aftermath of World War II, De Sica's film chronicles the efforts of a poor man and his son to find his bicycle after it's stolen on the Via del Traforo.  By filming entirely on real Roman streets and locations while also employing locals instead of professional actors, the film captures Rome in a historical moment.  But as the protagonist scrabbles for the bicycle he needs to carry out his new job, De Sica's portrait of Rome speaks to urban poverty more generally, and the way desperation incites moral compromise in such places, even those that look like Rome.  Note: For it's initial American release, the film's plural title, Ladri di biciclette, was translated to the singular The Bicycle Thief.  Though it's often still referred to by this title, the fundamental alteration in the title's meaning makes The Bicycle Thieves preferred.


Source: IamRogue

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Rogue 10: Ten Movies Set in Rome
Woody Allen continues his European tour this Friday with To Rome With Love.  The legendary and prolific writer-director spent decades focused almost exclusively on his native New York, but...

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