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Archive for the 'Film & TV' Category
This weekend Reuters is reporting the sale of a “Sopranos” inspired painting that depicts James Gandolfini, aka Tony Soprano, as the ultimate Renaissance prince, Federico da Montefeltro, the Duke of Urbino. Naturally, Edie Falco, who plays Tony Soprano’s wife, Carmela, assumes the position of the esteemed Duchess.
Painted by Sopranos supporting actor Federico Castelluccio, who played the Italian hit man Furio Giunta who fell in love with Carmela (and, as it turns out is an artist in his off-the-screen life), the painting is said to have been sold to Toronto oil executive Robert Salna for $175,000, the highest price paid for memorabilia from the hit TV series.
From a Reuters story by Daniel Trotta. Click here for the whole article.
In a new ad campaign, Mini Cooper reminds everyone that they’re supporters of the Rome Film Festival.
Uniquelly embellished cars pay homage to Alfred Hitchcock (above, left) and Sergio Leone (above, right), as well as Lars von Trier (below, left) and Quintin Tarentino (below, right).
Advertising Agency: D’ADDA,LORENZINI,VIGORELLI,BBDO, Milan, Italy
Creative Directors: Luca Scotto di Carlo, Giuseppe Mastromatteo
Art Directors: Velia Mastropietro, Pietro Mandelli
Copywriter: Sonia Cosentino
In celebration of Halloween week, we’ve written a series of articles dedicated to Spooky Rome. If you’ve missed our earlier missives, which covered such topics as ancient Roman ghosts and ghost stories, raising demons in the Colosseum, and the bone-encrusted Capucin church, we invite you to indulge your inner ghoul by clicking back to those articles.
Today our daily dose of haunting comes from the Middle Ages, an era in which superstitious beliefs about Rome’s ancient past thrived in the Eternal City. Among the more interesting medieval speculations was the idea that the oculus (or hole) in the dome of the Pantheon had been created in 609 AD, at the very moment that the ancient Roman temple was consecrated and became a Christian church. Christian Romans speculated that the act of consecration had terrified resident pagan spirits, causing them to knock a perfectly circular hole in the building’s dome as they took hurried flight from their long-established home.
The Remorse of Nero by John William Waterhouse. 1878. Private collection.
Another medieval legend suggested that the city was still haunted by the restless spirit of the Roman Emperor Nero. Students of Roman history will remember that it was Nero who ruled the city when the Great Fire of 64 AD broke out in the area of the Circus Maximus and burned for six days, destroying about 2/3 of Rome in the process. Once the fire ended, Romans declared that its cause was an act of arson perpetuated by slaves of Nero. To counter their accusations, Nero accused the Christians of having started the fire, and punished this new religious group by staging the first persecution in the 60s AD.
Medieval Romans believed that Nero’s soul could not rest easy on account of his anti-Christian actions and that his malevolent ghost haunted the area near his pyramid-shaped tomb (now called Piazza del Popolo). There, a walnut tree that grew on the tomb was home to a flock of ravens. Superstitious Romans believed that the ravens had been sent by the devil to torment Nero, thereby making his ghost restless.
Spurred to action by popular demand, Pope Pascal II (1099-1118) exorcised the area by chopping down a walnut tree that had grown over Nero’s tomb, throwing the tomb into the river, and building a church on the site. Today that church (since rebuilt by Pope Sixtus IV in 1472) is called Santa Maria del Popolo and exorcism of Nero’s ghost is depicted in an gilded stucco image on the right of the chancel arches.
We at Eternally Cool have little doubt that Nero’s ghost is still roaming the city and we’re always hoping for a sighting. While we wait, we like to get our Nero fix by watching the ultra-campy Quo Vadis, a film made by MGM in 1951. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, the movie is adapted from the classic 1895 novel Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It stars Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn, Peter Ustinov, while Sophia Loren has an extra’s role as a slave girl in one of her first film appearances. Elizabeth Taylor also has a cameo.
The film tells the story of a Roman military commander, Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor), returning from the wars, who falls in love with a devout Christian, Lygia (Deborah Kerr). Commander Vinicius becomes intrigued by her and her religion. Their love story is told against the broader historical background of early Christianity and its persecution by Nero (Peter Ustinov).
And, when Quo Vadis just isn’t enough and we’re in need of a real Nero fix, we turn to that fabulous 1960s series, The Time Tunnel, and in particular the episodes called “Visitors from the Stars” and “Ghost of Nero,” in which Doug and Tony encounter the Emperor’s specter:
Visitors from the Stars: The aliens land near Mullins, Arizona in 1885 in search of protein sources. Doug’s mind is taken over by the aliens. When Tony breaks the alien’s control device, Doug’s mind is restored. Aliens investigating the disappearance of their spaceship in 1885 appear at the Time Tunnel. They depart after seeing the spaceship leaving on the Time Tunnel’s projector. Cliffhanger: Tony and Doug arrive near the Italian-Austrian Alps during World War I; an explosion knocks them out and uncovers Nero’s sarcophagus; a sword floats out of the sarcophagus.
Ghost of Nero: Tony and Doug are uninjured. It is 23 October 1915 at the villa of Count Galba. The ghost of Nero seeks revenge on the Galba family. The ghost comes through the Time Tunnel to the present, but it is sent back. Tony and Doug meet a corporal Mussolini, who becomes possessed by the ghost of Nero. Cliffhanger: Tony and Doug arrive at the tent of Joshua who believes that their arrival has been prophesied.
What are these guys doing traveling through time? Determined to prove that Project Tic Toc was capable of sending humans through time, Dr. Tony Newman and Dr. Doug Phillips entered the project’s time tunnel before final tests were completed. Now, caught in time and unable to return home, the two scientists battle to stay alive as the Vortex of Time thrusts them into the middle of some of the most significant events in world history. But even more important, as the time travelers encounter famous and influential people of the past, they must make sure their actions don’t inadvertently change history and alter the future.
21
Oct
Tim Robbins in Rome
Via Il Messaggero:
Amidst the glam and the glitter of the 2007 Rome Film Festival, some stars have taken a bit of time off to enjoy the Eternal City. Oscar-winner Tim Robbins - in Rome to present his new film “Noise” - took a few moments from his day to help direct traffic in Piazza Venezia. In the company of Fabio Grillo, a member of the Polizia force, Robbins climbed atop an elevated pedestal at the center of Rome’s most trafficked piazza, where Grillo provided the actor with a crash-course in the graceful arm movements that direct the five lanes of intersecting traffic that move through the piazza.
Robbins’s day in the Eternal City continued with a visit to Mayor Veltroni in Piazza Campidoglio. Having never before seen the piazza with the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius at its center, he exclaimed, “Mamma mia! Che bello!“
18
Oct
Roma FilmFest 2007
via ANSA:
Sophia Loren, Cate Blanchett, Keira Knightley, Halle Berry, Monica Bellucci, Sharon Stone, Robert Redford, Tom Cruise and Sean Penn are among the stars who will light up this year’s second edition of the Rome Cinema Festival, organizers said Thursday.
Blanchett will be the first to hit the red carpet on October 19 in a reprise of her acclaimed 1998 Elizabeth I portrayal in visionary Indian director Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Loren will bring the curtain down on October 27 as she receives a career achievement award.
In between, an array of would-be blockbusters and more arty fare from 40 countries will bid to draw at least as many viewers as the half million spectators the inaugural edition attracted.
Rome’s film-buff mayor Walter Veltroni, who achieved his dream of bringing a major movie event to the Italian capital despite sneers from the cinema establishment and controversy over a clash with the Venice fest, said Thursday:
“This year is going to be even better”.
Shrugging off the nay-sayers who thought the fest might be postponed or even scratched, Veltroni added: “They’re always slamming novelty in this country. It’s one of the national vices”.
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Redford’s Lions for Lambs, a US-Afghanistan political drama he directed and stars in alongside Cruise and Meryl Streep, is one of the most keenly awaited films.
It is one of two US offerings out of competition, along with 83-year-old Sidney Lumet’s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney.
Film buffs are also dying to see Francis Ford Coppola’s first film in ten years, Youth Without Youth, which he described as a “highly personal philosophical noir” set in prewar Europe and based on a novella by Romanian writer Mircia Eliade.
Other treats for the auteur crowd are sure to be Martin Scorsese’s homage to Sergio Leone, Danish cult director Susanne Bier’s first English-language film, Things We Lost In The Fire, with the steamy pairing of Berry and Benicio Del Toro, and French veteran Alain Corneau’s Le Deuxieme Souffle with Daniel Auteuil and Bellucci.
Corneau’s film is one of 14 competing for the top Marcus Aurelius prize, including Hector Babenco’s El Pasado with Gael Garcia Bernal, Jason Reitman’s Juno with Ellen Page, Reservation Road by Hotel Rwanda director Terry George and starring Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly, and Mongol, a tale of the youth of Genghis Khan by Russian director Sergei Bodrov of Prisoner of the Caucasus fame.
Sophia Loren in Ieri, Oggi e Domani
Also in contention are two Spanish films, Barcelona, Una Mapa and Caotica Ana; Fugitive Pieces from Canada; France’s Ce Que Mes Yeux Ont Vu; China’s Li Chun; and an Iranian-Japanese production, Hafez.
The two Italian contenders are Carlo Mazzacurati’s la Giusta Distanza and Emidio Greco’s L’Uomo Privato.
Among the fest’s special events are a focus on India with new films such as Anurag Kashyap’s No Smoking and a look at new socially and environmentally conscious movies from Hollywood such as Penn’s Into The Wild, Tim Robbins’ Noise and Gavin Hood’s Rendition with Reese Witherspoon, Streep and Jake Gyllenhaal.
Knightley, fresh from her acclaimed role in the Ian McEwan adaptation Atonement, appears in another literary adaptation, Silk, from the international bestseller by Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco.
Sharon Stone is not appearing on film but in the flesh, as the charity auctioneer at a top fashion house’s gala ball, modeled on a similar event at Cannes.
Cannes Director Gilles Jacob will be sending a personal message wishing the festival even more success, accompanied by his homage to Italian screen icon Anna Magnani, Lupa Romana.
via BBC:
BBC TV viewers are getting a Roman treat as the star of the longest-running science fiction TV series in the world is headed for some adventures in the ancient past.
For those not in the know, Dr. Who (currently played by David Tennant) is a mysterious time-traveller who propels himself backwards and forwards by means of his time ship, the TARDIS (which appears from the exterior to be a blue police phone box), in order that he might explore time and space, solve problems, and right wrongs.
Now, Doctor Who is looking toga-tastic as the Time Lord hurtles him back to the Roman Empire, landing him in Pompeii with his new assistant, Donna, the night before the famous Mount Vesuvius volcano erupts - but should they warn everyone?
You’ll have to tune in to find out, but TV insiders promise the episode is one of The Doctor’s most adventurous yet.
Filming has been taking place in Rome’s Cinecitta studios, which have been transformed to recreate the ancient city of Pompeii.
via The Guardian:
The success of HBO’s ROME series (as well as that of the movie Gladiator in 2000) has revived interest in movies and TV shows about ancient Rome. Now, another one may be in the making. Hollywood rumor suggests that Leonardo DiCaprio may star in a big-screen version of I, Claudius, as the rights to Robert Graves’s have been obtained by veteran producer Scott Rudin. According to a story in the Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio and screenwriter William Monahan are currently circling the project. The pair last collaborated on Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning crime drama The Departed.
Written by Robert Graves and first published in 1934, I, Claudius is a literary epic purporting to be the autobiography of the fourth emperor of Rome, who ruled from AD 41-54. The saga details the political machinations at work within the Empire in the first century AD. Graves’ tale was first adapted by director Josef von Sternberg in 1937, with Charles Laughton in the title role. In 1976 it was overhauled as an acclaimed BBC miniseries, starring Derek Jacobi and John Hurt.
The latest version of I, Claudius has yet to find an official studio home. However, the Hollywood Reporter suggests the most likely backers are the Disney divisions Touchstone or Miramax, pointing out that Rudin’s production company is based on the Disney lot.
Not really Roman, but it too eternally cool to be true. So, here we embrace the whole of our classical heritage:
In 2005, filmmaker Jason Wishnow released an eight and one-half minute film version of the Greek tragedy, Oedipus, in which the only actors are vegetables. Aeschylus rolled over in his grave as the ill-fated and potato-headed Oedipus won the hearts of film festival organizers around the world.
What would induce such an undertaking? In talking to Ish Magazine, Wishnow explained his motivations:
I figured the Oedipus story was always kind of funny, you know…incest, patricide, eye-gouging…I always thought vegetables offered another one of those ways that [the story of] Oedipus had not been told, but [had] been begging to be done for thousands of years (*grins*)
But really I have not been able to come up with a legitimately funny answer to this question after two years, and I still do not have the right sound bite quality answer to this question. The embarrassing thing is I guess I just thought it would be a funny way to tell the story.
In the same interview, Wishnow also explained the casting of the film:
…since Oedipus has to poke out his eyes…He needed to be a potato. The mum is supposed to be a real tomato - that goes without saying…and then, when the potato and the tomato have sex, obviously their offspring is a cherry tomato.
I was generally trying to go with vegetables you might find more commonly in European cuisine, so it would be appropriate to have potatoes and that kind of stuff. Even though halfway through the production we had this total catastrophe where I walked into the studio one morning after looking at vegetables on the internet until 3am, and I read that the potato and the tomato are both new world vegetables, so they come from the Americas. And I had one of those directing panic attacks. I thought, “Oh my God, I am going to have to recast the entire movie!” But everyone was like, “We are halfway through the film. We are going to keep going.” So, yup. I got over it.
We love, love, love the cauliflower sheep and the tomato queen!
Today we reveal our true geekiness when we let our readers know that we simply can’t wait for the release of The Etruscan Mask, a horror film haunted by an Etruscan demon who just won’t die. Sometimes, it seems, that the Etruscan fix provided by Rome’s spectacular Villa Giulia museum is just not enough!
Filmed in Siena and Turin, the flick is set to be released later this year. It’s directed by Ted Nicolaou and the plot goes something like this:
In Siena, Italy, five foreign university students stumble across an ancient Etruscan mask in an old house as they are delivering newspapers by night. It soon becomes apparent that with possession of the mask comes an inescapable evil. With the help of a knowledgeable professor, they begin to uncover the dark secrets that surround it and are shocked to hear of its terrifying powers. After a series of unexplainable events, it becomes clear that the mask must be destroyed. However, one of the students has already succumbed to its powers and in doing so has released an ancient demon which has no intention of being destroyed.
Those Etruscans were a nasty lot. It’s no wonder that the ancient Romans were so intent on getting rid of them. Given the evil disposition of this pre-Roman group of people, we shouldn’t be surprised to discover that there are other horror films in which they’ve starred. For example, in 1972 the Etruscans decidedly upped their image when director Armando Crispino released The Etruscan Kills Again (it was less compellingly named in the USA: The Dead Are Alive), in which a photographer on an archaeological expedition to dig up Etruscan an Etruscan cemetery in Italy begins to suspect that not all the Etruscans buried there are actually dead. Oh my!
Ten years later, the mysterious Etruscans got another wide-screen release in Murder in the Etruscan Cemetery (called The Scorpion With Two Tails across the Atlantic) in which the young widow of an archaeologist, murdered while working on an Etruscan dig, dreams of her husband’s death and then travels from New York for Italy to investigate. Before long, she is attacked by bats and is involved in several other murders. In the meantime, the widow’s father is smuggling heroin in crates of Etruscan artifacts, but he is killed in a tragic cave-in. Other victims have their heads twisted around backwards by an unknown assassin as the widow’s premonitions continue and people tell her that she may be an Etruscan immortal. The secrets lie in a hidden tomb, and are revealed in a bizarre climax involving undercover narcotics agents, Etruscan zombies, magic stones and a huge anti-gravity crystal.
Surely someone, somewhere, must be organizing an Etruscan film festival?
