From the Archives: Woody Allen’s Love Affair with Europe
(Originally posted on Travel Books and Movies in August 2012).
One of the most well-known directors in the world, Woody Allen, often uses locations in his movies–and New York City, his hometown, is often featured in his films. (He even made a rare appearance at the 2002 Academy Awards to implore the movie industry to continue filming in New York City after the 9/11 attacks.)
Four of Allen’s five latest movies, however, have also explored beyond those borders:
Barcelona: Two girlfriends, played by Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson, travel to Barcelona and fall under the spell of a seductive artist, played by Javier Bardem–whose ex-wife, played by Penelope Cruz, is also in the picture in Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
London: You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010), starring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, and Antonio Banderas, follows a pair of married couples and the dreams, ideas, and anxieties that plague them.
Paris: Starring Owen Wilson and Rachel MacAdams, Midnight in Paris (2011), has been Allen’s most successful movie at the box office. In it, an engaged couple travels to Paris with her parents and discover that they may have different ideas about their ideal life.
Rome: And his latest release, To Rome With Love (2012), follows a similar pattern: stories of several characters intertwine in Italy’s oldest (and arguably most romantic) city. Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, and Jesse Eisenberg help bring the beautiful city to life.
Woody Allen brings a quirky approach to all of his movies…and they can all be a fun way to explore major European cities.
TBM TIP for Movie Clubs: Exploring Allen’s skills through these movies could be an ideal topic for a movie club. Compare and contrast how he treats each city, discuss how his international movies differ from those set in New York City, and analyze how he attempts to capture the essence of each of these four well-known cities.
