Woody Allen ups sticks from 'Paris' to 'Rome'
Allen's newly titled 'To Rome With Love' set for a June release
Penelope Cruz and Woody Allen on the set of "To Rome With Love."
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Having hit paydirt less than a year ago with "Midnight in Paris" -- which, in case you've forgotten, became the highest-grossing film of Woody Allen's career and nabbed him a fourth Oscar to boot -- Sony Pictures Classics is clearly keen to woo the same audience that fell for the film's romantic European charms to his next effort. Originally dubbed "Nero Fiddled," Allen's latest has been granted a new title that couldn't sound much more cannily focus-grouped if it tried: "To Rome With Love."
If you loved what Woody did for the City of Lights, one imagines the marketers thinking, just wait until you see him in the Eternal City. And fair play to them: with "Paris" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" standing comfortably as Allen's best-received films of recent years, perhaps including the location in the title has become his lucky charm. (Meanwhile, uninformed viewers could be forgiven for mistaking the film for another entry in the popular recent series of portmanteau films that has given us "Paris Je T'Aime" and "New York, I Love You.")
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The official explanation given for the switch is that "Nero Fiddled" is "an appropriate and humorous phrase in the US, [but] not a familiar expression overseas." It's actually the film's second title change: Allen originally settled on "The Bop Decameron," before announcing that the Boccaccio-slash-Pasolini reference was too obscure for most audiences. Perhaps his renewed commercial clout has made him savvier in this regard.
Either way, "To Rome With Love" shouldn't befuddle any viewers hoping for another light comedy of romantic adventures and misadventures in one of the world's most beautiful cities -- which is, reportedly, exactly what the new film is. Whether it can repeat his last film's success probably depends on whether critics give it the green light, as many did in Cannes last year. The cast, as ever, doesn't want for names: Allen stars this time, with Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis (yay!), Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page along for the ride.
Sony has confirmed a June 22 release date, neatly positioning it as summer counter-programming for older audiences -- a trick that, again, worked dandily for "Paris" last year. The timing also fits with a potential Cannes premiere slot: in recent years, "Match Point," "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" and "Midnight in Paris" all debuted on the Croisette, which bodes well for the director's third consecutive appearance at the fest.
For more views on movies, awards season and other pursuits, follow @GuyLodge on Twitter.
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2012-2013 OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup And Hairstyling
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Visual Effects
Best Animated Feature Film
Best Documentary Feature
Best Foreign Language Film
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Login or create a HitFix account Login SignupEdward L.
March 19, 2012 at 4:59PM EST Reply to CommentHmm, interesting! I thought Nero Fiddled was such a witty title but also so odd. This is, as you say, much more the sort of title one could expect following the success of Midnight in Paris.
It is such a rare feeling that a new Woody movie is going to open with expectations attached to it. It had got pretty easy in recent times to see his latest work with no expectations whatsoever, which almost invariably left me pleasantly surprised (or better). But for any filmmaker, following up the biggest hit of their career and an Oscar-winner to boot isn't easy...and even for Woody, it represents something of a 'Can he do it again?' moment.
I can't wait to find out. And to find out what he has done with Rome.
JLPatt Indeed, it is neat to have such high expectations for a Woody film once again. Although "Midnight in Paris" was not the biggest hit of his career, as you should probably take into account ticket inflation. Six films rank above it, with "Annie Hall" at #1 of course.
March 20, 2012 at 12:15AM ESTGuy Lodge Indeed -- which is why I wrote "highest-grossing" rather than "biggest hit."
March 21, 2012 at 6:13AM ESTdomenico_vincenzo_siclari
March 19, 2012 at 5:02PM EST Reply to Commenti dont think it's going to preem at cannes because i believe that's in may and i read the film is premiering in Italy where it got most of it's financing in april
Guy Lodge Ah, thanks. (Though of course I know that Cannes is in May.)
March 19, 2012 at 5:16PM ESTBillyboy Indeed, they're having a world premiere at Rome on April 20th. So I guess Woody will skip Cannes this time. (Or maybe not)
March 19, 2012 at 7:00PM ESTParrill
March 19, 2012 at 6:34PM EST Reply to CommentI feel dumb for this...but I don't get the references for either title. Can someone please educate me?
Guy Lodge "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" -- a saying used to describe those who shirk responsibility and concern themselves with trivialities in a time of crisis. It originates from the legend of Nero playing a musical instrument and looking on during the burning of Rome (which he may have caused, but that's by the by). Ever seen Quo Vadis, perhaps?
March 19, 2012 at 7:54PM ESTAs for The Decameron, it'd be more helpful to look it up, but the short answer is that it's a major work of medieval literature, comparable to The Canterbury Tales. (Pasolini's film adaptation is kind of a landmark in itself.) 'Bop' is obviously a jazz reference, though I don't know what Allen was going for with that link.
Parrill Not seen Quo Vadis but I am vaguely familiar with the Nero Quote. Just when I thought I knew everything.
March 19, 2012 at 8:08PM ESTThe Dude I didn't understand the reference in Nero Fiddled neither, which proves either the point of the studio about it being obscure to foreign audiences, my ignorance, or, most likely, both.
March 19, 2012 at 8:47PM ESTalynch
March 19, 2012 at 6:42PM EST Reply to CommentI've been keeping track of this film a bit. It's supposedly a four-part anthology film, two segments in Italian and two in English. One of the Italian sections stars Benigni and the other Cruz. Of the English sections, one stars Baldwin, Eisenberg, Page, and Gerwig, and the other stars Allen & Davis as a couple whose daughter (Alison Pill) gets engaged to an Italian fella.
Billyboy
March 19, 2012 at 7:06PM EST Reply to CommentAwful title. I hope the film itself will overcome such a generic-mall-type title.
The Bop Decameron was my favorite. It felt like Fellini in New Orleans. This new title feels like a Nicholas Sparks movie.
Only the prospect of Judy Davis coming back for a Woody Allen film is what keeps me excited.
instan
March 19, 2012 at 11:27PM EST Reply to CommentAbsolutely can't wait to see this. I must say, however, that I quite liked "Bop Decameron" as the title. "Nero Fiddled" was good too.
Is it, in fact, "To Rome with Love" or the less sense making "The Rome with Love" as it says on IMDb.
Jake G!!!
March 20, 2012 at 12:38AM EST Reply to CommentI hope this ones a failure, just because there is going to me so many other great films this year that will deserve a BP nomination over a small Woody Allen comedy! Don't kill me Woody Allen fans!
Prettok Does it have to be a failure? Cant it be 'just ok'? Only one Woody film has been nominated for best picture in the past quarter century.
March 20, 2012 at 1:23AM EST/3rt Jake G: You place too much value in Best Picture.
March 20, 2012 at 4:08AM EST
March 20, 2012 at 5:01AM ESTFrank Lee What other great films are you anticipating this year? It looks like relatively few of the top directors (Von Trier, Scorcese, Spielberg, et al.) are releasing movies this year, unless I missed something.
March 20, 2012 at 8:53AM ESTAcademy Award winning child actor Vincent Winter Woody Allen, P.T. Anderson, Coen Brothers, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, David Cronenberg, Terrence Malick, Quentin Tarantino, Alfonso Cuaron all have movies coming out in 2012. Sadly, all (with the exception of maybe Lincoln) will be great and therefore are not "eligible" to win Best Director/Best Picture at the Oscars. Not really. We'll get yet another 1-hit-wonder winning. The best year for director was in 2003, when everyone suspected Rob Marshall (who had won the DGA) would win for his breakout film. But he didn't. He lost to a true talent, for a great film: Roman Polanski, The Pianist. It may appear to be an "honorary" award of sorts, after him losing for Tess and Chinatown, and not even grabbing a nod for Rosemary's Baby, but it most certainly was not. It was his best film as director. Period. Chinatown was great, but that was all about the performances from Nicholson, Dunaway and John Huston, and the dense original screenplay
March 20, 2012 at 10:05AM ESTLaHaine @"Academy Award winning child actor Vincent Winter". "No Country for Oldmen" win for best pic. and director was an excelent choice in the past decade (There will be blood would've been an equally gd substitute), and so was Return of the King.
March 20, 2012 at 11:09AM ESTGlennAU How bizarre to hope for a film to be a failure. I truly can't conceive of people hoping a film of this sort failing. Transformer 8? Sure. A Woody Allen movie? Really?
March 20, 2012 at 11:58PM ESTAcademy Award winning child actor Jon Whiteley
March 20, 2012 at 9:51AM EST Reply to CommentI, for one, have never heard specifically of the phrase "Nero Fiddled" --- and I live in the states. Of course, "fiddled" is humorous sexual innuendo, but nonetheless...this seemed headed right into "scoop" territory...nowhere.
"To Rome with Love" is such a lush, lovely title and an ode to cinema of old. Perfect title for the great Woody Allen.
Academy Award winning child actor Jon Whiteley
March 20, 2012 at 9:54AM EST Reply to CommentBTW...imdb titles the film "The Rome with Love"
Guy Lodge IMDb is wrong.
March 20, 2012 at 1:25PM ESTdaveylo
March 20, 2012 at 7:48PM EST Reply to CommentI hate this new title. So generic. Sounds like a movie from the '50s or '60s, like Rome Adventure.
/3rt From Russia With Love—classic movie, classic title.
March 20, 2012 at 9:03PM ESTRichardA
March 20, 2012 at 8:59PM EST Reply to CommentWhat does "ups sticks" mean?
GlennAU It means to move from place to another, basically.
March 20, 2012 at 11:59PM ESTGuy Lodge Wow, so much querying/discussion of phrases in this thread. Is "ups sticks" not familiar in the US?
March 21, 2012 at 6:15AM ESTPaul Outlaw I knew what it meant, but I had to think a second. Sounds like Variety headline phraseology,
March 21, 2012 at 2:49PM ESTGuy Lodge Writing for them has infected me!
March 21, 2012 at 2:52PM ESTGlennAU I find it amusing that in a piece about a film title being changed because it's perhaps not universally recognised, you used a phrase that apparently isn't universally know.
March 23, 2012 at 1:58AM ESTJLPatt No, "ups sticks" is not commonly used in the US.
March 24, 2012 at 1:28AM ESTPaul Outlaw
March 21, 2012 at 2:50PM EST Reply to CommentSomething about this cast doesn't click for me...and it's not just Benigni.
Augusta Reply to comment...
March 21, 2012 at 11:49PM EST