by Susan King
There's a legend surrounding Rome's Trevi Fountain -- toss a coin into the water and you're ensured another visit to the Eternal City. Movie producers must have been throwing coins into the Trevi for years because Hollywood keeps returning to Rome to shoot comedies and dramas dealing with love and romance.
The new Disney romantic comedy "When in Rome," starring Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, is just the latest film to use the Eternal City as its backdrop. In fact, there have been so many films set in Rome that there are two others with the same name: 1952's "When in Rome" is a quirky buddy film about a young priest (Van Johnson) visiting Rome who befriends a con man (Paul Douglas); and 2002's made-for-video comedy stars Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen as twins who find love and adventure while in a summer intern program.
Here's a look at a few Hollywood films set in Roma:
"Roman Holiday": This 1953 classic is sheer perfection. In her first starring role, Audrey Hepburn plays a bored European princess on a tour who escapes from her guardians in Rome and travels around the city incognito until a handsome American reporter ( Gregory Peck) recognizes her. The two end up falling in love. Hepburn received a best actress Oscar for her endearing performance. William Wyler directed. "Roman Holiday" was the first American production to be shot entirely in Rome.
"Three Coins in the Fountain": Disney's "When in Rome" is actually a very loose remake of this 1954 Academy Award best picture nominee. This glossy romance revolves around three American women -- Dorothy McGuire, Jean Peters and Maggie McNamara -- employed at the American embassy who try to find love in Rome. Of course, they hope throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain will help them find their one and only. Louis Jourdan, Rossano Brazzi and Clifton Webb are the men they snag. The title tune, performed in the film by Frank Sinatra, won the best song Oscar.
"The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone": Based on Tennessee Williams' novel, this melodrama revolves around an aging actress ( Vivien Leigh) whose husband suffers a fatal attack on the plane on their way to Rome for a holiday. She decides to stay in Rome and rents a luxurious apartment. She is befriended by a shady countess ( Lotte Lenya) who introduces the widow to a handsome young Italian gigolo ( Warren Beatty). Being a Williams tale, it's safe to say their love is not here to stay.
"Indiscretion of an American Wife": Love is also a battlefield in this flawed but compelling 1954 drama that was filmed in the actual Stazione Termini in Rome. Jennifer Jones plays a married American woman who is trying to end her tumultuous relationship with her Italian lover ( Montgomery Clift). The film was produced by Jones' husband David O. Selznick and directed by Italian neorealist master Vittorio De Sica, who spoke no English at the time.
"Seven Hills of Rome": The penultimate acting role of 1950s singing sensation Mario Lanza, this 1958 musical romance finds the beefy actor playing an Italian American TV star with a jet-setting fiancée (Peggie Castle) who travels to Rome to find her. Lanza performs the hit "Arrivederci Roma" and "Questo o Quella" from "Rigoletto."
"Rome Adventure": Delmar Daves directed this 1962 potboiler starring Suzanne Pleshette as a New England school librarian who finds herself in hot water when she gives a student a restricted book on love. She quits her job and moves to Rome where she gets a job in a bookstore. She finds digs in a boarding house where she becomes enchanted with an American architectural student ( Troy Donahue). When the student's wealthy girlfriend ( Angie Dickinson) moves back to the states, the two begin to date. Rossano Brazzi plays the sophisticated Italian who wants to teach the librarian the ways of love. The film features the 1961 hit song, "Al di là." Two years later, Pleshette and Donahue were briefly married.
"Gidget Goes to Rome": Even the surfing "girl midget" finds love in the Eternal City in this featherweight 1963 romantic comedy. Cindy Carol plays the 17-year-old Gidget who persuades her parents to allow her to go to Rome with a group of friends, including her steady Moondoggie (James Darren), as well as a dotty chaperon. But it doesn't take long for a beautiful Italian guide to make a play for Moondoggie.
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Bellisima, Roma! Wish I could go there as well...
Hollywood's romance with Rome
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Activists host Mandela movie premiere
by Leanne McGrath
The premiere of blockbuster movie Invictus is being hosted by community activist group Imagine Bermuda on Friday.
The film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, is the true story of how Nelson Mandela and the captain of South Africa's rugby squad, Francois Pienaar, tried to unite the racially divided country through sport for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship.
Imagine Bermuda say the challenges faced resonate with Bermuda.
The premiere - at the Liberty Theatre at 7:15pm Friday - is a fundraiser for the work of Imagine Bermuda.
More than 100 patrons will attend, including Governor Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and Charles Gosling, Mayor of Hamilton. Special guests include Eugene Woods, a member of the Progressive Group.
Tickets to the premiere are $20 from Liberty Theatre.
Invictus movie premiere
--
At long last! A movie about Nelson Mandela! And it's directed by Clint Eastwood! Can't wait to see this!
The premiere of blockbuster movie Invictus is being hosted by community activist group Imagine Bermuda on Friday.
The film, directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon, is the true story of how Nelson Mandela and the captain of South Africa's rugby squad, Francois Pienaar, tried to unite the racially divided country through sport for the 1995 Rugby World Cup Championship.
Imagine Bermuda say the challenges faced resonate with Bermuda.
The premiere - at the Liberty Theatre at 7:15pm Friday - is a fundraiser for the work of Imagine Bermuda.
More than 100 patrons will attend, including Governor Sir Richard Gozney, Premier Dr. Ewart Brown and Charles Gosling, Mayor of Hamilton. Special guests include Eugene Woods, a member of the Progressive Group.
Tickets to the premiere are $20 from Liberty Theatre.
Invictus movie premiere
--
At long last! A movie about Nelson Mandela! And it's directed by Clint Eastwood! Can't wait to see this!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hollywood's got a smash hit
by Janet Whitman
Hollywood racked up a record-breaking year at the box office last year with domestic ticket sales topping US$10-billion for the first time.
This year is off to a raging start as box office behemoth Avatar is set to sail past Titanic as the highest-grossing movie of all time and the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington opens this weekend.
But that doesn't mean investing in movie stocks now will turn out to be a blockbuster bet. Investors thinking of dabbling in the sector might do best if they consider themes, such as the surging popularity of 3-D.
"Individual investors are always going to find it a challenge to make money around movie studios," said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in New York.
"It's a hit-driven business. Movies, in general, tend not to be profitable. It's a really difficult space to make money."
Movie studios, most of which are housed as small subsidiaries within giant media and entertainment corporations, already have made most of their domestic box-office profits on last year's US$10-billion slate, including Avatar. And predicting which studios will turn out to have the next smash hits with moviegoers is total guesswork.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the media and entertainment conglomerate behind Avatar, has received a nice boost to its bottom line recently from that movie's outsized performance, but the gain is already largely reflected in its stock price. After a pop, the shares have slipped over the past week as investors take profits after the Avatar effect.
Also, movies as big as Avatar are few and far between and another hit of that magnitude this year -- from any studio--is unlikely.
Wall Street analysts said such companies as News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, and Time Warner, parent of Warner Bros, could see some further upside in their stocks because of strong performances this year from their movie studios.
But the near impossibility of predicting what movies might be hits or misses and the many other variables at play in the stocks of such large companies mean there probably are better places within the movie business for stock investors to consider putting their money.
Particularly appealing are companies with big exposure to 3-D, a technology that has seen its popularity turbocharged by the success of Avatar.
Wall Street analysts particularly like movie studios such as Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and the companies that actually show movies, including Cinemark Holdings Inc., Regal Entertainment Group and Imax Corp.
Disney had a disastrous 2009 in the movie business.
That means the company's stock could have good upside potential this year, especially because of a shift in emphasis to 3D, with expected hits including Alice In Wonderland and Toystory 3 in its lineup.
"Disney has made 3-D a priority," said Mr. Bank of RBC, who has a "buy" rating on the company's stock. "It could potentially enable [the company] to gain market share at the box office."
RBC has a 52-week target of US$31 a share for Disney, which traded on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday at US$30.60, down US42¢ for the day.
Other analysts think the stock could hit US$35 this year.
Analysts also like Dreamworks, which has eagerly anticipated 3D movies How To Train Your Dragon and a third Shrek coming to theatres this year -- for the same reason.
"So far, they are the only studio committed to making all of their films this year in 3-D," said Tuna Amobi, media and entertainment analyst with Standard & Poor's in New York.
"[Dreamworks CEO] Jeffrey Katzenberg's strategy raised concerns initially, but what Avatar has done is draw a lot of attention to this new technology."
Around 70% of the hit science fiction film's domestic ticket sales were at theatres showing it in 3-D, added Mr. Amobi, who rates Dreamworks' stock a buy.
He has a target of US$45 a share on the stock. It traded yesterday at US$40.30 on the Nasdaq, down about US60¢.
Beyond being hot with moviegoers, 3-D also has huge appeal in the movie business because ticket prices are higher, so the revenue per ticket is increasing.
That's a nice boon for movie-theatre companies, which analysts said might be the best place for investors looking to capitalize on a hot Hollywood box office.
"Theatres are different from studios because they're pretty stable and generate steady cash flow every year," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co. in Rye, N.Y. "The business sometimes has swings, but nothing like the swings at a particular movie studio.... If the dollar falls, the company's profit will increase."
Mr. Harriss pegs Regal's worth at US$18 a share and Cinemark at US$19 a share. Their stocks closed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange at US$14.78 and US$14.97 respectively.
Regal has rebounded about 48% from the March 2009 stock market lows but remains off its recent highs around US$22 in 2007. Cinemark has rallied 113% from the lows but is below its 2007 highs around US$19.50.
Another of his top picks is Toronto-based Imax, which he also rates a "buy."
"Their business model changed recently to joint ventures, so now they're getting a cut of the box office," he said.
"They're all 3-D and because they have a great brand and offer a premium movie-going experience, they can cherry-pick the year's best movies."
Mr. Harriss believes Imax is worth US$18 a share. The stock slid US48¢ yesterday on the Nasdaq to US$12.91 a share and fell 39¢ to $13.30 in Toronto.
Avatar in 2009. What will it be in 2010?
--
Avatar will surely surpass Titanic's success. But with a lot of good movies set to release this year, it's still hard to guess which one will make it like Avatar. Who will scream "I'm the king of the world?"
Hollywood racked up a record-breaking year at the box office last year with domestic ticket sales topping US$10-billion for the first time.
This year is off to a raging start as box office behemoth Avatar is set to sail past Titanic as the highest-grossing movie of all time and the highly anticipated post-apocalyptic drama The Book of Eli starring Denzel Washington opens this weekend.
But that doesn't mean investing in movie stocks now will turn out to be a blockbuster bet. Investors thinking of dabbling in the sector might do best if they consider themes, such as the surging popularity of 3-D.
"Individual investors are always going to find it a challenge to make money around movie studios," said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets in New York.
"It's a hit-driven business. Movies, in general, tend not to be profitable. It's a really difficult space to make money."
Movie studios, most of which are housed as small subsidiaries within giant media and entertainment corporations, already have made most of their domestic box-office profits on last year's US$10-billion slate, including Avatar. And predicting which studios will turn out to have the next smash hits with moviegoers is total guesswork.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the media and entertainment conglomerate behind Avatar, has received a nice boost to its bottom line recently from that movie's outsized performance, but the gain is already largely reflected in its stock price. After a pop, the shares have slipped over the past week as investors take profits after the Avatar effect.
Also, movies as big as Avatar are few and far between and another hit of that magnitude this year -- from any studio--is unlikely.
Wall Street analysts said such companies as News Corp., which owns 20th Century Fox, and Time Warner, parent of Warner Bros, could see some further upside in their stocks because of strong performances this year from their movie studios.
But the near impossibility of predicting what movies might be hits or misses and the many other variables at play in the stocks of such large companies mean there probably are better places within the movie business for stock investors to consider putting their money.
Particularly appealing are companies with big exposure to 3-D, a technology that has seen its popularity turbocharged by the success of Avatar.
Wall Street analysts particularly like movie studios such as Walt Disney Co. and DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. and the companies that actually show movies, including Cinemark Holdings Inc., Regal Entertainment Group and Imax Corp.
Disney had a disastrous 2009 in the movie business.
That means the company's stock could have good upside potential this year, especially because of a shift in emphasis to 3D, with expected hits including Alice In Wonderland and Toystory 3 in its lineup.
"Disney has made 3-D a priority," said Mr. Bank of RBC, who has a "buy" rating on the company's stock. "It could potentially enable [the company] to gain market share at the box office."
RBC has a 52-week target of US$31 a share for Disney, which traded on the New York Stock Exchange yesterday at US$30.60, down US42¢ for the day.
Other analysts think the stock could hit US$35 this year.
Analysts also like Dreamworks, which has eagerly anticipated 3D movies How To Train Your Dragon and a third Shrek coming to theatres this year -- for the same reason.
"So far, they are the only studio committed to making all of their films this year in 3-D," said Tuna Amobi, media and entertainment analyst with Standard & Poor's in New York.
"[Dreamworks CEO] Jeffrey Katzenberg's strategy raised concerns initially, but what Avatar has done is draw a lot of attention to this new technology."
Around 70% of the hit science fiction film's domestic ticket sales were at theatres showing it in 3-D, added Mr. Amobi, who rates Dreamworks' stock a buy.
He has a target of US$45 a share on the stock. It traded yesterday at US$40.30 on the Nasdaq, down about US60¢.
Beyond being hot with moviegoers, 3-D also has huge appeal in the movie business because ticket prices are higher, so the revenue per ticket is increasing.
That's a nice boon for movie-theatre companies, which analysts said might be the best place for investors looking to capitalize on a hot Hollywood box office.
"Theatres are different from studios because they're pretty stable and generate steady cash flow every year," said Brett Harriss, an analyst with Gabelli & Co. in Rye, N.Y. "The business sometimes has swings, but nothing like the swings at a particular movie studio.... If the dollar falls, the company's profit will increase."
Mr. Harriss pegs Regal's worth at US$18 a share and Cinemark at US$19 a share. Their stocks closed yesterday on the New York Stock Exchange at US$14.78 and US$14.97 respectively.
Regal has rebounded about 48% from the March 2009 stock market lows but remains off its recent highs around US$22 in 2007. Cinemark has rallied 113% from the lows but is below its 2007 highs around US$19.50.
Another of his top picks is Toronto-based Imax, which he also rates a "buy."
"Their business model changed recently to joint ventures, so now they're getting a cut of the box office," he said.
"They're all 3-D and because they have a great brand and offer a premium movie-going experience, they can cherry-pick the year's best movies."
Mr. Harriss believes Imax is worth US$18 a share. The stock slid US48¢ yesterday on the Nasdaq to US$12.91 a share and fell 39¢ to $13.30 in Toronto.
Avatar in 2009. What will it be in 2010?
--
Avatar will surely surpass Titanic's success. But with a lot of good movies set to release this year, it's still hard to guess which one will make it like Avatar. Who will scream "I'm the king of the world?"
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Hollywood star George Clooney backs TV appeal after Haiti quake
by Bev Lyons
George Clooney is to host a telethon to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
The Ocean's 11 star will front the event - which will feature pleas for cash from US celebrities - on MTV on January 22.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already made donations, it has been reported, with a $1m pledge from their charitable foundation.
Haiti-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he was travelling to the stricken island and called on fans to donate money to his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
The former Fugees star has already raised more than $1m for the disaster relief effort.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin has asked for donations through Oxfam and the charity's global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson, also appealed for contributions.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation pledged $250,000 and Oprah Winfrey and Ben Stiller have both made appeals urging people to help with the stricken nation's recovery from disaster.
Hollywood Actors help Haiti
--
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie are always the first three people in Hollywood who lead in raising funds as needed. That's why they always get their blessings back.
George Clooney is to host a telethon to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake.
The Ocean's 11 star will front the event - which will feature pleas for cash from US celebrities - on MTV on January 22.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have already made donations, it has been reported, with a $1m pledge from their charitable foundation.
Haiti-born hip-hop star Wyclef Jean announced on Twitter on Wednesday that he was travelling to the stricken island and called on fans to donate money to his Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund.
The former Fugees star has already raised more than $1m for the disaster relief effort.
Coldplay singer Chris Martin has asked for donations through Oxfam and the charity's global ambassador, Scarlett Johansson, also appealed for contributions.
Champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong Foundation pledged $250,000 and Oprah Winfrey and Ben Stiller have both made appeals urging people to help with the stricken nation's recovery from disaster.
Hollywood Actors help Haiti
--
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie are always the first three people in Hollywood who lead in raising funds as needed. That's why they always get their blessings back.
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