I saw this new film yesterday, I'm a Cole Porter fan, and have truly mixed feelings about it. There were moments when I thought it was absolutely dreadful, so bad they must have been joking, and yet at other times it was quite moving. I thought the songs were pretty much butchered, with one or two exceptions.

Anyway, there were a few scenes set in Venice, since the Porters at one time lived in the Ca'Rezzonico. Does anyone know if the scenes were shot on location?--I thought they must be, but at times, perhaps it was the photography, they looked a little soundstagey to me.

I'm also a Cole Porter fan and have been waiting for this film with baited breath. Your review is less than glowing :'(

Press releases indicate there were location shots done in Venice but whether they used Ca' Rezzonica I don't know.

There were several reviews I have read and unfortunatly few liked the film except for Keven Kline's performance.
There's been critisizm on the way his lovely songs were interpreted.

I want to see this film as well as Before Sunset As soon as I can walk.
We're also having A french film festival here.

Thanks all,

I have been wondering if I should spend the money to see this movie.

I'll just replay "Kiss me Kate".

I was waiting to hear how this movie was liked too! Too bad ~
Cigale, I wish I could go to the French movies with you! Feel better!

Altoids have been shown to diminish the lingering effects of "baited breath syndrome".

What a shame- I was hoping De-Lovely would be a good one. Is Before Sunset a sequel to Before Sunrise- that was a really charming little film. I'd almost be afraid to see a follow-up.

Thank you for the kind advice, Nimrod
:-"

Cigale I saw the coming attractions of Before Sunset There were some very pretty views of Paris. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Yes Nina, it looks like a sequel done by the same director
http://wip.warnerbros.com/beforesunset/

Oh, I was wanting to see it this weekend. So, you're saying that De-Lovely isn't de-lightful?

It had some good moments (especially Kevin Kline's performance) and I'm not really regretful I saw it, but overall, it's De Pits

I've seen it recently too.I wouldn't get excited but still interesting to see.Certainly a little more realistic than Cary Grant's version I would think!
The costumes are scrumptious and his wife looks great but that's about it really.Don't bait your breath any longer Mclaurie!

Well I finally saw this film last night and loved it. Okay, I <i>liked</i> it a lot. Yes it's less than perfect and yes they &quot;butcher&quot; a few numbers (one in particular where they seemed to take a minor key and make a major, but I can't remember which one). Kevin Kline sings a lot of the songs and he's no singer (but neither was Porter). I can't understand the choice of Alanis Morissette but...different strokes...

The scenes in Venice are divine (if they're not shot on location I'd be stunned). The movie certainly captures that time. If you like Cole Porter music, if you enjoy watching the &quot;high life&quot; with beautiful homes, clothes, scenery, you should find something to like in this movie.

De-Lovely was just WONDERFUL !!!! The scenes in Venice must have been done on a set. Nothing was mentioned about Venice in the credits. Saw Before Sunset the next day. In comparison it was very lacklustre.

mclaurie - Glad to see that someone else liked this film. I enjoyed Kevin Kline's performance and as you said, no one ever said Cole Porter could sing. I thought the costumes, and scenery were great and a good indication of the time. I also did not agree with the way they did all the songs but I had listened to an interview with the director, Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd where they admitted they took some liberty with the songs to fit them into the movie. Don't know if they should have taken those liberties but all in all I enjoyed the movie also.

I&quot;m glad to read the comments by others, as I said, I have mixed feelings about the film. Interesting comments about Kevin Kline's singing in this film. I always admire his acting, but I've heard him sing better. In fact, he appeared in a couple of musicals on Broadway, and won a Tony award for each of them. I guess the committee liked his singing better back then!

Ah, but McLaurie and others, Kevin Kline IS a singer. His impersonation of Cole Porter who was NOT a singer was flawless! People who didn't get the fact that he was deliberately not singing his best miss the major point of it all. The idea was that Cole Porter was not a singer and the lyrics were the most important part of his songs -- made really clear by the most natural way Kevin Kline almost &quot;said&quot; the words with slips in the pitch -- thanks to Cole Porter's extremely narrow range -- a fact made clear in the movie. Have you ever heard recordings of Cole Porter singing his own songs? This was VERY much like it. Yea, the movie has some problems, not the least of which was the bursting into &quot;Blow Gabriel Blow&quot; with the cast coming out near the end, with Jonathon Pryce who I guess was essentially Gabriel. Too much!!
I feared the worst with pop singers doing many of the songs. But other than one, (I bet it was the same one, McLaurie) I felt they were done very much in period and in style. I was particularly impressed with the one by Elvis Costello -- who passed as a true 30's band singer.

I really enjoyed the movie.
Now about the sets. Yes, I thought too that when they were getting out of gondolas, it often seemed a little &quot;soundstagey&quot;. But I suspect that much of it was done on location.

I thought the Venice scenes looked like a soundstage too. There is a Luxembourg soundstage that doubles for Venice. They modified it to represent Delft for Girl with a Pearl Earring.

The movie credits of Delovely say it was shot in London, Bedfordshire and Venice. The Venice interiors were shot in an English manor. I'd be curious to know exactly where the canal scenes were shot in Venice.

I wouldn't recommend the film. I think it would make a much better broadway play and could star Kevin Kline who I think is a much better stage actor than dramatic film actor. I think he is an excellent film comedian however. His makeup in DeLovely was completely awesome. Ms. Judd was a dud. ; ))))

If the musical film had any possiblity of new life w/films like Moulin Rouge and Chicago, DeLovely suffocates it.

kakalena

Patrick, you took the words right out of my mouth. He was a composer not a singer and he (the character) even said that when asked to sing.

On a personal note, I think it is very romantic when a man who can't sing sings love songs to me.

I liked the movie very much, there were some wonderful lines in it, example, when Linda Porter says something like ?we always demand a lot of each other? when asked if she would care for him after the accident.

The costumes are beautiful and so is Naomi Judd. I would have loved to have seen Venice with people dressed as they were in the movies, how elegant it must have been, sigh.

My favorite was when they loaded into a gondola to leave. Behind the couple was another gondola with about 2 dozen big suitcases. Can you imagine when people traveled that way?