dmkujat

..just watched "Forget Paris" and "French Kiss" in the last week...both funny and the scenes of Paris did much to remind me of my trip there in April and excite me about my trip back this December!

MFNYC

James bond movies frequently have some nice travelogues.

There's was a good one of rome with robert downey jr (i can't remember the name), and recently, Lost in Translation for Japan.

MFNYC

I think the robert downey one was 'only you' that bookchick mentioned. We rented it before I took my kids to Italy.

Michel_Paris

For south of france:
My Father's Glory (Gloire de Mon Père)and My Mother's Castle (Le chateau de ma mère)are great for Provence. Also like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for Côte D'Azur

ben_haines_london

It is interesting to see how views differ between Americans and Britons, or at least this Briton. My favourite city is my own, London. In these notes, I have not seen Déjà Vu, Sliding Doors, Bridget Jones, or Jack the Ripper. The two London films listed here that I have seen I do not like, as they show stereotypes. Films of the Christmas Carol make it a jolly romp, and the book is part of a long action by marketing managers to get Christian doctrine taken out of Christmas. Michael Caine is not old enough at heart nor dark enough of soul to play Scrooge. Notting Hill misrepresents the area, which does have young fogies, but has also inventive young people, and exemplifies quite well the change of London into a world city.

Enough of this condemnation: let me become constructive. My favourite films from London come from two periods. Hue and Cry, with Alistair Sim, made about 1948, pictures the city of my childhood, with the acres of bombed buildings, and the final arrest at Blackfriars. The people in it are indeed old-style English, but this comes to them as routinely as breathing. Nobody told any star there to adopt a persona in order to please the box office. My Favourite Laundrette, made about 1990, gives lead roles to two homosexual young men, Indian by family but London by nature, who relish the new style of our metropolis. Both my choices are from famous schools of comedy, the Ealing Comedies postwar, and the Asian family comedies nowadays. Intended blockbusters apart, there is not a lot of money for film making, and we Londoners are indeed lucky that great numbers of Americans support London Asian family comedies, as once they supported Ealing. So despite our differences, thank you.

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theregoesminerva

Don't laugh, but I could relate to the woman in Stealing Beauty - not the young girl but the wife of the artist.

She looks like me and I was amazed at the beautiful house and scenery so I decided to go to Italy and add Tuscany to my trip. I want that villa!!

jmw44

I'm not familiar with "Stealing Beauty", Minerva? Thanks, J.

SiobhanP

Ben I think it's My Beautiful Laundrette? Good film. Maybe the title changes for American rental. I haven't seen it in years.

cigalechanta

Siobhan, that's the correct title here should anyone want to rent it.
Ben, I think I've seen almost every Sim's films from the Inspector calls series to St Trinian.
The sound track of Stealing beauty is a favorite of mine.
For Venice, I chose The Comfort of Strangers, though it's a bizarre tale.

jmw44

So, C', maybe you can tell me a bit about "Stealing Beauty"? Thanks, J.

aimela

Love all things Italy. Agree with all the movies mentioned about Italy. 2 not mentioned...
Talented Mr. Ripley: Venice, Rome, Procida (just watched the original French version "Purple Noon", scenery was much better in the American Version. Actually the French version did not have much scenery)
Up at the Villa: Tuscany, Florence
BTW, Stealing Beauty: directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, with Liv Tyler & Jeremy Irons. A young girl looking for her biological father goes to Tuscany farmhouse where her recently deceased mother's friends reside and where her first kiss was. Did I summarize that ok?

jmw44

Thanks, A! Is it a British film or an Italian film?

cigalechanta

After her mother commits suicide, Liv Tyler goes to Italy back to the villa she visited 4 years ago to have her pictur painted and renew a romance with a young Italian. She brings her mother's diary, suspecting she was conceived there and want to know who her father is maybe the dying Englishman(Jeremy Irons) Other notables in the cast are Joseph Fiennes Sinaed Cusacvk and surprise! Jean Marais.
My favorite tracks on the soundtrack :
Sam Philips, I need Love,
Billie Holiday, I'll Be Seeing You,
Cocteau Twins, Alice,
Nina Simone, My lady just cares for me,
and Stevie Wonder, Superstition.

aimela

jmw44, not sure if it was Italian, British, or American production. But it was released here. Disappeared fast from the theaters. It is available on video and DVD here in the states. You can also catch it sometimes on IFC.

cigalechanta

It's Italian with an international cast.

jmw44

Thank you all very much! I watched "Girl With Pearl Earring" a second time last night. It is such a beautiful film, but as I mentioned earlier, I don't know if it qualifies as a travel image of Delft. Later, J.

Bellbird

Got to admit that I loved Stealing Beauty too - for the scenery and the music too, more than the plotline. If you have a penchant for things Italian, it's worth seeing.

JennieH

"Only You" - Venice, Rome, Tuscany and Positano. It is the best film for a sick day!

JennieH

I almost forgot ... "French Kiss".

Louiseee

Thanks for the thread. I'm making note of a lot of movies to see. But, unless I read too quickly, I don't see any for Berlin. I'm just back from Berlin, loved every moment and want to go back today, so had been thinking about what movies I could rent. I'm going to try Billy Wilder's "One, Two, Three," but if anyone else has Berlin film suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.