Rome, the city of dreams, hopes, love and expectations… and some disappointments. As part of Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau Movie connoisseurs, To Rome with Love will be screened on 29 July 2012 and hosted by one of South Africa’s most respected film commentators Barry Ronge. Refreshments will be available for guests at 17h00 and screening commences at 17h30.
Barry Ronge says, – “Woody Allen is 77 years-old, and for the last few years he has stayed off the screen, allowing his wonderful cast to make the magic happen. His earlier films were all about the island of Manhattan and the odd personalities who live in New York. In 2005 he made ‘Match-Point’, with Scarlett Johansson in a thriller that played out in England. His next venture from the US was to Spain, where the stunning ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’(2008) in which Javier Bardem seduced Scarlett Johansson, Penelope Cruz and Rebecca Hall. It was as if the world had opened for him and he went back to the UK with ‘You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger’ (2010) and then in 2011 Allen created one of his masterpiece movies, up there with ‘Annie Hall’ (1977), ‘Manhattan’ (1977) and ‘Scenes from a Mall’ (1991) . Now at age 77, he has returned to Europe, to the city of Rome, to make a deft, funny and also poignant story about a whole bunch of Americans of various ages and classes, all of whom fall under the spell of the ‘Eternal City’. It’s a collection of various stories and some US critics have likened it to a modern version of Boccaccio’s ‘The Decameron’, a classic consisting of ten tales of love, sex, power and innocence, exploring the passions of men and women. The ‘Decameron’ was written in 1353, but the stories have never been lost. There are twenty characters, ranging from major stars like Penelope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Judy Davis and Italian comedian Roberto Benigni, to a much younger Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page and Alison Pill. Darius Khondji, the cinematographer, does glorious things with his camera and he makes Rome, with its churches, palazzos, fountains and piazzas glowing with mature beauty. It’s a witty collection of romantic vignettes, some flaming with passion, and others that that are delicate and poignant. It is one of Woody Allen’s lightest works, almost flippant at one point but in a flash, it can become something richly sentimental. Don’t go looking for another “Annie Hall” or a “Midnight in Paris”. Just enjoy the trip, the fine acting and the edgy comedy. “
Join Barry Ronge for the screening of To Rome With Love a story of romance and adventure. This movie will be screened on Sunday, July 29, at Cinema Nouveau, Rosebank Mall. Refreshments will be available from 17h00, the screening starts at 17h30.
