Cote d'Azur Style

A pair of unlikely star-crossed lovers (in the form of a psychic medium and world renowned illusionist) cross paths in the picturesque backdrop of the French Riviera in the 1920s in Woody Allen's latest film Magic in the Moonlight (Sony Pictures Classics). Actors Colin Firth and Emma Stone headline the iconic director's latest romantic comedy where exotic locales, period-perfect interiors and costumes always play a starring role.

Travel savvy viewers might recognize Cap d'Antibes' Villa Eilenroc and Villa Renardière where many of the scenes take place. Production designer Anne Seibel (who teamed with Allen on Midnight in Paris and To Rome with Love) and set decorator Jille Azis created the Art Deco inspired world of magic and romance that also included a Berlin theater and cabaret, jazz set and the occasional family estate by the sea.

Allen looked to his longtime collaborator Sonia Grande (Midnight in Paris and Vicky Cristina Barcelona) for the film's costume designs. The designer conducted an exhaustive research for original frocks from the period that spanned "collectors, auctioneers, fairs, markets and vintage shops in the U.S., Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Canada and France." Influenced by 20s French photographer Henri Lartigue and Edward Steichen, Grande also viewed documentaries of the rich at play in 1920s French Riviera for inspiration.

For more on the set and costume designs, see my pieces in The Hollywood Reporter and Architectural Digest.

Photo Credits: Anne Seibel and Sonia Grande (sketches), Jack English@2014 Gravier Productions, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Amore in the Eternal City

We have globe trotted with Woody Allen to London (Match Point and Scoop), Barcelona (Vicky Christina Barcelona) and the City of Lights (Midnight in Paris). Next up on the writer and director's film/travel schedule is To Rome With Love, a romantic comedy about the loves and adventures of an American architect, a retired opera director and his wife, a man mistaken for a celebrity and a young Italian couple in love.

Alec Baldwin and Jesse Eisenberg

The ensemble cast stars Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Jesse Eisenberg, Judy Davis, Ellen Page and Woody Allen. From the Trevi to the Trastevere, the film is a wonderful travelogue of one of the most alluring cities in the world. Shot entirely on location, Allen teams with French production designer Anne Seibel (who was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction on Midnight in Paris) who created the film's sets including a full production of the opera Pagliacci and a beautiful fashion show at the Ara Pacis museum. In a classic case of "when in Rome do as the Romans do," Seibel scouted the city on scooter, influenced by the Rome of Fellini and La Dolce Vita (she even watched Gidget Goes to Rome for inspiration). For more on the sets of To Rome With Love, see my article in Architectural Digest.

Allen giving instructions to his cast

To Rome With Love is currently playing in Los Angeles and New York and opens nationwide July 6th.

Photo Credits: Sony Classics