Behind the Scenes in Moviemaking

The 'Domes of Rome' documentary is no box office smash hit (yet) but that didn't stop my motley crew of after-hour party people including Tom, Lupo, Carl, Daniel, Cesar, Maria, Linda, Maxwell, Carola, Mannel and Todd from acting like it was. With copius amounts of limoncello we gave ourselves a congradulatory send-off from moviemaking mayhem.

The next day Lupo (the fresh Italian kissing my forehead) offered up a quick tour past places in Rome that filmed features like The Passion of Christ, Gangs of New York, the HBO series Rome and even my favorite off-beat Wes Anderson film - The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Other greats shot in this city include Ben Hur, Roman Holiday, The English Patient and the Pink Panther. In fact, one of our own as well as my housemate for 3 weeks, still photographer Ms. Linda was born into showbiz with a father who helped direct Ben Hur. She spoke fabulous Italian and offered up a night tour of the great Trevi fountain, a old ancient aqueduct where I threw 3 coins in and made a wish for good luck.

Speaking of which 'Three Coins in the Fountain', the 1954 film, about three American girls looking for romance in Rome is a gem of sappiness worthy of seeing again. Nearly every small cafe shop proudly displays a poster of Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita and it's clear that Audrey Hepburn is still the most beloved actress to grace a piazza.

The motion-picture world loves Rome and it's no surprise why. The elegance and modern sophistication of this city combined with two thousand years of continuing history makes for limitless possibilities. Amidst the chaos of Rome I actually discovered several places where love at first sight can flourish -like in the case of the 'Yesterday Today and Tomorrow' movie when Sofia Loren is adored from a nearby terrace. Ahhhhhh, so sweet.