In 1989, Steven Spielberg filmed scenes in Venice for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Indiana Jones played by Harrison Ford pops up in the middle of San Marco Square in a high action episode. Indy and Elsa escape through the canals of Venice with a coded map to the Holy Grail chased by a secret order of guardians sworn to prevent the Grail from being discovered.
Period Piece Films
The highly acclaimed thriller Death in Venice (1971) is based on the novel by Tomas Mann and directed by Luchino Visconti. The movie won 4 BAFTA awards, Best European Film and received multiple other awards and nominations. The film reveals an eerier side of Venice. The story is filmed along the Lido and tells the story of a composer played by Dirk Bogarde, who is attracted to a teenage boy.
Dangerous Beauty (1998) is a biographical drama based on the non-fiction book The Honest Courtesan. Set in 16th century Renaissance Venice, it follows the life of Veronica Franco, one of the most famous of Venice’s cortigiane oneste. Celebrated in Venice for bringing France to Venice’s aid in the war with Turkey, Veronica Franco, played by Catherine McCormack, later became the focus of an Inquisition by the Church for witchcraft. In those days, The Rialto Bridge was the setting where prostitutes plied their trade. The movie was remarkable for presenting the story from a distinctively female perspective.
The Wings of the Dove is another highly acclaimed film adapted from a Henry James novel. Wings of the Dove is a period romance about a chronically ill American heiress Milly. Milly (Allison Elliot) travels to Venice and becomes entangled in an unusual love triangle. Helena Bonham Carter (Kate Croy) is the impoverished woman who takes the chance to have the privileged life she craves and the lover (Linus Roache) she cannot live without.
Also see: ICFF Toronto: A Brief History of Contemporary Italian Cinema Part 1 and Part 2
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