Back on March 12, French distributor Mars Distribution tweeted that Woody Allen’s once titled new film Nero Fiddled would now go by To Rome With Love. I didn’t report on it because I thought it may only be getting the new name in foreign territories and remain Nero Fiddled here in the States where Sony Pictures Classics is distributing on June 22. Well, I was half-right.
The film will be going by To Rome with Love not only in foreign territories but worldwide as I received a press release earlier today saying the name was selected because “the film’s former title, Nero Fiddled, while an appropriate and humorous phrase in the U.S., is not a familiar expression overseas and many international territories preferred a more globally understood name.”
Nero Fiddled was a shortened version of the phrase “Nero fiddled while Rome burned” referring to when the Roman emperor Nero is said to have played music while his city burned around him. Essentially it stands to mean that someone ineffectually carried out their duties, thus the consequences surrounding them.
Before Nero Fiddled, Allen’s new film carried a title to reflect the story, which is said to be some sort of adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio‘s 1350 “The Decameron” — Bop Decameron. I personally have not read the 100 tales that comprise the tome, but “Decameron” is said to be a combination of two Greek words translating to “ten-day event” and the book is described by Wikipedia as “bawdy tales of love” ranging “from the erotic to the tragic. Tales of wit, practical jokes, and life lessons contribute to the mosaic.” Sounds about right for an Allen feature.
Prior to those two titles it was also known as The Wrong Picture at one point, which is to say we are now working on the film’s fourth title and it is probably its simplest yet, and most audience friendly. Can’t say I blame them, though the previous two titles certainly do inspire far more curiosity.
Now take those items into consideration when you read the following plot synopsis:
To Rome with Love is a story about a number of people in Italy — some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors — and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into.
Starring in the film are Allen himself along with Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig and Ellen Page and it is said to consist of four vignettes. One will apparently feature a husband (Allen) and his wife (Davis) traveling to Rome, and meeting the family of the Italian man that their daughter is going to marry. As for the others, I don’t know…
That said, along with the image above, here are ten more images from the film courtesy of ComingSoon.it. At this point I’m hoping it will play at the Cannes Film Festival, because as with all of Allen’s films… I can’t wait to see it.
