Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen, 2008)

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Dylan · #1 Post by **Dylan** » Thu Aug 02, 2007 9:29 am

Woody Allen began filming his latest project Midnight in Barcelona mid July and the six week shoot will wrap late August.

From the first day of shooting:

Vague reports reveal that it tells the story of a painter engaging in affairs with two American tourists and how, among other things, this affects his ex-girlfriend. The cast includes Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Penelope Cruz, Kevin Dunn, Chris Massina, Patricia Clarkson and Javier Cámara.

Woody Allen on the project:

I hope I can present Barcelona to the world as I see it, the same way I presented Manhattan to the world as I saw it with my eyes. I want to write a love letter to Barcelona and from Barcelona to the world.

The cinematographer this time around is Javier Aguirresarobe, who also shot Talk to Her, The Sea Inside, Obaba, The Others, Goya's Ghosts and many others.

Expect a winter 2008 release.

Dylan · #2 Post by **Dylan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 3:51 am

The official title has been announced: Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Interesting. By the way, the Vicky of the title is played by Rebecca Hall and Cristina by Scarlett Johansson.

Lino · #3 Post by **Lino** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 5:20 pm

I love Woody as much as the next guy but that title is also as stupid as it gets. What was wrong with Midnight in Barcelona in the first place?

Noir of the Night · Mon Oct 29, 2007 7:04 pm

Yeah, I don't really understand this. If Woody's interested in evoking the magic of Barcelona, then Midnight in Barcelona is a great title for such a project. A title like Vicky Cristina Barcelona, on the other hand, just makes me think of Napoleon Dynamite, even though it isn't meant to be a name. Still.

John Cope · #5 Post by **John Cope** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:29 pm

Do we have any idea whether this is a version of Woody's proposed Barcelona movie he was supposed to make a couple years ago with Michelle Williams or is this something wholly new?

#6 Post by **domino harvey** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:46 pm

John Cope wrote:Do we have any idea whether this is a version of Woody's proposed Barcelona movie he was supposed to make a couple years ago with Michelle Williams or is this something wholly new?

the Michelle Williams thing is about tourists in Paris, I think this is something different.

Highway 61 · #7 Post by **Highway 61** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:01 pm

It just gets harder and harder to be a Woody Allen fan. What an awful title!

Belmondo · #8 Post by **Belmondo** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 5:29 pm

Highway 61 wrote:It just gets harder and harder to be a Woody Allen fan. What an awful title!

Still trying desperately to hang in as a Woody fan. Maybe it is a nudge for Whit Stillman to get back behind the camera. Woody can get Scarlett and Whit can get Kate Beckinsale and the gals from his "Barcelona", and we can return to the halcyon days of two directors who know how to portray their female characters..

starmanof51 · #9 Post by **starmanof51** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 6:16 pm

Highway 61 wrote:It just gets harder and harder to be a Woody Allen fan. What an awful title!

Quick Woody! Release this movie before this gets as bad as a thread on DVD cover art!

Dylan · #10 Post by **Dylan** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 10:16 pm

Still trying desperately to hang in as a Woody fan. Maybe it is a nudge for Whit Stillman to get back behind the camera.

I've only seen "Metropolitan," which I enjoyed, but it reminded me a lot more of John Hughes (but better and funnier) than Woody Allen. I don't think it deserved its Oscar nomination, though.

As for hanging on as a Woody Allen fan, I seriously don't have that problem, and it's my opinion that (save for the 1977-1980 period from "Annie Hall" to "Stardust Memories"...in my eyes that's four of the greatest films ever made in a row and definitely the director's "prime") Woody's as great as he ever was, and I believe the single greatest blessing of modern cinema culture is the fact that we still have him as a working director.

I agree that the title Vicky Cristina Barcelona is odd, but I also think the juxtaposition is kind of interesting, and from what little we know it sounds like it might end up being one of his greatest films.

Highway 61 · #11 Post by **Highway 61** » Tue Oct 30, 2007 11:28 pm

starmanof51 wrote:Quick Woody! Release this movie before this gets as bad as a thread on DVD cover art!

I realize it's petty. But if you read the new Woody book by Eric Lax, Woody makes it clear that an American studio won't even give him 15 million to make a movie at this point. European financing is all he has now, and I'd hate to see him squander that goodwill by giving the otherwise commercial-sounding Barcelona movie an unorthodox title.

Dylan · #12 Post by **Dylan** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 3:58 am

A new synopsis, courtesy of WildBunch.biz:

Vicky and Cristina, two young American girls, go to spend the summer in Barcelona. Vicky (Rebecca Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) is a free-spirit and very sexually adventurous.

They meet a flamboyant, Spanish artist (Javier Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Penelope Cruz). They all become involved in romantic adventures that are either hilarious or harrowing, depending on your point of view. Barcelona is seen as a very beautiful, romantic city like New York was in the movie, MANHATTAN.

And here you can view four stills from the film.

#13 Post by **Jeff** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 4:05 am

Dylan wrote:A new synopsis, courtesy of WildBunch.biz:

...(Scarlett Johansson) is a free-spirit and very sexually adventurous...

Sold!

Antoine Doinel · #14 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 5:19 pm

Woody Allen and Spain are no longer BFF.

devlinnn · #15 Post by **devlinnn** » Fri Nov 30, 2007 12:18 am

Two weeks in another town...

Dylan · #16 Post by **Dylan** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:01 am

From MTV Movies blog:

[quote]Bardem Readies for Woody
by Larry Carroll

When you think Woody Allen, actors like Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts and Mia Farrow are the names that most immediately come to mind. But these days, the king of all New York filmmakers has been busy injecting his usual recipe with some spicy Spanish flavoring.

â€œâ€˜Vicky Cristina Barcelona,'â€

Antoine Doinel · #17 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:13 am

Spielberg keeps his films secret? Really?

Fielding · #18 Post by **Fielding** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:09 am

I believe that Scarlett's sexual adventurousness in Vicky Cristina leads to a bit of bi action between her and Penelope Cruz. If that's the case, then I have a feeling this film is going to be quite successful...

As for Woody not shooting any more films in Spain, that's no big deal. he's got two more films lined up with them, one to be shot in San Francisco, the other in an as yet undisclosed European country (probably Italy).

Dylan · #19 Post by **Dylan** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:01 am

Weinstein Co. Picks Up Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Source: The Weinstein Company
January 30, 2008

The Weinstein Company has acquired North American distribution rights to Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona starring Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men, Before Night Falls), Patricia Clarkson (The Station Agent, Goodnight, And Good Luck.), Penelope Cruz (Volver, Blow), Kevin Dunn (Transformers), Rebecca Hall (The Prestige), Scarlett Johansson (Match Point, The Nanny Diaries) and Chris Messina (You've Got Mail). Written and directed by Woody Allen, the feature was produced by longtime Allen collaborators' Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Gareth Wiley as well as Jaume Roures (La Torre de Suso, Salvador). The announcement was made today by Harvey Weinstein, a co-chairman of The Weinstein Company.

Just as New York City was the backdrop in Woody Allen's Manhattan, the stunning city of Barcelona is the setting for the romantic adventures of Vicky and Cristina. These two young Americans spend a summer in Spain and meet a flamboyant artist (Bardem) and his beautiful but insane ex-wife (Cruz). Vicky (Hall) is straight-laced and about to be married. Cristina (Johansson) is a sexually adventurous free spirit. When they all become amorously entangled, the results are both hilarious and harrowing.

Harvey Weinstein stated, "'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' is a funny, sexy and smart film, where once again, Woody is at the top of his game. Through the years, my brother and I have formed an incredible relationship with Woody and Letty and we are so pleased to be working on our sixth film together."

Woody Allen stated, "This is now my sixth project with the Weinsteins and I value the relationship we have created through the years. They have always done a wonderful job with my movies and are supportive in every way. 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' is a film I am very proud of and the Weinstein distributing touch will be a huge asset to it's release."

The film is currently in post-production and will be released in 2008.

Bob and Harvey Weinstein distributed several of Allen's films during their tenure at Miramax Films including Everyone Says I Love You, Mighty Aphrodite, Bullets Over Broadway, and Celebrity, and The Weinstein Company is currently distributing Cassandra’s Dream.

As always for a new Woody Allen film, I'm incredibly excited, but this also sounds like it will be one of his very, very best films.

Antoine Doinel · #20 Post by **Antoine Doinel** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:08 am

The Weinstein's have picked up the theatrical (and I presume DVD) rights. Here's hoping they actually put this film into more than two hundred theaters.

devlinnn · #21 Post by **devlinnn** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:13 am

The plot line is straight out of Frasier.

Fielding · #22 Post by **Fielding** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 12:46 am

So the Weinsteins are distributing VCB? So that's why they picked up Cassandra's Dream - because they wanted this one all along.

sevenarts · #23 Post by **sevenarts** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:36 am

I'm way more excited for this than I was for Cassandra's Dream - this sounds like it could be a great one.

Plus:

#24 Post by **domino harvey** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:37 am

Wow Javier cleans up nice

chaddoli · #25 Post by **chaddoli** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 3:59 am

Shouldn't Woody be pissed they dumped (the excellent) Cassandra's Dream? He probably just doesn't care anymore.

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Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Woody Allen, 2008)