d’Or Frames

As the southern French resort of Cannes gears up for its world-famous film festival (14–25 May), we pay homage to past winners of its coveted Palme d’Or, with a guide to the locations used in the films. And, guess what? You can get to all of them with Ryanair!

LA DOLCE VITA

Location: Rome
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg
Won: 1960
See: The fountain where cinematic sexuality was redefined.
Federico Fellini’s monochrome masterwork follows a week in the life of Marcello Rubini (Mastroianni), a jaded gossip columnist caught between the thrills of tabloid journalism and the desire to write serious works. His world-weary eyes record the decadence of Italy’s booming post-war economy, as he flits between his suicidal mistress and amorous moviestars in a sleek convertible. The film was shot mainly at Rome’s sprawling studio complex, Cinecittà, which, unfortunately, does not permit public tours. But, the site of the film’s defining image, the Trevi Fountain, is in all the tourist guides. True fans should also visit Palazzo Giustiniani Odescalchi in Bassano Romano, 45 minutes north of the capital, where the movie’s closing feast scenes were shot.

THE PIANIST

Location: Warsaw
Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann
Won: 2002
See: The district in Warsaw where the pre-war buildings still stand.
It’s odd to think that much of this movie, which tells the true story of Jewish pianist and holocaust survivor, Wladyslaw Szpilman, was actually shot in Germany. Locations include Studio Babelsberg, just outside Berlin, a derelict military barracks in Jüterbog, and an old hospital in Belitz, near the Polish border. But, film buffs visiting Warsaw should take in the Praga district of the city. Although it’s a rough area, wartime buildings still stand in this neighbourhood on the east bank of the Vistula, allowing director, Roman Polanski, to recreate the war-torn capital for the film’s concluding scenes.

THE LEOPARD

Location: Sicily
Director: Luchino Visconti
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon
Won: 1963
See: Rolling hills and splendid estates.
Ciminna, a small agricultural town 30 miles southeast of Palermo, was the main location for this epic, which charts the decline of a 19th-century aristocrat. Check out Piazza Donnafugata for the exterior of the prince’s palace, while in Palermo itself, see Palazzo Valguarnera-Gangi (Piazza Croce dei Vespri), where the ballroom scene was shot. You can also pop into Café Mazzara (15 Via Generale Magliocco), the place favoured by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, on whose book the film is based.

BLOW-UP

Location: London
Director: Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave
Won: 1967
See: The park that Antonioni had painted green.
In this portrait of swinging London, the set for fashion photographer Thomas’s studio was a genuine workspace. Scenes were staged at a site used by Vogue snapper John Cowan (49 Princes Place, Holland Park), with exterior images framed just around the corner, on Pottery Lane. Yet the action jumps to the other side of town, when Thomas shoots a sinister liaison in Maryon Park, Woolwich. It’s pretty easy to get to either place, but don’t expect them to have remained unchanged. Holland Park is now more home to wealthy bankers than bright young artists, and Maryon Park looks slightly less verdant in real life, as Antonioni insisted the grass be painted green, to suit the look of his movie!

THE THIRD MAN

Location: Vienna
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten.
Won: 1949
See: The creepy cobbled streets, after dark.
For a great cinematic spot, head for the Ferris wheel, or Riesenrad, in Vienna’s Prater amusement park. In the movie, it’s where US paperback writer Holly Martins first speaks with his ellusive friend, the post-war black marketer, Harry Lime (Welles). You can also visit the exterior of Lime’s apartment (5 Josefsplatz), and the Zentralfriedhof (graveyard on Simmeringer Hauptstrasse), which appears at the beginning and end of the film. And there are plenty of other gloomy Viennese streets to strike film noir poses in, too. If you have the stomach for it, a number of tour companies even offer visits to the city’s sewers, where the film’s final chase climaxes (www.viennawalks.com).