Ah it's wonderful being European! We're all surrounded by bucolic countryside one minute then romantic boulevards the next...or at least that's what Hollywood seems to think. Either that or it's a shadowy place where unsuspecting American tourists could fall foul of something rather nasty! This week sees not one, not two but three Hollywood films are set for release that have made the trip across the Atlantic! You can take a whirlwind trip from Italian romance in When In Rome, high octane action in From Paris With Love and our own fair land in Leap Year.
This week we count down five of our favourite films in which Hollywood does Europe!
1. Roman Holiday
William Wyler's classic 1953 Roman romance is the ultimate postcard from the Eternal City. Audrey Hepburn stars as a royal princess who tires of the hubbub of celebrity life and decides to ditch her royal duties and experience Rome on her own. Along the way she meets a roguish American reporter played by Gregory Peck and they engage in rom-com hijinks against the beautiful backdrop of Rome. If you don't have the money for a weekend away this is the next best thing. Bellissimo!
2. An American In Paris
An American In Paris doesn't really have much going for it in terms of plot...but it's one of those films where it almost doesn't matter! The film stars the incomparable Gene Kelly as a struggling American artist trying to make a name for himself in Paris but this is really just a set-up from which to hang some of the most exuberant dance routines ever committed to celluloid. Scored by George Gershwin, the score includes such classics as I Got Rhythm, S'Wonderful and Embraceable You.
3. The Quiet Man
The Quiet Man has gotten an awful lot of stick from Irish critics over the years. Yes, it may not be the most realistic look at life in rural Ireland but sometimes realism is a bit over-rated don't you think? John Ford's cheery 1952 romantic comedy feels like a holiday into a past that may not have actually existed but we sort of wish did. John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara are enchating in this little bit of Irish fantasy.
4. Vicky Cristina Barcelona
The quintessential New Yorker, Woody Allen has been on an extended European holiday for the last few years with varying levels of success (we're still trying to forget Match Point...). Oddly enough the sun drenched city of Barcelona seemed to suit the notorious fusspot quite well and this tale of American girls abroad was a return to form for Allen. This was of course in no small part down to the fiery performances from Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
5. Mamma Mia!
AKA the most star studded amateur dramatic production ever made! Mamma Mia! Brings the music of the Scandanavian group ABBA and the biggest stars in Hollywood and tranfers them to sunny Greece to make exhibitions of themselves. The whole thing is the closest thing you can get to the movie equivalent of a sun holiday - bright, breezy with the occasional ill advised go on the karaoke.