Romantic Film Locations Blog

copyright Universal Studios

I’m loving the costumes and soft color palette of Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.  You can see more photos here.

This Daily Mail article talks about Antony House in Cornwall providing the setting for some Alice in Wonderland scenes.  Also mentioned - the new Robin Hood.  Read the story here.

Mr. Darcy’s Pemberley in Pride & Prejudice (1995) was actually Lyme Park.

If you like Romantic Film Locations as much as I do, you may be interested in Brit Movie Tours, a new bus tour company launching in London, this February. The tours are divided up into themes like Romantic, Harry Potter, Spy, etc… and visit locations featured in movies like Bridget Jones’s Diary, HP, Notting Hill and the James Bond films.

You can find out more about the company at http://britmovietours.com.

All photos copyright Miramax.

Who doesn’t love the movie Finding Neverland? It’s so great, right? And not just because of Johnny Depp and his “och look at the wee bairn” Scottish accent. I loved all of the pretty locations filmed around Richmond, Surrey and the elegant sets, especially the interior of the Llewelyn Davies house. So I thought I would pull a few shots for you as a glorious example of Edwardian England décor. Kate Winslet’s bedroom is rather shabby chic – don’t you love it!

And I just have to throw in a shot of Mrs. Barrie’s room for those awesome curtains (and that sweater!).

Photos copyright BBC Films

So I was just lamenting the lack of good romantic comedies (New In Town?) and suddenly I remembered my copy of Imagine Me & You. Not quite your average boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy get’s girl back… it’s more boy meets girl, girl meets girl… but all done in a very posh Primrose Hill (London) kind of way.

The photography and lighting is absolutely gorgeous and if you are starting to lament the heat of summer (as I am, hello 100 degrees this weekend), it will bathe you in the crisp cool air of a fantasy Autumn. I’ve included some captures for your viewing pleasure!

Luce’s adorable flower shop. Notice her retro delivery truck.

Rachel & Heck’s romantic lantern filled wedding. Lanterns and twinkle lights AND candles!

Rachel and Heck’s messy modern flat. Who can afford these places? Sadly not I.

I’m love love loving Julia’s Movie Mondays from Hooked On Houses: http://hookedonhouses.net/houses-onscreen/

The Gone With The Wind page is seriously fun.

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

It may be that the main reason to see the new film Young Victoria, about the early years of Queen Victoria and her romance with Prince Albert, will be the stunning locations. The glorious Ham House fills in for the interiors of Kensington Palace in the film and judging from the photos below, the actors will have a hard time upstaging their surroundings.

In fact, little about Ham House needed to be altered in order to make it fit in with the Regency period. According to Jorge Ferreira, Visitor Services Manager at Ham House, “The rooms and spaces within the property were barely touched, which is testimony to the grandeur of Ham House. Props aided some scenes, but the majority was shot in situ.”

Ferreira also talks about what it was like to have a film crew take over the National Trust property. “The cast and crew were with us for a just under a month in 2007, and returned for a few days last year. They enjoyed their time at Ham and were everywhere - from the gardens to the Great Hall. These two areas as well as the Long Gallery and Great Stairs were used at scenes in the movie.”

Ham House was originally built in 1610 for Sir Thomas Vavasour, but was greatly remodeled and decorated by William Murry in the years after he became owner in 1626. Murray was literally the “whipping boy” for young Charles I, taking punishments for the prince, and the two grew up together. They both shared a fondness for art and architecture.

Ham House is on the south bank of the Thames between Richmond and Kingston. It’s also a popular wedding locale with receptions taking place in a 17th Century orangerie.

Courtesy of Momentum Pictures

The Long Gallery. ©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel

The Great Stairs. ©NTPL/Bill Batten

©NTPL/Andreas von Einsiedel

©NTPL/Bill Batten

Alfonso Cuaron is an award winning Mexican director who helmed one of my favorite movies – A Little Princess – and is responsible for other cinematic delights such as Great Expectations with Gwyneth and the third Potter film (and in my opinion the finest). Not to mention Y Tu Mama Tambien!

Cuaron is well known for his use of the color green in his films, partly because the color green can be lit with either warm or cool undertones. In A Little Princess, he blends different shades of green to color everything from costumes to buildings giving the whole film a lush, fairytale-like palette. Every so often the green gets broken up by a bold color like burnt orange or lemon yellow similar to the way Jean-Pierre Jeunet used red to break up his greenish tinged fable Amelie (another of my favorites – maybe I like green films?)

Since A Little Princess was not a romantic film per se (although one could argue that the presence of handsome Irish actor Liam Cunningham does get the heart beating a bit faster), I won’t be profiling it on this site. But as it is one of my favorite films I will tell you that it was shot mostly on Hollywood sets with a foray into India for some establishing shots.

The screenplay was adapted by Richard LaGravenese who has written a slew of brilliant scripts including The Ref, The Fisher King, and Living Out Loud (with Holly Hunter).  I wouldn’t say that A Little Princess had a brilliant script but it works because ultimately it’s a childrens film

The great Patrick Doyle scored the film (soundtrack available at Amazon) with my favorite tracks being those influenced by baroque composer Michael Hyden especially in the WWI sequences. For more on Patrick Doyle visit this nicely put together fan site.