Turns out we're all a bunch of dopes. At least that's what Woody Allen seems to think. The legendary director has changed the title of his next film, his first to be shot in Rome, from Bop Decameron to the equally non-sensical Nero Fiddled. Why? Because nobody knew what the frig a Decameron was, and why it needed to be Bopped.
That's not totally true. I know what the Decameron was, which is a bunch of baudy stories written by 14th century author, Giovanni Boccaccio. That seemed to dovetail at least a little bit with the plot of Allen's film, which will consist of four totally separate vignettes. Two of those to feature American actors set in Rome, the other two featuring Italian actors. Turns out, the Decameron has zilch to do with it, or at least that's what Allen says...
Allen: “I couldn’t believe how few people had heard of the Decameron, even in Rome,” And the few that did assumed the movie was based on Boccaccio’s tales, which it’s not. Anyhow, I changed the title to ‘Nero Fiddled,’ which is the first time I’ve changed a title since my last minute switch of ‘Anhedonia’ to ‘Annie Hall.’”
But seriously. Nero Fiddled? Nero was the famous Roman emperor who was rumored to have "fiddled while Rome burned". How that has anything to do with Allen's film is beyond me. It's possible the story will center on those who do nothing while their relationships crumble? Just a guess.
No word on when Nero Fiddled will hit theaters, but Allen has assembled a massive international cast. Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, Alison Pill, Antonio Albanese, Fabio Armiliata, Alessandra Mastronardi, Ornella Muti, Flavio Parenti and Alessandro Tiberi will all snag some screen time. Allen is expected to appear as well, his first time in front of the camera since Scoop in 2006. [Variety]
