Although the director wanted to evoke France in this Italian version of the story, the film was filmed almost entirely in locations in central and northern Italy.
Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) is a young thief who lives a life of subterfuge and by some miracle manages to escape his fate with the gallows by escaping the prison of Aguillon, a fortified village ruled by a wicked bishop, through its sewer system. The fortress he escapes from is the Sforza Fortress of Soncino, in the province of Cremona. The entrance to and courtyard of Aguillon are actually those of Torrechiara Castle near Parma. Some scenes, like the opening scene showing the hanging of some prisoners, and the procession led by the Bishop, were filmed in the Medieval village of Castell’Arquato in the province of Piacenza, in Visconti Castle and Piazza del Municipio respectively.
During his escape, Philippe stops off at an inn where, in a show of bravado, he regales everyone with the epic story of his escape from the Bishop’s prison. It’s just a shame that the guards are waiting for him. He is assisted in his escape by Etienne Navarre (Rutger Hauer), the former captain of the guards of Aguillon, who goes on to save him on several occasions. During one of these he grabs him as he’s galloping along on the back of his black horse around the ruins of the aqueduct of Monterano (Canale Monterano, Rome).
After hearing his sad story, Philippe decides to help Etienne, and decides to accompany him on his way.
Thus begins a journey that leads the pair across woods, frozen lakes and villages. Etienne fishes for trout with his crossbow in the small Lake Antorno in the Dolomites, and more specifically, along Via Piana in the municipality of Auronzo di Cadore (BL), between Lake Misurina and the Three Peaks of Lavaredo.
One night, Philippe, Imperius and Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer) try to stop Etienne, who has turned into a wolf as he does every night, from completing his mission: we’re in the snowy mountains of the Giau Pass, in San Vito di Cadore (BL).
When the hawk is injured in Campo Imperatore (AQ), Etienne orders Philippe to take him to Imperius, a monk who lives as a hermit in Calascio Castle, the towers of which were given spectacular crowns for the film. The Castle, which is close to the plain of Campo Imperatore, looks out over the Tirino Valley and the Navelli Plateau.
The church we often see the Bishop in and where the closing scene takes place, largely reconstructed at Cinecittà studios, is St. Peter’s Basilica in Tuscania, an Etruscan town in the province of Viterbo.
Although the director wanted to evoke France in this Italian version of the story, the film was filmed almost entirely in locations in central and northern Italy.
Philippe Gaston (Matthew Broderick) is a young thief who lives a life of subterfuge and by some miracle manages to escape his fate with the gallows by escaping the prison of Aguillon, a fortified village ruled by a wicked bishop, through its sewer system. The fortress he escapes from is the Sforza Fortress of Soncino, in the province of Cremona. The entrance to and courtyard of Aguillon are actually those of Torrechiara Castle near Parma. Some scenes, like the opening scene showing the hanging of some prisoners, and the procession led by the Bishop, were filmed in the Medieval village of Castell’Arquato in the province of Piacenza, in Visconti Castle and Piazza del Municipio respectively.
During his escape, Philippe stops off at an inn where, in a show of bravado, he regales everyone with the epic story of his escape from the Bishop’s prison. It’s just a shame that the guards are waiting for him. He is assisted in his escape by Etienne Navarre (Rutger Hauer), the former captain of the guards of Aguillon, who goes on to save him on several occasions. During one of these he grabs him as he’s galloping along on the back of his black horse around the ruins of the aqueduct of Monterano (Canale Monterano, Rome).
After hearing his sad story, Philippe decides to help Etienne, and decides to accompany him on his way.
Thus begins a journey that leads the pair across woods, frozen lakes and villages. Etienne fishes for trout with his crossbow in the small Lake Antorno in the Dolomites, and more specifically, along Via Piana in the municipality of Auronzo di Cadore (BL), between Lake Misurina and the Three Peaks of Lavaredo.
One night, Philippe, Imperius and Isabeau (Michelle Pfeiffer) try to stop Etienne, who has turned into a wolf as he does every night, from completing his mission: we’re in the snowy mountains of the Giau Pass, in San Vito di Cadore (BL).
When the hawk is injured in Campo Imperatore (AQ), Etienne orders Philippe to take him to Imperius, a monk who lives as a hermit in Calascio Castle, the towers of which were given spectacular crowns for the film. The Castle, which is close to the plain of Campo Imperatore, looks out over the Tirino Valley and the Navelli Plateau.
The church we often see the Bishop in and where the closing scene takes place, largely reconstructed at Cinecittà studios, is St. Peter’s Basilica in Tuscania, an Etruscan town in the province of Viterbo.
Copyright: Warner Bros
Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer – St. Peter’s Basilica, Tuscania (VT)
Copyright: Warner Bros
Matthew Broderick
Copyright: Warner Bros
Michelle Pfeiffer – Rocca Calascio (AQ)
Copyright: Warner Bros
Matthew Broderick
Copyright: Warner Bros
Rutger Hauer, Matthew Broderick
20th Century Fox, Warner Bros
In Medieval times, the romance between Etienne and Isabeau is opposed by the wicked lord of the fortified village of Aguillon, who puts a curse on them. The boy is doomed to turn into a wolf every night, while the girl transforms into a hawk by day. The pair will be reunited when the curse lifts, or rather when it is ‘neither day, nor night’.
