Sophia Loren Archives - Prêt-à-Porter (1994)

FOREIGN TITLES & RELEASE DATES

USA (Los Angeles) - December 14, 1994 - Ready-to-Wear - 133'
France (Paris) -

March 1, 1995 - Prêt-à-Porter
UK (London) - March 3, 1995 - Pret-a-Porter - 133'

Spain

- March 24, 1995 - Pret-a-Porter -

West Germany -

March 30, 1995 - Prêt-à-Porter - 133'

Italy - July 1995 - Prêt-à-Porter


French poster	British poster	British DVD	American poster

PLOT

In Paris, preparations for an important fashion show to introduce prêt-à-porter (ready to wear) articles of clothing are proceeding feverishly.
A tragic event takes place, however, causing a great stir among insiders: the president of the National Chamber has been assassinated.
The police intervene and begin to conduct their investigations, contacting everyone who saw the deceased a few days prior to his death. Friends, his wife, rivals in the field, assistants, photographers - they are all suspects. But the fashion show must take precedence over everything else: several editors of important fashion magazines do everything in their power to obtain the work of the world’s most famous photographer, in short, the show must go on. Amidst jealousies and betrayals, everything takes place as though scripted, while the police discover that it was ail merely a commonplace accident. (Enrico Lancia)
Story and screenplay: Robert Altman.

FILMING LOCATIONS

Paris (France)
Moscow (Russia)
(USA)

Filming dates: March - April
Shooting begins at the Christian Lacroix show in Paris on March 6, 1994

MAIN CAST

Marcello Mastroianni (Sergei/Sergio)
Sophia Loren (Isabelle de la Fontaine)
Jean-Pierre Cassel (Olivier de la Fontaine)
Kim Basinger (Kitty Potter, television journalist)
Michel Blanc (police inspector Forget)
Julia Roberts (Anne Eisenho)

CREDITS

Photography (Technicolor):
Pierre Mignot, Jean Lepine
Music:
Michel Legrand
Still photographer:
Jean-Claude Deutsche
Costumes:
Catherine Leterrier
Sophias's dresses:
Gian Franco Ferré
Sophia's Hats:
Jean Barthet
Still Photographers:
Anne Marie Fox, Jean-Claude Deutsch, Etienne George
Production:
Robert Altman for Miramax Films (New York)

NOTES

Sophia is dressed by Dior's Gian Franco Ferré, who says she is "a woman any designer would love dressing", and wears large parody picture hats designed by her long-time friend Jean Barthet.

The film features a remake of the famous striptease from Ieri, oggi, domani with Marcello Mastroianni falling asleep instead of Sophia backing off.

The film brings Sophia a nomination for a Golden Globe award as best supporting actress.

QUOTES AND REVIEWS

"In a certain sense, Ready to Wear was also an amused homage to the Sophia of today: queen of the fashion shows, inevitable patroness at the presentations of new collections by Armani and his colleagues. An emblem of the entertainment society."
Stefano Masi, Sophia.

"In this gallery of portraits, Altman set aside a special place for Marcello and Sophia: a cameo of a couple in which the two actors explicitly re-enacted one fo the most unforgettable pieces of the history of Italian cinema: the striptease from the episdoe Mara in Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."
Stefano Masi, Sophia.

"Loren and Mastroianni, rerunning the striptease scene from Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1964), find a kind of elegiac tone that reminded me of a magical moment from Fellini's final film, Intervista, where Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg remembered their great fountain scene from La Dolce Vita."
Roger Ebert, Sun-Times, 25 dec 2004

"And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, any modern movie that gives Sophia Loren a substantial role already has a few points in its favor... Loren, by the way, who is now 60, comes off as sexier than any of her younger co-stars."
Chris Hicks, Deseret News, 23 dec 2004