How suite it is: Stars, crew of Italy’s ‘A Five Star Life’ lived life of luxury
The Italian drama “A Five Star Life” offers a grand tour of grand hotels as backdrop to its portrait of a “secret guest,” who scrutinizes service at luxury lodgings to determine their ratings. How did the filmmakers get permission to invade elite spots like Fonteverde Tuscan Resort & Spa, Paris’ Hôtel de Crillon, Gstaad Palace and Shanghai’s Puli Hotel & Spa with camera crews and actors?
Producer Donatella Botti says she gained access by partnering with Leading Hotels of the World. Founded in 1928, the organization has more than 400 members around the globe.
“The script was handed to LHW senior VP Claudia Kozma, who loved it,” Botti says. “We met in Monte Carlo and started collaborating. She talked to the hotels and secured their availability.”
Margherita Buy was cast in the role of meticulous hotel critic Irene, but the actress brought her own baggage to the production.
“(She) is versatile and nuanced,” Botti says. “The only problem we had is that she’s very afraid of flying. Originally, the story included more exotic locations, such as India, but we didn’t go there because of Margherita.”
“A Five Star Life,” which opened Friday, included one major perk for cast and crew: They often got to stay in the fancy hotels they were filming. Botti’s favorite? “The Palais Namaskar in Marrakech, Morocco, is the most beautiful hotel I ever saw,” she says. “I’ve never experienced something like that.”
Beyond the lush locations, Botti sparked to the project because of the unusual female protagonist created by screenplay writer
Francesca Marciano.
“I liked the idea of putting on the big screen this very peculiar job of hotel inspector, who’s kind of a spy, a modern Mata Hari. She’s a single woman with no kids, but because of her work she’s happy with her life. That kind of woman is not portrayed very often in movies, at least in Italy.”