Tag: popular movies

Popular movies make for terrific elements to enhance literary adventures and I use them often on The Diary of an Improvateur.

I’m always carousing the new releases of popular movies as fodder for my writing but to be honest, I seem to default back to the historical dramas that are so delicious to watch. Case in point is The Age of Innocence, based upon the novel by Edith Wharton. It was one of my favorites even before I became a member of The National Arts Club and found out that one of the early scenes in the film was filmed in the club, Daniel Day Lewis walking up the stairs to the ball that was getting underway.

The landmarked building that brought authenticity to the story is the Samuel Tilden Mansion, named for its former owner—the 25th Governor of New York. He acquired the house in 1863 and purchased the adjacent home several years later, hiring Calvert Vaux, one of the designers of Central Park, to undertake a wholesale renovation of both brownstones, which were originally built during the 1840s. The building is a popular location for directors when they are shooting period film, like Martin Scorsese who chose the Club for several scenes in The Age of Innocence. I love stories like this and am thrilled to be able to share them in my posts.