Woody Allen built a Manhattan saloon in a "Bronx garage" for the ‘Café Society’ set.
The 80-year-old American director has revealed he worked "inexpensively" on the romantic film, which stars Blake Lively, Corey Stoll and Steve Carrell, although he has revealed "not one inch" of the set is real and he had to construct a duplicate of the old El Morocco club for their set.
Speaking to the New York Post, he said: "I work inexpensively. I could’ve saved money, which I could’ve then put into the movie itself. For instance, Cleveland or North Carolina’s cheaper, but you work where the project dictates. Out of town’s intrusive. They mob you. In this town, they’re sophisticated. They just walk past. Only New York has New York flavour.
"A problem here was no hangout nightclubs to use. Riviera, Toots Shor’s, all gone. I investigated every spot possible.
"We had to build an upstairs-downstairs classic Manhattan saloon, with a striped background like the old El Morocco, in a Bronx garage. You’ll be amazed. We built a glamorous, big-time club from empty space. Not one inch of it is real."
Although the Hollywood star has admitted he knows all the hotspots around New York, the cities restrictions proved problematic whilst filming.
He explained: "I know the city, the spots. But its rules frustrate. Some areas you can’t film for a long period. Forced to leave scenes unfinished, you then have to double back again later.
Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg also star in the movie, which recently opened the Cannes Film Festival.
According to the official description, "The film tells the story of a young man who arrives in Hollywood during the 1930s hoping to work in the film industry, falls in love, and finds himself swept up in the vibrant café society that defined the spirit of the age."
Woody Allen built a Manhattan saloon in a ‘Bronx garage’ for Café Society
