There’s already plenty of eye-candy amongst the cast, but if anything, the scenery could be even more breathtaking with the majority of the film’s action taking place against the picturesque backdrop of Venice.

“When Angie and I first talked about it,” says van Donnersmarck, “we said, ‘Let's really make Venice a character. Let's have it be about Johnny's character, about her character, but also about Venice. Let's really shoot it there."

As a result, the film was almost entirely filmed on location in the city, with Von Donnersmarck for one, revelling in the chance to spend a good chunk of time in one of Europe’s most beautiful spots.

“Before we knew it, we were all in Venice and lived there for half a year in some of the most fantastic places along the Grand Canal,” he says. “I never set foot in a car or a truck for half a year!”

Alright for some, isn’t it? However, the director is certain the audience will benefit too, with the decision to shoot on location set to take things to a much higher level visually.

“I think that (the audience) will love just seeing a world where somehow everything is beautiful,” he says, “(but) not in a way that seems unrealistic. I hope people will feel transported into a world that is as beautiful as it could be…that's what I was aiming for.”