Toronto Becomes Poland for the Historical Romance The Poet

Over the years, Toronto has become the faux façade for many films. So many, in fact, that I'm surprised there isn't a cheesy guided tour of the filmed locales, a la L.A.'s death tours, star homes and the like. Nevertheless, many Torontonians play the "Spot the neighborhoods of Toronto" game. Some are obvious. The Dan forth became the windy city for My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Patrick Bateman ran around the financial district in American Psycho. Roy Thomson Hall hosted a political conference in X-Men.

But The Poet is going to do all of them one better. The film, which just began shooting, is a period piece set in occupied Poland during World War II. Damien Lee is directing the feature, which is adapted from a story by Jack Crystal. You might be familiar with Lee's work on such cinematic powerhouses as Baby on Board or Ski School, or maybe Corey Haim's Watchers, which Lee co-wrote with Bill Freed.

The Poet is a bit different. It's a romance about a German officer who falls in love with the Polish daughter of a rabbi, who is set to wed a doting, Orthodox Jewish man. Ah, the classic story of the lure between bad passion and boring sweetness. The theme might be over-done, but the cast looks promising. The leads are less well-known -- prolific bit-part actor Jonathan Scarfe is the German officer, and Nina Dobrev of Sarah Polley's Away From Heris the young woman. However, the supporting cast makes things a touch more intriguing – Daryl Hannah, Colm Feore and Roy Scheider.