Harvey Nichols has unveiled a tongue-in-cheek campaign which sees the U.K. retailer take the best of Italy for its “Britalia” promotion, leaving the Italians empty-handed

The campaign’s centerpiece film–directed by Gary Freedman via Indy8 for agency adam&eveDDB, London–features a famous dramatic scene from a Luigi Pirandello play (As You Desire Me), where an Italian couple, Salter and the Unknown Woman, are engaging in a passionate debate in Italian. Harvey Nichols has humorously re-subtitled the English subtitles to suggest that the couple are cursing Harvey Nichols for taking the best of their fashion (Valentino dresses and Versace underwear), beauty (Armani lipsticks) and food (artisan pasta), leaving them with nothing to wear or to eat at Christmas. The original footage shows the couple breaking up, but the cleverly placed re-subtitles depict the characters looking to seek revenge on “Harvey Nichols” who are “thieving rats.” The English subtitles bear no relation to what it is actually being said. 

Harvey Nichols is celebrating Italy this winter, as consumer research conducted by the retailer has shown that Italian products are the items that their customers look to for gifting at Christmas. Sales of Italian wines, foods such as Panettone and luxurious olive oils, leather goods and accessories from Italian fashion brands, sky rocket at this time of year.

Credits

Client Harvey Nichols Agency adam&eveDDB, London Ben Priest, chief creative officer; Ben Tollett, Richard Brim, executive creative directors; Matt Fitch, art director; Mark Lewis, copywriter; Paul Knowles, head of design; Kreepa Laxman, Louis Cubbon, producers. Production Indy8 Gary Freedman, director; Manfredo Archinto, DP; Jani Guest, exec producer; Jason Kemp, producer. Editorial The Playroom Adam Spivey, editor. Postproduction/VFX MPC Mark Stannard, VFX supervisor; Amy Richardson, post producer; Jean-Clement Soret, colorist. Audio Post 750mph Sam Ashwell, Jake Ashwell Music Soundtrack and composer: Largo Al Factotum by Rossini Jeff Meegan (BMI)/Julian Gallant (PRS)/David Tobin (PRS/BMI)

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