Whit Stillman’s Metropolitandrew on his own experiences going to debutante balls and hobnobbing with
wealthy socialites. His second film, Barcelona,
similarly drew on his own life, this time mining the time he spent living
abroad. Ted and Fred Boynton are cousins who share Ted’s apartment for a short
time when Fred turns up unexpectedly as part of a Navy advance man ahead of the
arrival of the Sixth Fleet’s shore leave. Ted works for an American company out
of their Barcelona office. Fred is a brash outspoken American who vehemently
defends the United States’ honor against the frequent verbal abuse levied by
Spanish locals. Ted is a bit more reserved, though no less a patriot, and
versed in some of the subtleties of Spanish culture.
