Paris For Film Buffs: On the couch and on the street

A great way to prepare for a trip to Paris, or just to get your Paris fix, is to watch some movies. Approximately 10 movie crews are filming in location in Paris every day, so there is no shortage of films set in the City of Light, including the classic An American in Paris, the historical Jefferson in Paris, French New Wave A Bout de Souffle (Breathless), for Julie Delpy fans, Before Sunset and 2 Days in Paris, and for yet another American in Paris, Le Divorce.

It’s hard to resist Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, especially for students of Americans in Paris in the 1920s.  Fluffy and clichéd, it fits perfectly into the American dream of Paris.  I particularly recommend watching Paris je t’aime, less dessert and more food for thought, although with its share of wackiness.  The film is a series of five-minute vignettes about love set in 18 Paris neighborhoods, each filmed by a different director.

For more films set in Paris, see French film critic Agnès Poirier’s list of 10 of the best movies  filmed in Paris: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jun/03/top-10-films-on-paris .

   

Capitalizing on the enthusiasm for Paris and the movies, the Paris City Hall has put together a series of walks, called Paris Film Trails, Parcours Cinéma in French, highlighting scenes from crowd pleasers such as Midnight in Paris (Minuit à Paris), the Edith Piaf story, La Môme, everyone’s favorite rat, Ratatouille, The Devil Wears Prada (Le diable s’habille en Prada) and Spielberg’s new blockbuster, Hugo. 

The walks, available at the link below, can be downloaded in pdf format and include information on the story, the filming, and a map of the locations discussed.  When you open the link, scroll down and click télécharger (download) on the selected film.  

http://www.paris.fr/loisirs/paris-et-le-cinema/parcours-cinema/rub_8358_stand_11911_port_19409

Like in the Movies

© 2004 Victor Vianu