Wednesday 17 December 2014

Paris on Screen


Paris. Countless movies, commercials and music videos have been filmed in what can be called the most photogenic city in the world. Regardless of the quality of a film, Paris always adds a distinctive charm to it (there may be some exceptions ex. Taken). Sometimes movies are the only available way to travel to certain locations...and let me just say, for the longest time I visited and kept going back to Paris through this exact medium. Now that I'm only 10 days away from calling la ville lumière my temporary home, I've decided to share some clips that have taken me there.


Before I begin, I would like to mention that I've excluded all French films set in Paris from this list.

                      9. "Wall Rat" - Ratatouille 2007
[2:00 onward]
Ratatouille can be summed up into three words: follow your dreams. It may be an animated film but my heart totally skips a beat when I see the city of lights from the rooftop. 

                      8. "Bonjour, Paris!" - Funny Face 1957
"I want to step out down the Champs-Élysées, from the Arch of Triumph to the Petit Palais...". The whole song is basically about all the places you can visit and all the different things you can do in Paris (also kinda demonstrating how the city is perfect for every type of person).

                      7. "Moi je joue" - Miss Dior Chérie commercial (dir. Sofia Coppola)
This is my all-time favourite perfume commercial (yeah, I prefer it over Coco Mademoiselle). I think it perfectly depicts the idealized Parisian life. What's not to love? Dior, macaroons, beautiful scenery, Brigitte Bardot singing, kissing hot French guys...I just wish this clip was longer.

                      6. "Sur les quais du vieux Paris" - An Education 2009
Watching An Education, I identified myself with Jenny, the main character. She's a francophile who wants to go to Paris (luckily, that's all we have in common). "Well, after I've been to University, I'm going to be French, and I'm going to Paris, and I'm going to smoke and wear black, and listen to Jacques Brel...". I love this clip of her first visit to Paris (+ Juliette Gréco's voice only makes it better).

                      5. "City of blinding lights" - The Devil Wears Prada 2006
Unfortunately, I couldn't find this clip anywhere...but you know what I'm talking about, right? Andy comes to Paris with Miranda for the first time to attend fashion week. U2's "City of Blinding Lights" plays as Andy looks at the Parisian night in wonder...and nothing is more magical than Paris by night.

                      4. "La vie en rose" - View from the Top 2003
[Until 1:15]
This is typically not the type of film I would watch...but the storyline included the main character going to Paris after all her hard work so... Another thing I like about this clip is the fact that she's wearing the coat she had been eyeing at the beginning of the film but couldn't afford it back then (you know, it's a "work hard & you'll get there" type of thing). Also, I'm pretty sure everyone wanted to become a flight attendant after watching this film.

                      3. "Hôtel Plaza Athénée" - Sex & the City 2004
I loved the last two episodes of Sex & the City, despite of Carrie being away from her friends feeling abandoned in a foreign city. I think this moment captures most people's reaction visiting Paris for the first time (although, I was simultaneously trying to take a video and shove 8 gummy bears in my mouth the first time I saw the Eiffel tower peeping from the rooftops).

                      2. "Letter from Paris" - Sabrina 1954
When it comes to describing this movie, life-changing is the first word that comes to mind..Sabrina was the first black and white film I ever watched. I like to think that my love for Paris, old films and Audrey Hepburn started here. It remains one of my favourite films to this day. Watching this clip of Sabrina write a letter back home is a reminder as to why Paris is a magical city - it's where plain girls transform into sophisticated (Givenchy-wearing) ladies! 

                      1. "Si tu vois ma mère" - Midnight in Paris 2011
I chose the opening scene from Woody Allen's masterpiece, Midnight in Paris, as number one. Although it doesn't include anybody going to Paris for the first time (which appears to be the theme of this post), this is definitely the clip that makes me want to go there the most. Beautiful shots of all the picturesque places in the city, from early morning to midnight... I watched this film at the movies with one of my friends who'd traveled to France with me, so I constantly kept elbowing her throughout this sequence to point out all the places we'd visited.

Any film/tv show/clip suggestions for me that include beautiful scenes of Paris?

Thank you for reading,

T.

1 comment:

  1. Miss Timmy, I miss you already!
    And I love your photos so much! What do you do with the effect?
    Looking forward to read you posts:D
    Have fun in Paris!!
    Agnes

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