Bonjour, Paris!

You can blame it on my French heritage, perhaps.  Or maybe it’s the way the Eiffel Tower is lit up at night, its reflection shining in the Seine.  I’ve always loved outdoor cafes, artsy neighborhoods, Gothic architecture, crepes and croque monsieurs.  Maybe that’s why I fell for Paris long before I’d ever been, and why my passion was confirmed before I made it through customs at Charles De Gaulle.

Or maybe it was all the movies.

Paris occupies a special place in the cinematic universe.  There’s a beautiful contrast between the wide boulevards and the cobblestone neighborhoods, the heavy Arc du Triumph and the airy landscapes of impressionist art.  The city is ancient but forward-thinking, its occupants both romantic and fashionably aloof.  Paris almost begs to be immortalized in film, and it has.

On my trip to Paris in the spring of 2009, I was lucky enough to see many of the settings used in my favorite “France movies.”  Almost everything in the City of Light seems iconic in some context, but for me these were the most memorable.

 
'Art Nouveau' metro signs, The Aristocats (1970) - While conniving butlers seem oblivious to their warnings, my childhood self was strangely captivated by the dreamlike signs seen in the Disney classic.  I'd always assumed they were a stylistic touch thrown in by the animators, but many of  the original pieces still adorn the public transportation system.  On a walking tour of the city, our group stopped to watch street performers beside this otherworldly form.


Strolling along the Seine, An American in Paris (1951) - It might be difficult to master the graceful ballet of Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, but you can at least walk alongside the river that flows through the heart of Paris.  Plenty of couples and groups of friends still have the same idea, and it was quite common to see people sharing bottles of wine on the stone embankments.  And because dance shouldn't be limited to photographs, you simply must watch "Our Love Is Here To Stay."


Paris Opera House, The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - The setting behind the internationally acclaimed musical and the 2004 movie adaptation is open to visitors when performances aren't scheduled.  You'll immediately recognize the ornate lobby and the rich interior of the seating area.  I didn't see the Phantom himself on my trip, but one of my friends did get locked in the bathroom quite mysteriously.  You can almost hear the organ music, can't you?  And for the pure spectacle of it all, treat yourself to "Masquerade."



Shakespeare and Company, Midnight in Paris (2011) - I saw this whimsical Woody Allen film long after my trip to France, but it's enough to inspire at least a dozen new Paris adventures.  Any writer or reader should remember to check out Shakespeare and Company, an English language bookstore on the Left Bank.  While not all of us have the opportunity to get individualized writing tips from F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein, we can trace the path of Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard with a paperback as traveling companion.

I'll let Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, and Kay Thompson wrap up my post with one of the best odes to Paris, found in Funny Face (1956):

:

Au revior!