One of the activities of my Intensive French Course was a "Cinébalade," which pretty much translates to: Movie Stroll. The movie on which our stroll was based was Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. I'm assuming you've either seen or heard of it by now, but if not, it's a wonderful movie full of quirky, funny, interesting, and lively characters based on real writers, artists and intellectuals of the past. And of course, it's set in Paris.
We also learned about the history of the Latin Quarter and the Sorbonne, the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company, and had the opportunity to go inside a very old and well-known restaurant called the Polidor. It's still open for business today, and the prices aren't outrageously expensive! I mean, this is relatively-speaking, as every single restaurant in Paris is very expensive in general.
Among other things, we saw the steps Gil sits on when he is first transported to the past in the automobile - the beginning of the magic in the film!
{The steps! With some guy in the way...}
{Inside the church the steps were attached to}
{The Polidor}
{Sign reads: The Polidor has not accepted credit cards since 1845.}
Instead of going to bed at a decent hour, I started listening to the sweet, jazzy voice of Nikki Yanofsky, and as I hummed along, I started thinking of Paris. As naturally follows such ponderings, I constructed playlist of french-themed songs for your listening pleasure, which you should listen to while you read the rest of this post! You won't regret it.
Today I'm going to talk about some of my favorite films, that is, my top four absolute favorite french or french-themed movies. Not only are they my favorite french films, they are some of my favorite films of all time.
This playlist will get you into the french mood:
{ONE} Paris, Je T'aime. This means: Paris, I love you, in French. To summarize, it is a collaborative work of many directors, who each created a short segment about love, in one of the most romantic cities in the world: Paris. However, not all of the shorts deal with romantic love; They branch into all sorts and types of love. It is such a beautiful film! Every time I watch it, I have a moment of pure peace and contentedness as the closing credits roll. It is a must-watch. If you see it for no other reason, see it because Natalie Portman and Elijah Wood are in it.
{TWO} Amélie, or the full title: Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain. The words I can use to describe this movie are: magical and quirky. Amelie has the most endearing personality, and her development from a timid girl to a brave woman ends up inspiring me to be more spontaneous and confident every single time I watch it. On top of the fantastic story line, every single camera shot is like a work of art, if you pause the film at any given moment, at any point in the film, you will have before you a perfectly composed and colored still image. The makers of this film used three dominant colors, next time/when you watch it, notice the colors (HINT: They're in the movie poster).
{THREE} French Kiss. I know what you're thinking. You're probably thinking that this movie poster looks old and lame. But I'm here to tell you: This movie is fantastic! Yes, it is a romantic comedy, and yes, it stars Meg Ryan, but the simple fact that something might be considered cliche doesn't automatically negate its merit! Take my word for it, and give this movie a shot. It's funny, it's charming, Meg Ryan is a goofball, and Kevin Kline makes a very entertaining pessimistic french man.
{FOUR} Midnight in Paris. By now, you've probably all heard something about this movie. It's been receiving a ton of attention lately, and for good reasons. I enjoyed watching this film immensely, because it's not your typical "go-back-in-time" flick. It's a smart and funny look into the past. It gives life to artists and writers that I had only read about in school. It sheds new light on an era that can seem so boring on paper. See it!
Do you know of some other French movies? Tell me about them in the comments :)
