Paris
films
Running past
shops and boulevards, hurling themselves down
into the Metro, these films celebrate an
only-in-the-movies Paris of dreams, longing, and
improbably uncrowded cafés. (Netflix members may
see the fuller Netflix version of my Paris film
list, from which most the below-referenced movie
descriptions have been blatantly copied, here). |
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Amélie
Impish gamine Amélie (Audrey Tautou) lives alone
and works in a café. When she finds a trove of
toys hidden for 40 years behind a baseboard in
her apartment, she's inspired to repatriate the
items, an impulse of generosity that sparks more
benevolent acts. A celebration of life, Amélie
reminds us of the small wonders that abound
around us… if only we paused to look. How a
waitress manages to maintain herself in an
impeccably furnished mansard apartment in Paris'
exclusive historic Montmarte district is one of
the film's many enigmas. 2001 |
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Frantic
Several years into his exile from Hollywood,
director Roman Polanski hits his stride again
with this dread-filled suspense thriller. Dr.
Richard Walker (Harrison Ford) and his wife,
Sondra (Betty Buckley), are in Paris on business
when Sondra suddenly vanishes. With no way to
contact her or to communicate with the locals,
Richard is paralyzed with fear. When his attempts
to get the police involved fail, Richard begins
the pursuit alone. 1988
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La Balance
After most of their moles are killed, a band of
ruthless police detectives find it necessary to
enlist a new narc to get the skinny on a major
drug ring. The vice squad chooses Dede Laffont
(Philippe Leotard) -- an intriguing pimp who's
tight with the drug traffickers -- to snitch on
his old boss, who's now his nemesis. This French
crime drama features an arresting performance by
Nathalie Baye as a hooker named Nicole Danet.
1982 |
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Diva
Action, arias and assassins all collide in Diva,
a romantic thriller directed by Jean-Jacques
Beineix. When 18-year-old Jules secretly tapes
the concert of a superstar diva who refuses to be
recorded, he accidentally winds up with another
tape that identifies a top mobster involved in an
international sex and drug ring. Suddenly, Jules
is being chased through the streets of Paris by
blackmailers, hit men and the police! 1981 |
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Charade
Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn have chemistry to
burn in this suave comedy with an evocative Henry
Mancini score. Grant may or may not be a flimflam
man who aids the recently widowed Hepburn in her
mission to recover a fortune hidden by her late
husband. But three sinister crooks -- who'll stop
at nothing -- also covet the loot. 1963 |
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Jules and Jim
Writers Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri
Serre) are close friends who fall in love with
the same woman, the unpredictable Catherine
(Jeanne Moreau), amid the turbulence of World War
I Paris. What results is a decades-long love
triangle that both tests and strengthens the bond
between the two men. One of director François
Truffaut's best-loved films, Jules and Jim is
adapted from the French novel by Henri-Pierre
Roché. 1961 |
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Shoot the Piano Player
Charlie (Charles Aznavour), a once-famous
pianist, is now stroking the keys in a Parisian
saloon. When his brothers get in trouble with
gangsters, Charlie inadvertently gets swept up in
the chaos and is forced to rejoin the family he
once fled. This highly stylized melodrama from
director François Truffaut employs all of the
hallmarks of French new wave cinema: extended
voice-overs, out-of-sequence camera shots, sudden
jump-cutting and more. 1960 |
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The 400 Blows
Director François Truffaut's first feature film
stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as 13-year-old Antoine
Doinel, who runs away from school and his
difficult family—but finds it even tougher
living on the streets of Paris and must resort to
committing petty crimes. 1959 |
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Children of Paradise
Often considered the classic epic of
French film, Children of Paradise is the tragic
tale of several vastly different men who all fall
for the same woman. This classic romantic saga
takes place amid a theatrical community in
19th-century Paris, set against a backdrop of
intrigue, duels, and murder that allegorizes
occupied France. 1946 |
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Under the Roofs of Paris
In Rene Clair's irrepressibly romantic portrait
of the crowded tenements of Paris, a street
singer and a gangster vie for the love of a
beautiful young woman. One of France's most
beloved cinematic exports, this witty exploration
of love and human foibles, told primarily through
song, captures the flamboyant atmosphere of the
city with sophisticated visuals and
groundbreaking use of sound technology. 1930 |
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