In France, film is called the Seventh Art. Since Paris, France is a true center of every form of art and the place where some of the greatest achievements in the arts have been made, it comes as no surprise that Paris is a topic that has fascinated filmmakers throughout the history of cinema. Paris is the most beautiful city in the world and Hollywood is the film capital of the world, therefore we can expect that American films will always be made in Paris and they will feature American heroes and heroines in this exotic urban landscape that we know as Paris.
One of the most recent examples is the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. The French first lady Carla Bruni even had a role in the film. So why all the fuss? Well … Parisian nights are an intriguing and mysterious topic that few people have had a chance to fully enjoy. Voila the reason why this film was such a success! Can you say "no brainer"?
Other no brainers are the films made along the topic of "Stranger in a Strange Land". There are so many films where the American goes to Paris, encounters some kind of traumatic experience upon arrival and finally succeeds in saving the day with the help of a seductive French beauty. Films that come to mind in this genre are the 1988 film "Frantic" and the 1993 film "Killing Zoe".
Frantic (1988) is the brainchild of the great Roman Polanski. Harrison Ford stars as an American doctor who arrives in Paris with his wife for a medical convention and a relaxing vacation. Unknown to him, he picks up a suitcase belonging to a smuggler. In fact, it belongs to a mysterious French woman played by Emanuelle Seigneur. Shortly after arriving in a Parisian hotel, Ford's wife is kidnapped by the bad guys who are hunting for the suitcase that happens to contain contraband. Getting help from neither the French nor the American authories, Harrison Ford must take matters into his own hands. He's eventually forced to team up with the mysterious Emanuelle Seigneur and together they manage to find his wife, before the tragic ending.
1994's Killing Zoe is strangely similar. Zed (Eric Stoltz) is a bank robber who comes to Paris to do a job with his old French buddy Eric whom he knows from his school days in USA. Zed hasn't even made it to his hotel yet when a friendly taxi driver sets Stoltz up with a part-time hooker named Zoe (Julie Delpy) whose day job is working at a bank.
The two connect in some bizarre way (their names both start with the same letter) before the psychotic Eric arrives and sends her off to disappear into the Parisien night. As the night progresses we begin to see how deeply Eric is afflicted. The next day during the bank robbery, his mental state has disastrous consequences and Stoltz would never have survived the ordeal without the help of his new French girlfriend (the one whose name starts with the same letter).
While these more recent American films exploit the "Stranger in a Strange Land" concept, Americans have figured prominently in French films as well. One of the best known examples are Jean Seberg in the Jean-Luc Godard film " A bout de Souffle " (Breathless). In "L'Ascenseur Pour l'Echaffaud" (1958) directed by Louis Malle, the music is the star. Jazz great Miles Davis wrote the soundtrack and composed it while watching footage of the film.
Americans living in France can gain a new perspective on living in the city by watching such films and perhaps get added inspiration to persevere in their international endeavors.
One of the most recent examples is the Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. The French first lady Carla Bruni even had a role in the film. So why all the fuss? Well … Parisian nights are an intriguing and mysterious topic that few people have had a chance to fully enjoy. Voila the reason why this film was such a success! Can you say "no brainer"?
Other no brainers are the films made along the topic of "Stranger in a Strange Land". There are so many films where the American goes to Paris, encounters some kind of traumatic experience upon arrival and finally succeeds in saving the day with the help of a seductive French beauty. Films that come to mind in this genre are the 1988 film "Frantic" and the 1993 film "Killing Zoe".
Frantic (1988) is the brainchild of the great Roman Polanski. Harrison Ford stars as an American doctor who arrives in Paris with his wife for a medical convention and a relaxing vacation. Unknown to him, he picks up a suitcase belonging to a smuggler. In fact, it belongs to a mysterious French woman played by Emanuelle Seigneur. Shortly after arriving in a Parisian hotel, Ford's wife is kidnapped by the bad guys who are hunting for the suitcase that happens to contain contraband. Getting help from neither the French nor the American authories, Harrison Ford must take matters into his own hands. He's eventually forced to team up with the mysterious Emanuelle Seigneur and together they manage to find his wife, before the tragic ending.
1994's Killing Zoe is strangely similar. Zed (Eric Stoltz) is a bank robber who comes to Paris to do a job with his old French buddy Eric whom he knows from his school days in USA. Zed hasn't even made it to his hotel yet when a friendly taxi driver sets Stoltz up with a part-time hooker named Zoe (Julie Delpy) whose day job is working at a bank.
The two connect in some bizarre way (their names both start with the same letter) before the psychotic Eric arrives and sends her off to disappear into the Parisien night. As the night progresses we begin to see how deeply Eric is afflicted. The next day during the bank robbery, his mental state has disastrous consequences and Stoltz would never have survived the ordeal without the help of his new French girlfriend (the one whose name starts with the same letter).
While these more recent American films exploit the "Stranger in a Strange Land" concept, Americans have figured prominently in French films as well. One of the best known examples are Jean Seberg in the Jean-Luc Godard film " A bout de Souffle " (Breathless). In "L'Ascenseur Pour l'Echaffaud" (1958) directed by Louis Malle, the music is the star. Jazz great Miles Davis wrote the soundtrack and composed it while watching footage of the film.
Americans living in France can gain a new perspective on living in the city by watching such films and perhaps get added inspiration to persevere in their international endeavors.