Love is a many splendored thing…as is this delightful film about love, and the city of love.
Paris Je T’aime (Paris, I love you) is a grand concept. Take 20 directors and give them each five minutes worth of film time to direct a postcard of love to Paris. To further establish that this is indeed a love story to the city, each segment would be set in one of the twenty arrondissement municipals (municipal boroughs) into which the city is divided. Arrange these together with an overall framing sequence and voila!, romance is born.
It sounds deceptively simple, does it not? I would guess that it was anything but. One indication of that fact would be that two of the filmed sequences had to be left out of the final film as writer/director Emmanuel Benbihy and director Frédéric Auburtin could not integrate them into the final product to their satisfaction.
Thus, what one ends up with is 18 stories directed by 18 separate directors, including a cast that is fascinatingly diverse, that demonstrate the ecstasy and the agony of love while giving an honest look at the city which is the very personification of romance. And what a remarkable result!
The unfortunate thing about writing a review of Paris, Je T’aime is that to say anything specific about the 18 vignettes would truly ruin the experience. The most I can do is to encourage you to take the risk and go into the film as unprepared as I was. Paris, Je T’aime is a unique cinematic experience that reaffirmed the romantic in me while allowing me to see a city that I always enjoy in film in a new and different light. Paris, Je T’aime exposes the excitement, the mystery, the thrill and the expectation as well as the heartache and the loneliness and the uncertainty of love while showcasing the City of Love in the same light. Jean-Pierre Jeunet used digital media in post production to create a very ethereal vision of Paris for his film Amelie, transporting the viewer to a Paris seen through the eye of romance. And I love him for it. Paris, Je T’aime, by contrast, seeks to show a more honest view of the city and yet with the same motivation of love that Jeunet used in Amelie. Both films succeed masterfully in drawing the viewer into an intimate relationship with the city. I was highly impressed.
The film is so much more than an armchair traveler’s view of Paris. We are given enticingly brief glimpses into the lives of people young and old, beautiful and plain, rich and poor. We are allowed to experience many of the nuances and aspects of love. Some of the portraits are better than others, but as a whole there was only one that I was disappointed with, mostly because I have yet to understand how that specific film fit in with the overall concept. Yet even with that one I had five minutes of watching an actress that I have a huge crush on, so it wasn’t all bad!
Moments of quietude, moments of reflection, moments of profound joy and profound sadness are all present in Paris, Je T’aime. It was marvelous to experience the emotional highs and lows with an audience. With emotional experiences only five minutes in duration, it was an interesting study in the power of film to literally feel yourself, along with the audience, rise and fall with the mood of each piece.
What else can I tell you about this film that will make you go see it? It is filled with an incredible cast: Rufus Sewell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emily Mortimer, Nick Nolte, Willem Defoe, Elijah Wood, Gerard Depardieu, Gena Rowlands, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson, Marianne Faithfull, Steve Buscemi, Sergio Castellitto, Bob Hoskins, Natalie Portman…and that is just scratching the surface. There was a whole host of other actors/actresses that I recognized from other foreign films that I have enjoyed.
Directors included: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer and Gus Van Sant.
The various vignettes included amazing performances and incredible cinematography and the entire film was tied together with transitions and includes an ending sequence that encapsulates the whole experience beautifully. There were many moments where I wished I could spend more time with the stories that were presented and yet the film is immensely satisfying as it is. None of us who attend films are strangers to the idea of being tempted by a movie trailer only to be disappointed with the film as a whole. Paris, Je T’aime did not disappoint, in fact, it exceeded any expectations I had going into the film.
Paris, Je T’aime will (hopefully) be an incredible film to delve into on DVD. Writer/director Emmanuel Benbihy mentions that several vignettes will be “referring to famous scenes easily attributed to the history of Paris cinema”, none of which I picked up on. I also suspect there are a host of visual cues and layers of meaning within each piece that point to the creativity of the various directors. For example, it is no surprise that director Alfonso Cuarón shot his sequence in one long continuous shot…I cannot wait to see it again armed with this knowledge. I also hope the DVD includes the other two sequences that were not included in this film.
Paris, Je T’aime is a film for lovers, for lovers of cities with history, and for lovers of film. There are layers upon layers in this film that I look forward to exploring in the future and I hope that you are able to have the wonderful experience of seeing this on the big screen. Summer blockbusters are fantastic fun, but once in awhile it is good to have a summer film with substance and depth…a good, hearty meal to go with the popcorn and dessert. Every good meal starts with an appetizer:
Now go dine…and don’t forget to kiss the cook.
I have been DYING to see this one. I missed it when it was on theatres, but I noticed the other day that it was out on DVD here. I need to pay Blockbuster a visit asap. Your wonderful review makes me want to go this very minute!
I especially want to see the Isabel Coixet story. She’s one of my very favourite directors.
This settles it – I’m renting this and Terry Gilliam’s Tideland this week for sure!
What a wonderful review, Carl. There are so many people in the movie who are among my favorites. And just watching the clip made me want to go see it NOW. I was smiling the whole time I was watching it.
wow.. nice review!.. think they have enough stars in the movie?? lol.. it definately sounds like one I will try to see!!
That’s annoying. Can’t find it at any of the rental stores near me.
I will continue to search.
brilliant carl! thanks for the review.
i don’t have to buy the paper to see what i want to see, i can just check out your blog. 🙂
by the way, have you ever been to paris? i haven’t but i plan to (have been planning to for ages but somehow still haven’t got there!?).
Ah, this one sounds excellent! What a great cast and a great set of directors. As soon as you made a comparison to Amelie, you made up my mind for me 😉 I’ll have to rent this one with Megan while I’m in Texas…we’ll enjoy it.
I love the poster at the top of the post…great image!
Chris, it is not Amelie (and as one of my favorite all-time movies, few compare) but it is really enjoyable. I think you and Megan would enjoy it, definitely a good date movie.
No, JP, the only time I have been overseas is at my birth. I was born in Germany when my dad was in the Army. Other than that I’ve been America bound and only traveled via the wonder of books and film.
Its annoying to me Elizabeth, that it is already out of DVD elsewhere and I cannot get it yet!
Deslily, the cast list on IMDB is huge.
Pat, you will definitely like this.
And Nymeth, let us know if there are any good extras on the DVD. Can’t wait to see it again.
I’m so looking forward to seeing this movie! It’s still in the theaters here 🙂
It’s definitely not out here yet. Netflix told me so! I added it in case I don’t get to the Rio. For anyone who lives in the KC area, there’s a neat little article on Paris by Gusewelle today. He is also passionate about all things French.
Hey Carl – sounds great, I’ll look it up. Paris is still my spiritual home.
Just stepped back onto the blogging path and very glad to see you still goingstrong!
Mike (aka Adamant)
Adamant! You’re back!!! Looking forward to catching up. Hope all is well. Cool news about your story!
Agreed. It is indeed “so much more than an armchair traveler’s view of Paris.” I have seen this movie twice, first as simply a movie that was wonderfully reviewed. Then with a friend who has also been to Paris many times. We sat in the cinema and gently nudged each other when we recognized a building, a road, a cafe, a park, or something that just made us yearn to go back.
It is not yet available for rental or purchase here, but I know when it is available i will indeed puchase a copy so I can linger over my favourite vignette.
What a magical film that does indeed capture a magical city.
Wonderul review Carl!
Without spoiling anything, Michele, which was your favorite vignette?
I will add my thumbs up on this film, too. I really enjoyed the title song of this movie as well. I’ve never been to Paris or anywhere else overseas but films like this make my desire to remedy that sooner rather than later in life that much stronger.
I missed this in theaters but will be getting it on DVD for sure! Thanks for the recommendation. I also love the first movie poster. I may have to try and find one and get it framed.
Carl,
The very last one spoke to me for two reasons, the first because I once stayed in the same hotel she was in and there is that line she says while sitting on the park bench, that line rings true for so many people who fall in love with Paris.
However, there are so many I love that it is difficult to choose. Let me share a few: The one with the man who meets his wife to share news, she shares hers first and it changes their love-story. The one with the “Nanny” who travels the Metro to get to work. The one with Nick Nolte, because it surprised me. The one with Kiri Russell made me smile. The one with Juliette Binoche still haunts me. Oh yes, the Coen brothers vignette was more than a little interesting.
It truly is hard to pick a favourite. However, if I had to it would be the couple that I have mentioned (she wears a red coat).
Your turn. Please tell me Carl what was your favouite?
It is hard, I agree and I probably cannot pick just one favorite either. I really enjoyed the opening scene and the next one with the boy and the muslim girl. The Nick Nolte one was great. The Coen brothers are outstanding and I of course loved theirs.
Hmmm….I loved the Oscar Wilde one, being a fan of the man myself. The coffee one was very moving.
For the most part I really did enjoy them all, but those are the ones I really look forward to revisiting with another viewing.
thats the same as john mcenroe! he was also born in germany.
(not exactly the same of course)
I guess I’m just a sap because my favorite was the one with the cowboy although it’s hard to choose because so many were great ( The boy/muslim girl, the Oscar Wilde one, the Sin City/Frodo one, the Nick Nolte one, I could on and on. ) 🙂
the cowboy one was fantastic. I had forgotten about that one when I was going through my mental list. I’ve loved Juliette Binoche since Chocolat.
I’d love to see this…would have last Friday actually if I hadn’t promised to do something else already. The funny part is, I’ve never really had a desire to live in *real* France…but I do love Imaginary France, where everything is romantic and lovely and perhaps bathed in golden midafternoon sunshine. Imaginary France is one of the nicest places in the multiverse, I think….
I finally rented this this week – unfortunately the rental version of the DVD has no extras whatsoever!
I’ve seen a double disc edition for sale, though, and now that I know for sure this is a movie I want to own, I’ll be getting it when I have the chance.
My favourites were the last one and the one with the boy and the Muslim girl. Also the one by Alfonso Cuarón – about the grandfather looking after the baby.
Glad you got to see it Nymeth. I hope when it comes out over here it has some extras in it.