I love, love, love this part in Funny Face.
I’ll tell you a little secret: I was prepared to hate Paris the first time I went. It wasn’t really my idea. I was staying in London and I had a friend in Marseille. It just seemed easier to meet in the middle(ish) than to spend 10 hours roundtrip on a train.
I’d heard all the stereotypes: the French are rude, the city is overpriced, the Eiffel Tower isn’t even that great. Well, actually the city is overpriced – I paid nine euros for pear juice – but it was really good pear juice!
I’ve got two visits to Paris under my belt and hope I get to go back more than once in my life. At this point it’s my favorite city in the world, and I’d be the happiest girl if I ever got to spend an extended amount of time there.
But for now, these movies are great escapism when the plane fare proves trop cher. Wouldn’t it be fun to stay up all night packing with these movies in the background?
Moulin Rouge
You’ll totally end up with the titular song in your head the week after you watch it, but it’s a wonderfully showy clash of la vie bohème and decade-spanning song. Also, Nicole Kidman’s costumes are pretty awesome.
Funny Face
What’s a better way to explore Paris without leaving your couch than to let Audrey Hepburn be your tour guide? In this film, she’s an unlikely model who basically does photo shoots all over the city and falls in love with Fred Astaire.
Les Miserables
It’s a musical, and parts of it are set in Paris, but Les Mis isn’t exactly a feel-good film. If anything, it’s an entertaining way to learn a bit about the history of the country and the revolution.
Phantom of the Opera
Since the airport shuttle drops you right off at the Opera House, you might as well learn about the legend behind it. Phantom of the Opera is set in a pre-Eiffel Tower Paris. Like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, it depicts the life of someone marginalized by society. The Phantom is a disfigured man who lives in the Opera House and haunts the company while grooming a young chorus girl to become the principle star.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
It’s a Disney movie, but a repeat viewing following an actual trip to Paris surprised me. It really is a brutal depiction of society, but there’s no doubt the cathedral of Notre Dame is on every Parisian tourist’s bucket list.
Midnight in Paris
This film is an impressive salute to the Paris of the past and present. An aspiring writer on vacation falls into a new chapter of Parisian history every night while roaming the streets of the city. In turn, he falls completely in love with it.
Sabrina
This may be the only romantic comedy set in Paris where a girl doesn’t actually fall in love in Paris. Sabrina’s spent most of her life pining over her boss’s son, only to go to Paris and come back such a refined and sophisticated young woman that he falls head over heels in love with her.
Ratatouille
I’m positive that any self-respecting Parisian would rather drop dead into the Seine than eat food that’s been cooked by a rat, but it’s Pixar so we’ll let it slide. In the city of Paris, a rat has a dream and a chef has a severe lack of cooking ability. The two pair up and cause a stir in one of the world’s culinary capitals.
Marie Antoinette
Sure, maybe it’s been panned by critics and referred to as anachronistic, but I’ll happily take The Strokes with my historical cinema. This movie isn’t about accuracy for me so much as it is about the mood. This film captures luxury, indulgence and naitivity so well. I wish I could have watched the sun come up at Versailles with Marie Antoinette on her 18th birthday, too.
Hugo
This often-forgotten movie is set in Paris. It’s set mainly where so many of us tourists spend our time coming to and from the city – Gare Montparnasse. It’s a wonderful tribute to Georges Méliès, who’s one of the most important figures in the history of cinema.
Chocolat
Warning: this film will make you crave chocolate. In extreme cases, it may make you proceed to melt down any and all chocolate you can get your hands on so you can get started on your own confections. The film’s not actually set in Paris, but it’s got enough French flair to imagine you’re there.
Amelie
This quirky, modern tale takes on a less romanticized view of Paris than the others on the list, but it’s still amusing and worth a watch.
Featured image credit: Bruno Abatti
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