Paris, je t'aime (2006)

Directors:

Olivier Assayas
Frédéric Auburtin

Writers:

Tristan Carné (idea)
Emmanuel Benbihy (feature film concept and transitions)

Release Date:

21 June 2006 (France)

Genre:

Romance

Tagline:

Stories of Love. From the City of Love.

Plot:

Through the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented and awakened.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Tourist | Actress | Argument | Subway

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Florence Muller	...	Young Woman (segment "Montmartre")
Hervé Pierre	...	Doctor (segment "Montmartre")
Bruno Podalydès	...	Driver (segment "Montmartre")
Leïla Bekhti	...	Zarka (segment "Quais de Seine")
Julien Beramis	...	Arnaud (segment "Quais de Seine")
Cyril Descours	...	François (segment "Quais de Seine")
Thomas Dumerchez	...	Manu (segment "Quais de Seine")
Daniely Francisque	...	Black Girl #1 (segment "Quais de Seine")
Audrey Fricot	...	Black Girl #2 (segment "Quais de Seine")
Salah Teskouk	...	Zarka's Grandfather (segment "Quais de Seine")
Christian Bramsen	...	Printer (segment "Le Marais")
Marianne Faithfull	...	Marianne (segment "Le Marais")
Elias McConnell	...	Elie (segment "Le Marais")
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Gaspard (segment "Le Marais")
Julie Bataille	...	Julie (segment "Tuileries")

Also Known As:

Paris, I Love You (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title)
Paris, je t'aime (UK) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief drug use.

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

France | Liechtenstein | Switzerland

Language:

English | French | Spanish | Arabic | Mandarin

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-11 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Germany:6 | UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Brazil:16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Malaysia:U

Filming Locations:

Grave of Oscar Wilde, Père Lachaise - 65 Boulevard de Ménilmontant, Paris 20, Paris, France

Company:

Victoires International

Trivia:

This is the first feature film fully scanned in 6K and mastered in 4K in Europe (as opposed to the normal 2K). Encoding the image took about 24 hours per reel (at Laboratoires Éclair).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the segment 'Père-Lachaise,' when William (Rufus Sewell) confronts Frances (Emily Mortimer), his coat is buttoned to the neck. The camera cuts to Frances, and back to William, his coat now open. The next time William appears, his coat is buttoned-up again. William (apparently) hasn't moved at all.

Quotes:

The Husband: In pretending to be a man in love, he became a man in love.

Movie Connections:

Features True (2004)

Soundtrack:

Que Linda Manito

" Lovers of ... love "

Rudyard Kipling once wrote that God gave to all people the ability to love the whole world, but given that a human heart is very small in size, every human has that special place that he loves more than any other. It seems to me that this may have been the motto of some of the most eminent directors of today when they set out to profess the eternal love for that special place and depict situations in the lives of its denizens and visitors. The result is a wonderful collection of short films, Paris je t'aime, in which our guides, Van Sant, Coixet, Cuaron, Payne and others take us on a breathtaking stroll through Parisian arrondissements, human feelings, yearnings and expectations.

Always some other quarter, always some utterly moving story about ordinary people in search for love, be it in a parking lot, art studio, tube station. And Paris je t'aime is about vast array of loves- love for one's partner, child, parent, for those who meant the world to us but are no longer around, love that needs rekindling, serendipitous love for that stranger as your eyes meet, or love that just is not meant to be...today, but tomorrow- who knows?

Nevertheless, this film is not solely about love, but life itself, joy, pain, loneliness, confusion, everyday ups and downs. And its most important quality is the fact that it is not soppy at all, but rather warm and full of hope.

I give this film a 9 because the final section of it suggests how some of the stories might further develop, but not all of them and that is the thing that I find missing, and by "further development" I do not mean some specific reference to the characters' future. As far as everything else is concerned I can only say- captivating. Makes you want to leave everything behind you, flee to Paris and live those little romances yourself.