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 Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | 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:

The segment "Parc Monceau" directed by Alfonso Cuarón was shot in a single continuous shot.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the segment "14ème Arrondissement", Carol visits the grave of Jean-Paul Sartre. She mispronounces the woman's name, however, as "Simon Bolivar", the South American liberator, instead of saying "Simone de Beauvoir," the French author. The English subtitles repeat the mistake.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

References Elephant (2003)

Soundtrack:

Gogol

A wonderful, beautiful homage, but maybe too many parts in the whole for a single sitting

A smorgasbord of talent. Twenty glimpses of Paris - its different suburbs. High quality shorts masterfully united.

A veiled woman intrigues us to the beauty beneath her hijab. Gus Van Sant delights with a flirtation between two young boys (and with a surprise revelation). Steve Buscemi's mind-boggling tourist guide accompanies him through a surreal Coen Brothers encounter in the Metro. Maggie Gyllenhaal gets stoned off her face preparing for an acting role. Bob Hoskins hangs out in sleazy Pigalle. Elijah Wood discovers his inner vampire. Oscar Wilde's burial place inspires one humourless would-be bridegroom and saves his relationship. Tom Tykwer takes us running through the streets of Saint-Denis with a blind man in love. Gérard Depardieu is a bartender and a host of other stars and directors charm us with strange and original tales of love in the city of love itself.

These vignettes are a whirlwind tour of the heart of each arrondissement, but they focus on Frenchness, or Parisienness rather than over-exploiting famous landmarks . . . which makes it all the more fun recognising the locales. The quality is superb - each short film is almost a masterclass - but the overall effect can be weariness. Such a torrent of shorts leaves no room to develop an overall momentum, however skilfully knitted together. Each touches our emotions in different ways. Yet it is like nibbling for nearly two hours in the kitchens of the best chefs. At the end we are exhausted and hungry.

The concept of Paris Je t'Aime is a beautiful one. This film is a permanent and worthy homage to the great city. But as cinema it seems sadly unsatisfying.