Paris, Je t'Aime

... for Paris is a moveable feast." Ernest HemingwayIt is impossible to count how many great talents have immortalized Paris in paintings, novels, songs, poems, short but unforgettable quotes, and yes - movies. The celebrated film director Max Ophüls said about Paris,"It offered the shining wet boulevards under the street lights, breakfast in Montmartre with cognac in your glass, coffee and lukewarm brioche, gigolos and prostitutes at night. Everyone in the world has two fatherlands: his own and Paris."Paris is always associated with love and romance, and "Paris, Je T'Aime" which is subtitled "Petite romances," is a collection of short films, often sketches from 18 talented directors from all over the world. In each, we become familiar with one of the City of Light 20 arrondissements and with the Parisians of all ages, genders, colors, and backgrounds who all deal in love in its many variations and stages. In some of the "petite romances" we are the witnesses of the unexpected encounters of the strangers that lead to instant interest, closeness, and perhaps relationship: like for Podalydès and Florence Muller in the street of Montmartre in the opening film or for Cyril Descours and Leïla Bekhti as a white boy and a Muslim girl whose cross-cultural romance directed by Gurinder Chadha begins on Quais de Seine. I would include into this category the humorous short film by Gus Van Sant. In "Le Marais" one boy pours his heart out to another boy confessing of sudden unexpected closeness, asking permission to call - never realizing that the object of his interest does not understand French.Some of the vignettes are poignant and even dark. In Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas' Loin du 16ème, Catalina Sandino Mareno (amazing Oscar nominated debut for Maria full of Grace) is single, working-class mother who has to work as a nanny in a wealthy neighborhood to pay for daycare where she drops her baby every morning before she goes to work. One of most memorable and truly heartbreaking films is "Place des Fêtes" by Oliver Schmitz. Aïssa Maïga and Seydou Boro co-star as two young people for who love could have happened. There were the promises of it but it was cut short due to hatred and intolerance that are present everywhere, and the City of Love and Light is no exception. Another one that really got to me was "Bastille", written and directed by Isabel Coixet, starring Sergio Castellitto, Miranda Richardson, and Leonor Watling. Castellitto has fallen out of love with his wife, Richardson but when he is ready to leave with the beautiful mistress, the devastating news from his wife's doctor arrives...I can go on reflecting on all 18 small gems. I like some of them very much. The others felt weak and perhaps will be forgotten soon but overall, I am very glad that I bought the DVD and I know that I will return to my favorite films again and again. They are "Place des Fêtes" that I've mentioned already, "Père-Lachaise" directed by Wes Craven that involves the ghost of one of the wittiest and cleverest men ever, Oscar Wilde (Alexander Payne, the director of "Sideways") who would save one troubled relationship. Payne also directed "14th Arrondissement" in which a lonely middle-aged post-worker from Denver, CO explores the city on her own providing the voice over in French with the heavy accent. Payne's entry is one of the most moving and along with hilarious "Tuileries" by Joel and Ethan Coen with (who else? :)) Steve Buschemi is my absolute favorite. In both shorts, American tourists sit on the benches (Margo in the park, and Steve in Paris Metro after visiting Louvers) observing the life around them with the different results. While Margo may say, "My feeling's sad and light; my sorrow is bright..." Steve's character will find out that sometimes, even the most comprehensive and useful tourist guide would not help a tourist avoiding doing the wrong things in a foreign country.

I absolutely adore this film!!! It's been years since I last seen it, yet it still hit home when I finally bought it.I mean COME ON!! How can you not love this movie!! This film, in my opinion of course, expresses the many different forms of love, tragedy, courage, loneliness, comfort, friendship, humor, enigma, hope and all of this take place in such a beautiful place.It amazes me as to how even though each story is like 5 mins or less, it leaves an impact-at least for me. You'd be surprised who'll see in some of the stories as well, individuals such as Nick Nolte, Steve Buscemi, Rufus Sewell (love him!), Willem Dafoe, Natalie Portman, just to name a few. Their appearances just catches you by surprise, because you don't expect to see him/her in this style of film. Just lovely!! The music captures the theme of each story wonderfully.Hands down!!! Quais de Seine, 14e arrondissement, Père-Lachaise, Place des fêtes, Bastille, are my personal favorites. Love em! Ouais de Seine, spark of love between a young Muslim woman and a young man ; 14 arrondissement An independent mail carrier whose tours France and reflects on her life up to that point; Pere-Lachaise, a young couple who are soon to be married have an agrument in a cemetery leading to calling off the engagement, but quickly rekindles after the husband gets some wise words from Oscar Wilde; Place des fetes, a Nigerian man falls in love at first sight with a young Nigerian medic who is helping him, as she helps him he reflects what ironically led her to helping him; Bastille,(this was a very beautifully tragic)A man meets his wife for lunch, who reflects on he unhappiness and elope with a younger woman. Later, he discovers that she is dying of terminal cancer, so he sticks by her til then end, ends the affair, and the love for his wife becomes deepens than its ever been.Now, not to sound corny or anything like that, but this movie has me given some hope that true love and its worth still exists and not reply or feed into some of the shenanigans that's going on nowadays.Also, the delivery came sooner that expected. Yes, really. It was expected to arrive between Nov. 19-Nov. 26, it came today. Flaws? Yes. I purchased the limited edition, which has the bonus DVD with extras and stuff. I played "the making of" for each short story, not all of them play well, in fact, stories 15-18 scratches....I was a little disappointed with that, but other than that the movie itself plays well no skipping or scratching.

I was enthralled with this movie from beginning to end. It held my attention the entire time and I loved every bit of it. I just can't say enough about this movie. It's been a long time since I've seen something so clever and well put together.

This was an excellent set of vignettes set in Paris. Each director had a story to tell. Some I wish would have been longer because of the delightful acting. I love to hear French and see Paris but that was just a bonus to these stories. While they all weren't my cup of tea, I was glad to be exposed to all the different directions the stories took us.

Each vignette takes place in a different arrondisment in Paris and that is a treat in itself, especially for viewers who have been there and love seeing streets they have walked down.Like most boxes of chocolates, there's always one that you just throw in the trash because it's awful. That would be the Coen brother's bit in this film. I'm not a fan of theirs, at all, but tried to keep an open mind. I'm done having an open mind about the Coens. It would be hard to pic a favorite story. Each one is so different and almost all of them made me laugh, or at least smile. Even the tragic ones end with hope.So, grab a glass of wine and enjoy.

I absolutely LOVED this movie! I loved how it has so many different genres of movie themes, and the actors in each vignet were so perfect for the story. I think you have to have an open mind when watching movies such as this because it's very artistic and most definitely not for everyone. I !oved it so much i bought the DVD, and was ecstatic when insane it on Amazon Prime. You will LOVE it if you enjoy more European movies. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! ☺☺☺☺

There are twenty arrondissements (districts) in Paris, but this film chooses to showcase eighteen of them: eighteen "little neighbourhood romances". The nature of those romances stretch from a mother for a child to a vampire for her (willing) prey, as eighteen directors present short five-, six-, seven-minute films about their appointed district in the Capital of Love, all strung together in a seamless flow.Some directors I already know; some are new to me. Some try something new, whilst others follow well-trodden paths. Thus Gurinder Chadha explores the melding of different cultures; Gus van Sant portrays a humorous gay pick-up; Joel and Ethan Coen provide a comic take on Paris's romantic reputation; Walter Salles looks at the city from the view of an immigrant nanny; Tom Tykwer looks at the uncanny; and Alexander Payne sees both the funny and sad sides in everyday experience. Who's missing? Well, it would have been nice to see the likes of Michael Haneke or Patrice Chereau make contributions, but I'm not complaining.Such short films do not allow for much detailed characterisation, of course, but most are nevertheless satisfying in themselves, short vignettes of what may have been full-length feature films. Most of the directors also wrote their screenplays. Some directors play the game in a standard manner; some adopt a more quirky (Coen brothers) or even surreal approach (Christopher Doyle). There's even one with husband-and-wife mime artists, both corny and comic at the same time and certainly the one that made me laugh the most.And it's more often the case that each arrondissement's tourist hotspot is not depicted as the backdrop to each romance. Whether this was done to avoid cliché or whether the plotline of the story had no need for the city's leading sights to intrude is superficially explored in the DVD's twenty-five-minute `Making of' extra, but the film itself still manages to feature the Eiffel Tower, Pere Lachaise, the Montparnasse Tower. It's a shame, though, that no scenes are set on the city's bridges.It would be difficult to argue that all eighteen of these films could not have been shot anywhere else but in Paris, yet it is also true that most - through either visual or verbal means - would look confusing or out of place if shot, say in London instead. In that sense, this film really does possess and communicate some of the multiple personas of Paris. Consequently, anyone with a love for this city will probably like this film.

With short films, each about five minutes long, and each by a different director and with actors as diverse as Fanny Ardant, Leila Bekhti, Juliette Binoche, Seydou Boro, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe, Gerard Depardieu, Ben Gazzara, Bob Hoskins, Olga Kurylenko, Aissa Maiga, Margo Martindale, Yolande Moreau, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Bruno Podalydes and Gaspard Ulliel - there is much to enjoy.There are eighteen films each shot in a different arrondissement in Paris. Films to be enjoyed, to laugh at, to cry at and to make one think. This is a couple of hours of very enjoyable viewing.It is surprising how quickly all of the films seem to be viewed at the end of which there is an epilogue which with music (a beautiful waltz, La Meme Histoire) that is truly beautiful. The collection of films is something that one may want to revisit from time to time and as there is such diversity in the style and in the storytelling in each film, that there should always be much or at least something to enjoy.All, stories of love, but all very very different.

I visited Paris several times recently and bought this DVD because I am captivated by this incredible city and its people. This is a marvellous collection of short stories that try to fit a great deal into very short timespans. The acting is superb and it certainly benefits from the number of stars and directors employed. These vignettes represent a strange mixture of weird, funny, sad, romantic and thoughtful storylines. The one thing they all have in common is that none of them are dull. I found this film entertaining and intriguing.

So, what do you need to know - that there are 18 little vignettes, each about 5 minutes long, each by a different director and using different actors, and each one referring to a different area of Paris.Just like with a box of chocolates, some people hate the toffees, some people hate the nutty ones, and some people hate the soft cetres. So, everybody will have a different view as to which of the vignettes they prefer - some may prefer Nick Nolte's or Steve Buscemi's, maybe Elijah Woods' or Natalie Portman's, perhaps Juliette Binoche's or Fanny Ardant's; there are many well-known French actors involved and just as many non-French. There many different styles and stories so there are certain to be some you like more and some you like less.Something you do need to be aware of is that there are just little 5 minute glimpses, so if you want a three act play you're going to have to do most of that yourself. Often what you see is a turning point, that after this things will never be the same. However, it might just be a moment from an ongoing situation, just an illustration as to what it's all about.And now the DVD will cost you less than a fiver - you can't really go wrong.

I first saw this movie before going to Paris and by then I alrady said "Paris je t'aime", let alone when I finally got to visit. I can't say I've travelled much, but Paris definetely is the most beautiful city I've been to and the movie represents all of that very well. I loved the part of the americans talking in the café, very well dressed, very nice acting, really represents the impact the city has on americans and people in general, everyone wants to experience the city of lights to some extent and this movie is good at that, showing what it's about before you get a chance to go there or after you've been.The movie itself is a collection of short stories set in each of Paris's boroughs and does a good job in representing each borough's essence and also has some pretty nice acting, apart from the strange vampire Ellijah Woods segment...Thoroughly recommend it, I cried in the end when the american post woman said something like "it was then I realized Paris loved me and I loved Paris too".