It's the 14th of July which means is Bastille day, the French equivalent of the 4th of July and we couldn't resist pulling together some inspiration from our favorite French (and French-inspired) films for the occasion. Jump below for movies filled with style, attitude and a little bit of je ne sais quoi:
Marie Antoinette was a visual indulgence that left us wanting to hold court in a gold gilded apartment while drinking lots and lots of champagne. How about you?
Umbrellas of Cherbourg: somehow inspiring and depressing. But it's a Catherine Deneuve Classic with bright colors and great interiors.
Le Mepris or Contempt with one of the most iconic Brigitte Bardot scenes ever involving bear skin rug. The whole movie is just cool.
An American In Paris has a great take on living in a studio apartment in the opening scene!
We talk about book storage a lot here on AT and we can't ignore how great this wall of books is in Cache.
Amelie. Hard to forget but harder to replicate. Oh the colors and the charm and the parisian-ness of it all. Sigh.
Before Sunset. Terrible Movie. Just Terrible. But worth Tivo-ing or renting just to skip to the end and see the apartment that Julie Delpy's character lives in. The courtyard, the casual chic-ness of it all is enviable even if the movie is not.
Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep has one eccentric apartment and one totally covettable one (Charlotte Gainsbourg's).
We could go on and on (Breathless, Une Femme est une Femme, etc). But have we missed some super obvious ones? Leave em in the comments!
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L'appartment/The apartment.
C'est fantastique!
Oh, I totally agree about Marie Antoinette. I'm actually watching it right now, and I can't get enough of the visuals in this film. Beautiful, beautiful film.
I know this isn't a movie review but whaddya mean Before Sunset is a terrible movie?
Another film a la Umbrellas of Cherbourg is Les Desmoiselles de Rochefort also by Jacques Demy and with great style. I saw it with my mom when it came out, when I was 9 years old. I never forgot it and finally had a chance to see it again through the miracle of Netflix!
Oh oui! Oh oui! "Le mepris". Et "La chamade" too with Deneuve and Piccoli. Great decor.
Happy Bastille Day mes amis! :)
Before Sunset is a terrible movie??? Are you kidding me??!! Granted, it isn't as charming as it's predecessor, Before Sunrise, but it is still an entertaining film. I do agree that Julie Delpy's character's apartment was utterly charming and very Parisian.
uuug, totally agree about Before Sunset being poor....also agree about the other movies with Marie Antoinette being my personal #1 French inspriation!
Je suis très content de voir les films de Jacques Demy mentionnés ici - des chefs d'oeuvre pour le décor (ma femme adore les chansons aussi) ! Mais il faut aussi parler des classiques comme Le Quai des Brumes, A Bout du Souffle, Les Enfants du Paradis... Ah oui, et pour le décor, il ne faut pas oublier les autres films de Caro et Jeunet, tel "La Cité des Enfants Perdus" et "Delicatessen".
(Very happy to see the films of Jacques Demy mentioned here - such works of art for the decor (and my wife loves the songs, too)! But we also need to speak about the classics, such as "Le Quai des Brumes", "Breathless", and "Les Enfants du Paradis..." Oh yes, and for the decor, we can't forget the other films of Jeunet and Caro, such as the "City of Lost Children" and "Delicatessen".)
I partially blame the movie Before Sunset for my boyfriend breaking up with me for a girl he met in France... lol. I love Amelie though, the commentary on the DVD about how they chose/enhaced the colors is really interesting.
Excellent tribute to zee french !!!!! umi
Mon Oncle by Jacques Tati.
The outdoor scenes of Ponette are wonderful too. The scenes are so beautiful. And oh, I wish my future children will be as beautifully charming as those little kids are.
Any pre-Weekend films by Godard. His eye for primary colors is amazing. Last Year in Marienbad's play with patterns and mirrors is also inspiring. Finally, set design for WWII-era French films such as Children of Paradise is also inspiring, not necessarily for copying but for seeing the French perspective on Traditional, rich, French decor.
Charlotte Gainsbourg's apt in My Wife is an Actress
Emanuelle Devos' apt in La Moustache
Emanuelle Devos' little WWI era house in Gille's Wife...so charming! Scene after scene of French eye candy!
The crumbling farm house, and esp. the renovated barn Mathilde Seigner inhabits in The Girl from Paris - awesome!
The whore house in La Vie en Rose...actually a few spaces in this movie are amazing...
Julien's house in The Story of Marie and Julien...
Somebody stop me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com
The swimming pool. Had that cool country house and garden.
If you have not seen Beineix's movie "DIVA" from the 80's, it's a must that you do.
All the living spaces are incredible, but nothing tops the loft with the clawfoot tub at the end of an immense hallway...
link to pic:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/samserendipity/Diva2.jpg
HEY i ADORE "Before Sunrise", "Before Sunset", and "2 Days in Paris"!!!
Now, "Paris Je Taime" sucked overall.
I liked Bardot in "And God created Women".
And how are you skipping "Le Samurai" and Alain Delon?
Let's not forget "RED", that was good.
Sydney...I totally agree with you about all the films you mentioned. I recently saw Paris Je Taime and was bored to tears.
Spins...I also agree about Mon Oncle. What a fabulous home...always cracks me up how the wife turns on the fountains only for her special guests.
Oh la la! Tati's films are in a class by themselves when it comes to decor. Hats off to the commenter who mentioned Mon Oncle (that round window!) but also the interiors in Playtime, extraordinary, genius!!