Episode Transcript
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0:16
Annie Sargent: This is Join Us in France, episode 500, cinq cents.
0:21
Bonjour, I'm Annie Sargent, and Join Us in France is the podcast where we take
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a conversational journey through the beauty, culture, and flavors of France.
0:30
Today, I bring you a conversation with Elyse Rivin of Toulouse Guided Walks, who
0:35
has been my most frequent guest on this podcast, and a wonderful friend, about
0:39
movies to watch before a trip to France.
0:42
I'm not big into celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, as a matter of
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fact, I forget them most of the time, so I decided to keep it simple.
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But getting to 500 episodes is a big accomplishment that
0:56
I will be forever proud of. And thank you all who've been guests on this podcast.
1:02
I could not have done it without you. Merci.
1:05
This podcast is brought to you by listeners who buy my tours and
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services, which you can explore at my boutique: joinusinfrance.com/boutique.
1:15
Plus Patreon supporters receive new episodes as soon as they
1:19
are ready and without ads.
1:21
If that sounds appealing, join them by following the link in the show notes.
1:25
For the magazine parts of the podcast, today after my chat with Elyse, I'll
1:29
discuss the big deal about swimming in the Seine, or not swimming in the Seine
1:35
for the Olympics, whatever it may be. And also about the new extension of line 14 of the Paris Metro,
1:42
a wonderful achievement. Bonjour, Elyse!
1:55
Elyse Rivin: Bonjour, Annie! Annie Sargent: We are sitting together for the recording of the 500th episode
2:02
of the Join Us in France travel podcast.
2:05
I can barely believe it. Elyse Rivin: I cannot believe it.
2:10
Annie Sargent: You have been on many of these episodes, perhaps 150, 200 of those?
2:16
Elyse Rivin: But, I don't really know. We started out together, at the beginning we were doing all of them
2:21
together, but then I would say, I'm not sure that it's somewhere
2:24
between 40 and 50 percent of them. I'm not sure.
2:27
Annie Sargent: Yes, you've been on a lot of episodes, so I just want to
2:30
say that obviously, when you do 500 episodes, the content evolves, right?
2:35
You can't do the same thing over and over again.
2:39
We started out purposefully speaking about Paris a lot, because we know
2:44
people are interested in Paris and so am I, you know, but then we've
2:48
branched out into a lot of places. And I was listening to a show about over-tourism recently, this is French
2:55
people who work in the Ministry of Tourism and places like that, and they were saying
3:00
that the obvious solution is to try and send people to different places in France.
3:05
Elyse Rivin: That are less well known. Annie Sargent: That are less well known.
3:07
Because everybody tends to want to go to the same places.
3:10
And honestly, you can get similar experiences in a lot of places in France.
3:17
You don't need to go to that one chateau, that one hotel,
3:20
that one bakery, that one...
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we have hundreds of them, so... Elyse Rivin: Thousands, I would say.
3:26
Annie Sargent: Yes, thousands. Yes, so it's important for you listeners to kind of broaden your horizons, and
3:33
that's what we tried to do in the show.
3:35
Elyse Rivin: I would also say that it is true when you think about it, 500
3:39
episodes, now I know a lot of them are trip reports and, different kinds of trip
3:43
reports, which are very, very interesting. And I know people like to hear other people's experiences, but think of
3:48
the work that we've put in to making episodes interesting that many times.
3:55
I mean, finding new subjects, places, people, itineraries, ideas, you know,
4:00
sometimes I don't know if anybody out there realizes we sit and brainstorm
4:03
about like, what are we going to do? And is this a good idea?
4:06
Is that a good idea? Yeah. Annie Sargent: Yes, yes. And I've started now because I have so many people who ask me to come on the
4:12
podcast, I've started doing kind of pre-recording meetings, short meetings
4:17
to make sure that the person, you know, that this person would be a good
4:21
interview because once in a while I've talked to people who are low energy.
4:26
You were just telling me about a customer of yours who was...
4:29
let's put it this way, it didn't react too much.
4:33
Elyse Rivin: It's very difficult to be with people who don't react very much,
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especially when you're doing what we're doing, we don't see you listening to
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this, so who knows what you're reacting to when you actually listen to it.
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But when I walk around and do visits with people, I expect
4:50
some kind of visual reaction.
4:52
Annie Sargent: Yes, you would like that. Elyse Rivin: I would like that, really, please.
4:55
Even if it's just asking questions, but please, some kind of reaction.
4:59
Annie Sargent: Yes. Yes. So the content has evolved over time, obviously.
5:04
An episode we did recently was about Maurice Ravel, we go into biographies,
5:09
we go into history, not just the places per se, although we do talk about the
5:13
places an awful lot, but you know, the content has evolved over time.
5:17
The other thing that has happened is that there's been quite
5:20
a lot of community building. We have a Facebook group that is pretty big, I don't want it to be much bigger.
5:27
We could just open the floods and let everybody in, but I do not want
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that, because it's hard to manage, and once you have a few thousand
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people, you know, is good enough.
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Elyse Rivin: It certainly is. Annie Sargent: Yes. So that has been wonderful, we both have a Patreon community that has been lovely
5:46
and keep it going, which is much, much appreciated because it takes, I mean, it's
5:53
a job, you know, it's my full time job.
5:55
You do a few other things, but... Elyse Rivin: Well, I do the guide work and actually as of next September,
6:02
it will be almost exclusively the podcast and guide work.
6:05
I will not be doing anything else, which is a new event in my life.
6:09
Annie Sargent: Right, you used to teach and you don't do that anymore.
6:11
Elyse Rivin: Yeah. Tomorrow is my last final ever day of teaching.
6:14
Annie Sargent: Oh, wow. Elyse Rivin: It's going to be interesting.
6:17
Annie Sargent: Yes. That's exciting though. Elyse Rivin: It's exciting.
6:20
Yeah. Yeah. Annie Sargent: You have to retire eventually, right?
6:23
Elyse Rivin: I've decided that it just means I'll be putting more energy
6:26
into creative things including the podcasts and other things like that.
6:32
Annie Sargent: Wonderful. Yep. So some lesson learned is that we never run out of topics.
6:39
Elyse Rivin: Right. Well, we don't, but that's because, let's really be realistic, France is filled with
6:46
places, with people, in terms of history, I mean, how many villages are there?
6:50
Thousands historical places, people through history.
6:54
France has such a long, rich, rich history.
6:57
So wonderful, really, there's so much to talk about.
7:00
Annie Sargent: Yeah. There's no need to limit what we talk about because there's so much.
7:05
You know, lesson learned is hard to say, I was a little worried that anytime you
7:10
put your name and face out there into the public, there's going to be creeps,
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but we haven't had very many creeps. We've had just a couple over 10 years and it's been easy to deal with them.
7:22
I've been lucky, but of course we don't talk about anything controversial
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really, I mean, it's just travel, like... Elyse Rivin: Right, I mean, if we talk about any person that's controversial,
7:32
it's usually someone historical, so it's distanced from us, you know, in
7:36
a certain kind of way, but it's true, it's a travel podcast, it's not a
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podcast that should be riling people up.
7:42
Annie Sargent: No, no, we don't, we don't try to do that at all and
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I don't try to use headlines or titles that are clickbaity, because
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it's just not my style, you know. And I'm very lucky also that I do itineraries with people just about
7:58
every day and that's invaluable because I talk to you listeners every day.
8:04
I don't advertise this service anywhere.
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The people I talk to are our listeners and they do, I get a really good feeling, a
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good, a really good idea of what they want and what they're looking for because I
8:16
help them create itineraries, you know, so it's very clear to me what's going to be
8:22
most helpful for our general listenership.
8:25
And also, we do the bootcamp now where we get to hang out with
8:28
people, you know, that's just once a year, but I mean, who knows?
8:32
We might do it more times a year if we want to.
8:34
But it's, you know, meeting people for real is invaluable because
8:40
when you know your listeners, you can cater to your listeners.
8:43
Elyse Rivin: And I think it also goes the other way, that I think when
8:46
people discover the podcast and start listening, they have a different
8:50
relationship when they contact you or I.
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Annie Sargent: Oh yes! Elyse Rivin: I have had so many people, if they just write to me, if they're
8:57
curious about whether I can do, give them a visit or something, it's like,
9:00
I feel like I know you, you know, that's the one of the first things
9:02
they say, which is very nice, actually,
9:05
Annie Sargent: It's lovely working with people that feel
9:07
like they know you is amazing. That's just a great, great thing.
9:11
We've had lots of guest contributions as well with the podcast because of
9:16
these 500 episodes, lots of them were trip reports with people who just
9:21
want to give back to the community and want to talk on the podcast.
9:25
I'm always welcoming people who want to do that.
9:28
I might do a little bit more screening because I get too many requests,
9:33
but you know, it's fantastic. And I get a lot of queries also from book agents and people who have
9:42
property in France and things like that.
9:44
And I try to limit that to a certain extent because, it's a bit much, you know.
9:50
They want to publicize. Yeah, well, they want to, you know, if they have a blog
9:55
or a service or something. And it's okay for me, I don't mind, I don't ask them for anything in return
10:00
besides we have to record an interesting episode together, you know, it has to
10:05
be of interest to people who are not necessarily going to buy your services.
10:10
This is the reality, but we've had lots and lots of people who have
10:14
absolutely, most of the people who come on the podcast have zero to sell.
10:18
They just want to share. And that's the reality of, you know, visiting France, we keep it real because
10:26
we don't make a movie about France. We tell you what it's really like.
10:32
And I let people express themselves about what their trip was really like.
10:36
So I think that's really valuable as well.
10:39
And it's valuable for me as well. There's been some challenges to overcome.
10:43
Most of them have to do with technology.
10:45
I'm very lucky now that I have a podcast editor and my husband has been by my
10:53
side troubleshooting a lot of things and helping me understand a lot of things.
10:57
He has more time for that kind of things now.
11:00
He didn't have much time to help me in the past, but I'm very lucky
11:04
that now he has more time to help me, and so that's been very good.
11:07
I've had to learn a lot of new technologies that I had no idea...
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But... but everyone out there should know that Annie likes learning
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about new technologies. I do. I really do.
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It's fun for me. Now, looking forward, well, we're just going to keep doing what we're doing.
11:24
So, this is episode 500, we might have another 500, who knows?
11:29
You know, that's 500 episodes takes about 10 years.
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So we'll be old by then.
11:34
Elyse Rivin: Ooh, I might be... I might be in a little bit of a situation trying to do that many episodes from
11:42
a little bit of a chair, I don't know. Annie Sargent: We'll see, we'll see, we'll see.
11:46
Elyse Rivin: We'll see how things go. Well, hopefully it will work.
11:49
Annie Sargent: I'm very, very grateful to all the listeners, to all the people
11:52
who reach out to us and do episodes with me, and to all the patrons, to all the
11:58
people who send in tips, recommendations, who participate, you know, talk back
12:04
because we, I mean, we've enjoyed hanging out together, just recording.
12:09
Elyse Rivin: You and I? Oh, for sure. Annie Sargent: Yeah, we just like, you know, she comes over, we talk, we do
12:14
some stuff over Zoom, but we try to do it in person as much as possible.
12:18
And it's a lot, I mean, it's very nice, I like doing this.
12:22
Elyse Rivin: I just want to add something too, because the, between the people
12:26
from the podcast directly who, for instance, contact us because of Patreon,
12:30
or the people in the bootcamp, or even the people that through the podcast
12:34
actually, for instance, contact me to do a visit, one of the things I've
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been getting a kick out of is meeting people from so many different places.
12:42
For instance, so many different states in the United States that,
12:45
places I've never, ever been to. People from New Zealand, and people from Australia, and it's really wonderful.
12:52
I just find that it's just, it's like, it broadens my horizons as well.
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It's like, I'm going, you listen in Australia and you've come this far?
13:00
You know, this is just, it's just great.
13:03
Annie Sargent: Yes, this morning I was talking to somebody in Hong Kong.
13:05
Hong Kong. Yes. She's coming to Paris, Paris and Provence in a few days, she's arriving and we
13:10
just did a 'Bonjour chat' because she wanted very, very well organized lady.
13:14
Very, very well organized. Anyway, lovely to talk to all of you and I'm very grateful for the podcast.
13:21
I hope, I mean, producing 500 episodes is no feat, you know, no small feat.
13:26
No, no small feat, it's a big feat.
13:28
It's a big feat, not small one. But it's given me so many opportunities and I wouldn't change
13:33
anything, like, I'm really happy I convinced you to do this with me.
13:39
Elyse Rivin: Yes. When she did, I went: A podcast?
13:43
What? What's that? Annie Sargent: But you figured it out.
13:48
That's wonderful. All right. Let's talk about films you should watch before a trip to France.
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Now, when I say should, I don't really mean should, you don't have to, you don't
13:58
have to do anything, but movies are fun.
14:01
Okay. Movies and series, at the end of the day, I don't know about you, but I enjoy
14:06
just sitting down and watch something.
14:09
Elyse Rivin: Well, you're talking to the right person here, you know.
14:13
I love all films, and I love series, and I really must say that, I studied French
14:21
starting in high school, and an absolutely epiphanal, now that's a big word,
14:26
experience for me, was my junior year.
14:30
When I was a junior in high school, my French teacher, bless her, she's
14:33
in heaven for the last God knows how many years now, took our class to the
14:38
city, because I was in the suburb of New York, to see a film by Truffaut.
14:42
And I had never, ever seen anything but good old American films before.
14:47
It was a revelation.
14:49
It was a revelation, first of all, because I loved the fact that it was a French
14:52
film, and it was of course filmed in Paris, but also, especially me, who's
14:58
really into art and culture and things like that, it was a revelation that
15:02
there are other ways of making films, and there are other styles of acting.
15:06
And I have never, ever forgotten that day and that experience, and it set
15:10
me off on my quest to know more about cinema, especially French cinema.
15:16
Annie Sargent: Interesting. So yes, you actually go to the movies a lot more than I do.
15:21
I like to watch stuff at home. Elyse Rivin: Well know that you can.
15:24
Annie Sargent: Yes. And when you couldn't, I would go watch some movies, but even big
15:29
movies, sometimes I didn't go. Like I wasn't, it was never my...
15:32
Elyse Rivin: Yeah, I love going to the movies. Annie Sargent: So it is true that movies can help you with cultural climitations?
15:40
Is that a word? Aclimatization?
15:43
Acclimation. Elyse Rivin: Acclimation?
15:46
Maybe acclimation. I'm not sure if that's the French word or the English word.
15:50
Annie Sargent: Yeah, so you get used to learning about a place, it's
15:53
different, you know, you do that. There's some language exposure in movies.
15:57
Although if you watch movies just in English, meh, yeah.
16:00
I'm really annoyed that Disney+ and some Amazon streaming services, they will
16:06
only show me movies dubbed into French.
16:10
Yes, I watched one just now on Disney+.
16:13
Elyse Rivin: You can't get it in the original language. Annie Sargent: You cannot switch to the original language, which annoys
16:17
me because I can see on their lips.
16:19
I can read their lips. It's English. Elyse Rivin: Well that's, I have this ongoing discussion with
16:25
my husband because I will only watch films in original version.
16:28
I don't care what country they're from. And I'll read the subtitles.
16:31
Of course, here I read them in French. But I don't see the point of watching somebody mouth something that you know is
16:37
not the original language or the voice. Annie Sargent: Yeah, I prefer the original voice.
16:41
Anyway, movies also give you some historical context,
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some movies more than others. There's a lot of historical movies about World War II, World War I.
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Big events like that.
16:54
So those are great. Scenic preview of the beautiful places in France is wonderful.
17:00
Now, of course, you need to know that when they make a movie, they empty the place.
17:05
They light it just right. They do a, I mean, if you've ever seen a movie being filmed in Paris, they turn
17:13
an area into a set and it's a big, big deal turning a whole, an area into a set.
17:19
So it's not something they do easily, but it will give you an idea of what
17:23
the places look like and what the nicest looking places in France are.
17:28
Obviously. The architectural highlights for the same reason.
17:32
You will see buildings like you don't see at home, you know, in
17:35
movies that are set in France. Also culinary curiosity.
17:39
You know, it will just go, Oh, what are they eating?
17:42
Elyse Rivin: Oh, food, of course, is a big subject of films in France.
17:45
Annie Sargent: Yes, it really is. And also emotional connections with the country, which would,
17:50
you were just saying, you know, for you, it was a big deal that,
17:53
that emotionally you got hooked. Elyse Rivin: I did.
17:56
Annie Sargent: For people who like fashion and style, you can see
17:59
that movies also, you know, they show you the fashion and the style.
18:03
On the other hand, of course, these are movies.
18:07
You should know that we don't all drive 2 CV or Renault 4 or you know, thank God...
18:14
When I walk, in my village, there is no Edith Piaf or re place, you know,
18:19
playing in the background unless I have earbuds and then I can do what I want.
18:23
French women don't all look stunning and perfect.
18:26
No, no. Some of don't even give a damn.
18:29
Elyse Rivin: And interestingly enough, there are still lots of people who
18:32
write when they're about to plan their trips to France and worry that
18:36
they're not going to be chic enough.
18:39
You know what, France has learned to be like America, that is, people wear
18:43
comfortable shoes, they wear comfortable clothes, it's finished where you have
18:47
to walk around on high heels and these tiny little dresses, that's all gone.
18:51
Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. French men are not all charming and trustworthy...
18:55
Elyse Rivin: Or trying to make a pass at you. Annie Sargent: Or, yeah, or that.
18:58
Yes. Can you imagine?
19:00
It would be so tiring. We don't all live in chateaus surrounded by vineyards.
19:06
We don't all have a housekeeper that will come and, one of them, the movie
19:10
I was watching just when you arrived... It's called "A Good Year".
19:14
Elyse Rivin: The one by Maille? Annie Sargent: Yes. Yeah. It's a fun movie, but you know, there's a housekeeper,
19:21
there's scorpions in this movie. Apparently, that house in Provence has scorpions.
19:27
There's no scorpions in Toulouse, thank God. And whenever he sees a scorpion, he screams and the housekeeper
19:33
runs to kill the scorpion for him. We don't have that, you know, for spiders, well, I have rushed to
19:39
people's assistance with spiders before.
19:42
You know, we don't all have cicadas singing all day long,
19:45
thank God that would be awful. But you knew all that, right?
19:48
I mean, you're not dumb, you know, these are movies, these are movies.
19:52
And there are some movies that are particularly unrealistic,
19:56
like "An American in Paris". Elyse Rivin: You talking about the Gene Kelly one?
20:01
Oh, it was filmed at a studio.
20:03
I don't even think it was filmed in France. Annie Sargent: No, none of it is in France.
20:06
And it's singing and dancing. It's lovely.
20:09
Elyse Rivin: But it has, it's not France. Annie Sargent: Yes, it's called an American in Paris, but it's not France.
20:14
Okay. Amélie Poulain. Elyse Rivin: Amélie Poulain.
20:17
Okay. Let's talk gritty here.
20:20
Okay. The exterior scenes were really shot in Montmartre.
20:23
Annie Sargent: Sure. Elyse Rivin: Of course, the story is a fairytale, which is delightful.
20:26
It's an absolutely delightful story, but at least you get real exterior shots,
20:31
which, of course, have helped people want to go to the same two places all
20:35
the time, the grocery store and the cafe. But still, you do get a sense for a part of Montmartre from the film.
20:41
Annie Sargent: The grocery store is in my Montmartre walking tour, but not the cafe,
20:45
because it was down the hill too far. And I'm ah, I don't want to schlep them all the way down the hill just for that.
20:50
Elyse Rivin: It's true that it does give you a glimpse of that part of Paris.
20:55
Right, right. Annie Sargent: Then you have Moulin Rouge.
20:57
Now, which Moulin Rouge? Because there are several.
21:01
So there's one from 2001, it's like...
21:05
Elyse Rivin: The one with Nicole Kidman? Annie Sargent: I think so, yes.
21:08
Well, now that one, as far as I remember, I did see it in the movies.
21:10
I haven't seen it again since. It's just this big musical where everybody sings.
21:16
Was it actually about the Moulin Rouge?
21:19
No, it's about the whole can-can thing and, the whole style of entertainment
21:26
that Moulin Rouge embodies. Elyse Rivin: I have a vague memory of it being this kind of entertaining, but
21:31
very weird movie, actually, you know.
21:33
Annie Sargent: Yeah, and by the way, the paddles of the Moulin Rouge fell down.
21:37
Yes. Elyse Rivin: Well, they've been up for a long time.
21:40
Annie Sargent: Probably going to put them up again. Elyse Rivin: However, there is another Moulin Rouge.
21:42
I put it on my little list, and I remember watching this several times on television.
21:47
And this was even before I knew I was going to be an art student and come
21:51
to France and I've seen it since. It's an old, old movie, it's really old.
21:55
It's called Moulin Rouge and it's about the life of Toulouse Lautrec.
21:59
And the actor, it's an American movie.
22:02
So I doubt very much if it was filmed in France at all, but it's pretty realistic
22:08
in terms of what his life was like when he moved to Paris to become an artist.
22:12
And the actor who played him, I remember this because it impressed
22:17
me, I was young the first time I saw it, and I must've been in high
22:21
school or in college, they didn't have computer generated imagery at the time.
22:25
And they fixed it the camera in a way so that it looked like he had stumpy legs
22:29
because he really didn't have stumpy legs.
22:32
And so he walked around and you really get the impression that was way the
22:36
poor Toulouse Lautrec actually, the way he walked, you know, it was very
22:40
realistic in terms of talking about how hard his life was as a cripple.
22:45
Annie Sargent: Yeah, yeah, he had some. Elyse Rivin: But it was interesting because it shows him as an artist too.
22:49
Annie Sargent: So that's one that you would recommend, if people can find it.
22:52
Elyse Rivin: Yes. Yes. If you can find it, if you can stream it somewhere.
22:55
Yes. Yeah. Annie Sargent: Yeah. And I can't verify which ones you can stream from where you are,
23:00
because it changes with country. Like, you know, there's some things I can see here in France, but not in Spain.
23:05
Like, ah, it's annoying. It's Europe.
23:08
Yeah. Another movie that's not very realistic about France is La La
23:13
Land, but it only ends in Paris.
23:16
But the Paris it shows at the end is not real at all.
23:20
Elyse Rivin: No, but, do you have Midnight in Paris there?
23:23
Annie Sargent: Yes, I was coming to that in a second. Elyse Rivin: Oh, because it's one of my faves.
23:27
Annie Sargent: So, I couldn't watch it again because nobody
23:29
streams it or sells it here.
23:32
Elyse Rivin: I just watched it again on French television. Ah, well, but I don't watch French Television.
23:36
It was on Canal Plus just recently, about a month ago.
23:39
Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah. Elyse Rivin: I love it. I love it.
23:41
Now, it was really filmed, the exterior scenes were really filmed
23:45
all in Paris, some of them around the Panthéon, Rue Saint Geneviève,
23:49
and it really is a wonderful homage to the crazy Paris of the 1920s and
23:53
30s, and it's fun, it's so much fun.
23:57
Annie Sargent: It's a delightful movie. I really recommend that one because it's just delightful to watch.
24:01
Elyse Rivin: And it mentions all the artists that were big, you know, I don't
24:04
even know if some of them were famous at the time, but they're all famous now.
24:07
Annie Sargent: Yeah. Yeah. Da Vinci Code, the movie, which is half in Paris, half in London, well,
24:13
perhaps not quite half in London, but a lot of it is in London, but
24:17
the Paris scenes are fabulous.
24:20
Like it's Elyse Rivin: And the Saint-Sulpice when he goes into Saint-Sulpice, right?
24:24
Annie Sargent: Yes, yes. So that one is, I mean, that one is worth watching just because, there's a
24:30
lot of action, it's fun, it takes place a lot of it in the center of Paris.
24:35
Elyse Rivin: They do a lot of running. Annie Sargent: And Touteau, what's her first name?
24:37
Audrey Tautou. Yeah. She has a bit of a French accent when she speaks English, but they don't
24:43
make fun of it, which is nice because a lot of American movies and TVs and
24:48
things make fun of French accents.
24:50
So thank you for not making fun of her French accent.
24:54
Elyse Rivin: And she's same one that's in Amélie. Annie Sargent: Yes.
24:56
Yes. She's Amélie as well. Yes. Yes. She's a great actress.
25:00
French Kiss is, it's one with, what's his name?
25:05
Elyse Rivin: I don't know that one. Annie Sargent: Hang on. So French kiss was filmed in 1995.
25:10
It has Kevin Kline. It's very unrealistic.
25:13
It's this vineyard kind of story.
25:15
It's very much like A Good Year, which the story of A Good Year is the...
25:21
kind of the go, go, go financier from the city of London, inherits a
25:30
property in France, in Southern France.
25:33
He had spent time there as a child with his uncle, but hasn't been back for a
25:38
long time and he goes back and he intends to just sell it and get it over with.
25:44
But of course, things happen.
25:47
Things happen. The one thing that's very realistic is that at some point, there is a
25:52
potential second heir that shows up.
25:55
And it is true that in France, even if an heir shows up 10 years after
26:01
the estate has been settled, they can always claim their part of the estate.
26:06
Even that much later? Yes.
26:09
So this is a part of the plot that is realistic.
26:12
That's just French law, how it works. So French Kiss, the one with Kevin Kline is that sort of movie, but I
26:17
haven't watched it again because I couldn't find it anywhere to stream.
26:21
Another one 'Paris Can Wait'.
26:24
Have you seen that one? I don't remember seeing that one.
26:27
Elyse Rivin: Who's it by? Annie Sargent: I don't remember.
26:29
Apparently, it's lots of landscapes of France and just a beautiful, a beautiful
26:35
show, but I don't remember seeing. Monte Carlo is, kind of a teen comedy and it shows Monte Carlo and fairytale
26:41
kind of playground for rich people, you know, and it glosses over the realities
26:46
of local, you know, but a fun movie if you, yeah, this is not one that I've seen.
26:53
So tell us about the ones that you've watched or that you
26:56
remember and that you recommend. Elyse Rivin: Okay, so of course we've mentioned the other one about Paris,
27:01
granted it's an animation, but Ratatouille is a movie that everybody has to see.
27:07
Annie Sargent: I rewatched it this week. Elyse Rivin: I mean, it's a Pixar movie, okay?
27:12
But it really, using, I mean, this little mouse, you know, who
27:17
wants to be a chef, you know? It's a delightful, delightful movie, and I love it because it's really a parody
27:22
of the snobbism of the French chefs and French cooking, and they all have these
27:27
very silly French accents and everything.
27:29
And in the animation, they do such a lovely job of drawing Paris, and
27:33
it's just a fun, fun, fun movie. Annie Sargent: And there's one spot in the movie where he's standing
27:40
in front of the rat killing store.
27:44
And he's shaking in his boots.
27:46
Like, oh, that's what they do to us.
27:49
On my Les Halle Tour, the food tour, I take you right to that.
27:55
Elyse Rivin: So it really exists?
27:58
It Annie Sargent: really exists. It's for Elyse Rivin: real.
28:00
Yes. One of the things I love about the movie is that food critic, you know,
28:04
I mean, people who have restaurants who really have pretensions of a good
28:08
restaurant tremble, literally tremble. You see them shaking in the movie.
28:12
It's a delightful movie. It really Annie Sargent: is.
28:14
Yes, I agree. I enjoy watching it again.
28:17
If you have grandkids or anybody young in your family, you got
28:19
to sit down and watch that with Elyse Rivin: them. You'll never again see a little mouse making haute cuisine.
28:24
So there you are, you know. I have two movies that are about World War II.
28:29
Now, there are lots, and lots, and lots of movies about World War II.
28:33
I was trying to figure out, which of the movies that I think are
28:35
the most, in some way, realistic and really are filmed in places.
28:41
And one of them I just interestingly re-saw, interestingly enough, on
28:44
television, because it's a very old movie, and that is a classic called
28:47
'Is Paris Burning?' And it was filmed in the 1960s before Paris cleaned up.
28:53
So you see, it's about the very end of World War II, when the German general
28:59
was given the order by Hitler to bomb and destroy Paris and how he disobeys.
29:04
And the whole movie is about the tension between, is he going to destroy
29:08
Paris before the allies arrive or not?
29:11
And it was filmed in Paris, on the streets in Paris, and you see all of
29:16
the gorgeous buildings, the Haussmannian street buildings and everything, but they
29:19
are black with soot because in the 1960s, they hadn't yet cleaned everything up.
29:24
And so it's quite remarkable, both because it's very realistic in terms of what the
29:29
story is, even though you have some famous actors, like I think Burt Lancaster and
29:34
people like that, but it's also because it really is filmed on the streets in
29:38
Paris, you know, so it's really worth. And then I was debating and then I decided that I wanted to add
29:43
'The Longest Day' by Spielberg. Because he really did film it on the beaches in Normandy and he really did
29:49
go to the towns there and, again, it's even more of a serious movie than 'Is
29:56
Paris Burning?' Because Paris Burning basically has what you could call
30:00
in some strange way a happy ending, but it's a fabulous movie and it's
30:04
very realistic in terms of the events leading up to the invasion of Normandy.
30:09
And since we're coming up to the 80th anniversary, for anybody out there
30:13
who is planning anywhere in the near future of going to Normandy, this
30:16
is of course a great movie to see. Annie Sargent: Definitely is.
30:19
So I installed an app recently on my phone called, Just Watch.
30:25
And with this app, you can see where a particular movie is either streaming or
30:34
available for purchase in your locale.
30:37
And unfortunately, there were not a single one World War II movies that I could find.
30:43
You know, I tried to remember all the titles and then I put
30:46
in a keyword World War II. Not a single one is streaming around here.
30:51
And perhaps I just didn't do the search right, but it's kind of sad.
30:54
Elyse Rivin: That is kind of sad, especially because French television
30:58
tends to replay certain movies, especially the French ones, of course.
31:02
But of course you never know ahead of time when they're going to show them.
31:04
And it isn't necessarily on a streaming service, so if it's just
31:07
on public television, that doesn't mean you're going to have access
31:10
to it particularly, you know. Annie Sargent: Right, I mean, Canal Plus has this streaming
31:16
thing that you can subscribe to. Elyse Rivin: They do.
31:19
And of course, they keep them for a certain amount of time.
31:21
Some films are kept longer than others. I do not know how that works, the availability.
31:25
But the other movies, I sort of made them by little categories.
31:30
I had fun doing this. Two movies about queens, one of which is much more fun and
31:36
less serious than the other. The fun one is Marie Antoinette by Sofia Coppola, which was made in 2006.
31:45
If I'm not mistaken, she actually got permission to film some
31:48
of the scenes in Versailles. Almost the entire film takes place in Versailles, and it's of course about Marie
31:54
Antoinette and her life as a young queen, but with a very californian take on it.
32:00
I don't know how else to explain it, you know, so it's really fun to watch.
32:04
It's gorgeous costumes and scenery.
32:06
And my God, how did they walk around with those things on top of
32:09
their heads all the time, you know? But it's really gives you an idea of the opulence and the weird
32:15
etiquette of the court in Versailles.
32:18
And the other one, which is far more serious and it's not for children,
32:22
just to be warned, is that 'La Reine Margot', which is a French movie
32:26
about the very first wife of the King Henry IV and Margot, her name was
32:32
actually Margaret, was the sister of three brothers who became in one
32:37
after the other kings and all died. And that was how Henry IV wound up becoming king, our famous
32:43
Protestant king of France. It's a movie that is at the same time, realistic historically, and
32:49
very, very, very over the top baroque.
32:52
And very French. So it's definitely not a movie for children, but it's very, very
32:57
interesting if you want to see what life was like at that time.
33:00
Annie Sargent: Yeah, I meant to stream that one on Netflix and I
33:04
didn't get to it before we recorded.
33:06
Elyse Rivin: It's Isabelle Adjani when she was much younger before she lifted
33:09
her face and her neck and her, the rest of her body all at the same time.
33:13
And there's a third one, which is, is just the latest version of something that you
33:18
love and that is the Three Musketeers. Yes, it came out last year with three very popular young French actors and
33:27
Vincent Cassel who plays the older guy in it, but it made a fortune at the movies.
33:32
It was a huge, huge success and I honestly was, I didn't have time, I was going
33:37
to go online and see how many versions of the Three Musketeers there are.
33:40
I actually do not have any idea. Lots!
33:43
But there've been television versions, there've been movie versions.
33:46
But if anybody wants to see a new, wonderful version of, at least the
33:51
first half of the story, because it was cut into, made into two movies, go see
33:54
this one, and it is streaming, you can get it now, because it's a very recent
33:58
movie, and it's so much fun, and the sword scenes are absolutely fabulous.
34:02
Annie Sargent: Yeah, like those. I like those.
34:04
And then I just added a few that are really filmed in places outside of
34:09
Paris and outside of the North and my favorites, and I just recently,
34:15
when I say recently means in the last six, eight months, we saw them,
34:18
interestingly enough, on television, and that is the two films together:
34:22
Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources.
34:25
Yes, and I wanted to re-watch them and I cannot find them for
34:28
streaming anywhere in France. Elyse Rivin: So strange.
34:32
And those are wonderful.
34:34
I was actually shocked to see that, because I didn't remember,
34:38
that they were made in 1986, which is a long time ago, which really
34:43
makes me feel old, let me tell you. They are based on the books by Jean Giono and they are wonderful
34:50
and they are filmed in Provence.
34:52
And every scene is filmed out of doors in Provence and they're based
34:57
on this classic story of, it's actually the turn of the 20th century.
35:01
That's where, it's both a romance and a tragic story, but
35:04
it's wonderful, gorgeous, great acting, won all kinds of awards.
35:09
And the two films are basically the two volumes of the story that
35:13
followed the history of this family. It's two generations.
35:15
It's with great actors that are still around and very, very famous.
35:20
And so I highly recommend seeing them.
35:23
Annie Sargent: And the third one is called Le Chateau de Ma Mere.
35:25
Elyse Rivin: Le Chateau de Ma Mere, which is less exciting.
35:28
I just recently saw it again. Annie Sargent: I haven't seen it for a long time.
35:32
Elyse Rivin: Even my husband, who really would rather watch that than
35:35
anything Americanized, said eh, eh.
35:38
It doesn't have the same action that Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources has,
35:42
it's a little bit more, oh, this is the story of my mama, this is the story of
35:44
my papa, it's nice because it was filmed. And then another one that I saw a while ago, but I would love to watch
35:50
again with Juliette Binoche is in French 'Le Hussard sur le toit'.
35:55
The hazard, I don't even know how you say hazard in English.
35:58
It's an officer in the army and actually it takes place in 1830s.
36:02
It's based on a book by Giono also.
36:05
But it's about a real event, although the story is romanticized,
36:09
and it was filmed in Manosque and Cisteron in the Provence area.
36:14
And it's about a huge epidemic of cholera.
36:18
And how these soldiers who were part of the Savoy Italian Army at a time when Nice
36:25
and Provence was not actually an official part of France, were sent to help, do
36:30
something to help these people because there was this huge epidemic, I don't
36:34
even remember how long it lasted, that was terrible in that part of the Southeast.
36:39
And it's a very beautiful, romantic movie, in spite of the
36:41
subject matter, it actually is. Annie Sargent: Huh, interesting,
36:44
Elyse Rivin: And the last one on my list, it's fun, it's funny,
36:48
and it takes place in the Gers. There aren't too many movies that are specifically, it's
36:53
actually the subject of the movie. It's with Eddie Mitchell and a group of other actors that people in France
36:59
know, and it's called L'amour est dans le pré, which is basically that 'Love
37:04
is in the fields', and it's really about a group of Parisians who are very
37:08
snobbish, who wind up in this country house in the Gers, which we've done as
37:13
a podcast where of course nothing really happens, it's just the countryside.
37:16
And how at first they go crazy because they were so bored and
37:20
then eventually fall in love with how wonderful it is in the Gers.
37:23
And it was filmed there. Annie Sargent: Yeah, so it's a bit like 'A good year'.
37:26
In the end, they fall love. Elyse Rivin: This is the French version, with lots duck food.
37:31
Annie Sargent: Yeah, Gers, mean... what are you going to do?
37:33
Elyse Rivin: It's foie gras and duck. Annie Sargent: So the ones that I rewatched in preparation for this
37:38
episode is the Da Vinci Code, I recommend, Ratatouille, which I
37:41
also recommend, A Good Year, it's okay, I mean, you know, it's fine.
37:46
And Murder Mystery 2.
37:49
So this is Jennifer Aniston, and what's the name of guy?
37:53
He's really super famous. Anyway, it's really silly.
37:57
It's extremely silly. The second half of the movie takes place in Paris.
38:02
With the first half takes place in some Island.
38:05
It's a sort of comedy that's almost French style comedy, like it's so over the top.
38:11
It's very, very over the top. But the scenes in Paris, at the end, and the scenes around the
38:16
Eiffel Tower are incredible.
38:19
I don't know how long they had to close down the Eiffel Tower to film all of
38:23
this, but there's some serious action.
38:26
If you want to see Jennifer Aniston jumping over the side of the Eiffel Tower,
38:30
you got to watch Murder Mystery 2, because that's not something you see everywhere.
38:34
It was, that was a really silly movie, just to, it's
38:39
entertaining, you know, it's... but it is filmed in Paris.
38:42
It is the real Eiffel Tower. It was very fun to watch it.
38:45
Elyse Rivin: I just realized there was one category of film I hadn't even
38:48
thought of that probably could have added. There've been a few films in the last few years about the history of Dior
38:54
and about the history of high fashion.
38:56
And I saw that on that very big list that people who've been listening have
39:00
sent in, a movie that I actually did see on streaming on television recently.
39:04
It is true, it's very charming. It's 'Mrs. Harris goes to Paris' with a wonderful British actress, of
39:10
course, now that I can see her face and her name escapes me completely.
39:13
But it's really about her going to the Dior house in the 1950s or 60s,
39:19
because she has this dream of having this high-end gorgeous ball gown.
39:24
I think aside from the fact that part of it was filmed on the streets,
39:27
they did actually get permission to film scenes inside the House of Dior.
39:31
If you want to see a film that talks about the whole world of
39:34
the high-end haute couture, it's a kind of fun little film to see.
39:39
Annie Sargent: Right. Right. And to end, we're going to go through some of the movies, because
39:42
this was a, this was inspired by a discussion on the Facebook group.
39:47
I don't even know who started this discussion, but somebody who just
39:50
wanted to do some research about France by watching movies before her trip.
39:58
So she started a list and then a bunch of people added to it.
40:02
And I'm just going to skip the ones that we already talked about, but
40:05
'Ballerina', apparently 2016, an orphan escapes to Paris and dances.
40:11
From, apparently this lady, this person said it's streaming
40:15
on Tubi or Roku channel. I don't know what Tubi is.
40:18
'A monster in Paris' from 2011.
40:21
A monster in 1910 Paris falls for a beautiful singer,
40:25
streaming on Peacock and Amazon. Rugrats in Paris, from 2000, I think that's, animated.
40:33
Stu works on an amusement park in Paris, and the gang travels with him.
40:38
It's streaming on Paramount+ in the US, not in France.
40:41
A Cat in Paris, 2010, a cat helps rescue a girl, sounds
40:46
good to me, streaming in Tubi.
40:50
The Hunchback
40:54
of Notre Dame 1996, of course, we didn't mention this one, Quasimodo
40:59
locked in a tower must help a woman, that's streming on Disney, in the US. And just like Three Musketeers, there are probably a bazillion versions.
41:05
Of course, yes. The Aristocats, of course, The Aristocats.
41:09
So the abandoned cats returned to their home in Paris.
41:12
That's streaming on Disney, but not in France.
41:15
Historical films about war and revenge, pre-revolution: The Man in
41:20
the Iron Mask, The Three Musketeers,
41:24
Elyse Rivin: Les Misérables. Annie Sargent: Of course.
41:26
Les Misérables. There's a couple of versions.
41:30
This person recommends, specifically the 2012.
41:32
Hugh Jackman, he plays Jean Valjean and Anne Hathaway, and she played,
41:37
she won an Oscar for playing Fantine. Marie Antoinette, the 2006 movie with Kirsten Dunst.
41:45
Is that the same one you were...? The Count of Monte Cristo, 2002, wrongfully imprisoned man seeks revenge.
41:54
Post Revolution, Napoleon from 2003, so this is an epic, epic biopic
42:00
Waterloo, historical war film.
42:03
I couldn't find that one. World War I, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' from 2022.
42:10
Yeah. Elyse Rivin: Uh, 2022? Annie Sargent: Yes, apparently 2022.
42:13
Elyse Rivin: They remade it? Yes... apparently. Because it's a classic from the 1940s.
42:18
Annie Sargent: It's a book, obviously, I mean, I read the book, I don't
42:20
remember seeing the movie, either old or new, but apparently...
42:24
Elyse Rivin: It's a classic of what is considered to be an anti-war movie.
42:28
Annie Sargent: Right. World War II, Dunkirk, that's the 2017.
42:34
Yeah, so the allied soldiers retreat at Dunkirk, during the Battle of France.
42:38
Elyse Rivin: I have to say that, I do think Longest Day is much better, it's
42:42
became famous and got great reviews for the use of cinematography but....
42:48
whatever, I mean, it's another movie...
42:51
I definitely think the Longest Day, if you're going to choose one
42:53
of them, choose the Longest Day. Annie Sargent: Yeah, yeah. There's another movie called Hugo, 2011.
42:58
So best picture winner about a boy who lives alone in 1930s Paris.
43:03
I don't know anything about this one. Chocolat, 2000.
43:07
Elyse Rivin: Which is delightful. Annie Sargent: A woman and her daughter open up a store in 1959 France.
43:13
It's aparently streaming on Paramount+, and Amazon Prime.
43:17
So now, suspense. Inception, which...
43:22
Elyse Rivin: Same Nolan, the same guy who did Dunkirk. OK, yeah.
43:26
So this is... the thief, Leonardo DiCaprio, steals by going into dreams.
43:34
That's streaming on Hulu. And there's a magnificent scene of that taking place on the
43:41
Bir-Hakeim bridge in Paris.
43:43
It's part of my Eiffel Tower tour, I take you to that.
43:47
Annie Sargent: Taken 2008, Liam Neeson, tries to save his
43:51
kidnapped daughter in Paris.
43:53
Elyse Rivin: Well Taken, there's a 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, I think.
43:56
Yeah. He has somebody taken just about everywhere and he has to go find them.
44:02
Annie Sargent: So this is like Angela Lansbury. Do not want to be a nephew of hers because they all get murdered.
44:08
Elyse Rivin: So this one, I think there's more than one that
44:11
actually takes place in Paris. Annie Sargent: There you go.
44:13
All right. La Vie en Rose, 2007, a biography about Édith Piaf, with Marianne Cotillard.
44:20
Aha, very good. Yeah, I did not see that one.
44:22
Elyse Rivin: I did see it. It's actually, she does a very good job of playing her.
44:26
I don't know, I doubt if she was actually the one who sang,
44:30
but it was actually quite good. Uhhuh. Funny face.
44:33
1957. Audrey Hepburn
44:36
Yes. And and Fred Astair. Dancing and singing.
44:38
Annie Sargent: Apparently it's streaming on Paramount+.
44:41
Elyse Rivin: With paper mache walls that represent Paris.
44:45
Annie Sargent: Oh, oh, one that's very good, Julie and Julia from the 2009 Meryl
44:53
Streep plays Julia Child, apparently it's streaming on Prime, but not in France.
44:59
'Paris, Je t'aime.' 2007.
45:02
20 Filmmakers explore the many faces of love, it's streaming
45:06
on Peacock and on Amazon.
45:08
Yes. I would like that. C'était un rendez vous, 1976.
45:13
French short film on high speed drive through Paris.
45:16
C'était un rendez vous. Call my agent series.
45:21
Elyse Rivin: That's a series. A great series. Annie Sargent: Great series.
45:23
Yeah. Elyse Rivin: Yes. Yeah. No, series is a whole other thing.
45:26
We have another podcast just on series, I think.
45:28
Annie Sargent: Well, we did one about... what's her name, Emily in Paris (2020).
45:32
We did one about that. John Wick 4, Montmartre fight scene apparently is quite spectacular.
45:39
I don't know anything about this one. Lupin, which is a series.
45:42
Which is a series. A series but it's very good.
45:45
Oh, another one I watched is Untouchables, to prepare for this episode.
45:50
Elyse Rivin: That made him famous. Yes. Annie Sargent: So Untouchables, if you can get that in the
45:55
US, it is a marvelous movie.
45:57
It's based on a true story about this paraplegic, very successful man who had
46:03
an accident and is now quadriplegic and needs assistance for all sorts of things.
46:10
And he has a lot of people, because he's very rich, he has a lot of people
46:15
assisting him and he's looking for a new person to do physical therapy,
46:20
bathe him, that sort of thing. And Omar Sy shows up to take the job.
46:24
Elyse Rivin: From the other side of the boulevard, as they say, the
46:26
other side of rocade in French. Annie Sargent: Yes.
46:28
yes. It's wonderful. It is wonderful.
46:31
Both of the actors are, all of the actors are excellent.
46:34
A great, great movie called Untouchables.
46:38
Loved it. I loved seeing it again. Oh, somebody says Jean Luc Godard's films, you know,
46:43
groundbreaking in New Wave cinema. There's Contempt, A Woman is a Woman, Breathless.
46:48
Let's see, La Haine. Elyse Rivin: Which I have never seen.
46:51
It's a very violent movie. About guys in the ghetto.
46:56
And, Matthew Kasavitz is one of the...
46:58
and Vincent Casello, two of the actors in it. I've heard lots of things about it in all the years, but I have never actually
47:04
had the stomach to actually watch it. Annie Sargent: Yeah, yeah.
47:07
Le Ballon Rouge, The Red Balloon. That's like this little kid runs around Paris and the red balloon, I think
47:14
it's an animation or perhaps it's... I watched it with my daughter when she was little.
47:18
It's really, really cute. The little red balloon bounces up and down, and the kid chases down the balloon.
47:25
It's lovely. It's, yeah, it's fantastic.
47:28
Napoleon from 2023. Elyse Rivin: Which is the one with Joaquin Phoenix.
47:33
That just was last year. I didn't see it.
47:35
I actually, my husband went to see it on recommendation of my stepdaughter.
47:38
Apparently, the battle scenes are really incredible, really well done.
47:43
It's supposed to be pretty much an analysis of his entire life, and it's
47:47
weak, what I've heard from a lot of people is that the battle scenes are great,
47:52
go for that, but it's not going to give you more insight into who he really was.
47:57
Annie Sargent: Didn't see it either, so I can't really say one way or the other.
48:01
The Day of the Jackal, 1973 political thriller set in 1963, based on a
48:07
true attempt by French right wingers to kill Président De Gaulle for
48:11
granting independence to Algeria.
48:14
Great cast, lots of action, set mostly in Paris and surroundings.
48:19
Diva, 1981, young postman on motor scooter falls in love with an American opera
48:26
singer who has a concert in Paris, then gets caught up in a tale of Parisian
48:30
police corruption and Asian intrigue.
48:33
Elyse Rivin: I believe it's Luc Besson, no? Annie Sargent: I think you're right.
48:36
Elyse Rivin: It's totally surrealistic. Annie Sargent: This person says, one of the coolest movies of the 1980s,
48:41
brilliant for showing Paris by night.
48:43
Plus, it has two Citroën Traction, ha, ha, Traction avant
48:48
Elyse Rivin: I think it was filmed, there were some scenes in the subway, actually.
48:51
Annie Sargent: Also, okay. The person says it has two Citroën Traction Avant and
48:55
a man slicing a baguette. Compulsory viewing, says whoever wrote this.
49:01
And there's a movie called Just Paris by Cédric Klapisch with Romain Duris.
49:08
It's from 2008 and maybe the best movie for showing places like Amelie Poulain,
49:13
but I think it's the most authentic about people in Paris just living their lives.
49:19
And then Before Sunset from 2004.
49:23
Elyse Rivin: Which is charming. Annie Sargent: I haven't seen Elyse Rivin: it. Oh, what's her name?
49:26
She's a French actress who moved to the States who made the movie.
49:29
It's a very, it's kind of like a less quirky Woody Allen type movie.
49:35
Annie Sargent: Okay. Elyse Rivin: It's very romantic and it's really charming.
49:38
Annie Sargent: All right. And then Desire, great movie with Marlon Brando, all about the woman Napoleon
49:45
was engaged to before Josephine.
49:47
Let's see, Before Sunset and Nocturna.
49:50
Two very different movie, Taxi and Taxi 2.
49:54
Elyse Rivin: All the Taxis, there's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, they all take place in
49:57
Marseille and they're all about a wild taxi driver and thieves and burglars.
50:02
It's silly. It's about car rides and chases in Marseille.
50:06
Annie Sargent: Okay. Dan Levy's 'Good Grief' on Netflix, I enjoyed it for the parts I did watch.
50:13
A lot of people can hate on Emily in Paris all they want, but
50:16
it is truly visually stunning.
50:18
Absolutely love those drone shots of Paris they have in between scenes.
50:22
And it's true that you cannot use a drone in Paris unless you're a movie maker.
50:27
And you have permits and all of that. Oh, we have been talking too long Elyse, too long.
50:31
Elyse Rivin: Oh my goodness, we could do movies forever, and ever, and ever, Annie.
50:35
Annie Sargent: Well, but this was really interesting because I would
50:37
have liked to watch more of these movies, I swear, it's hard to see them.
50:42
This is where my good old collection of DVDs comes in handy.
50:47
But I took all of those down to Spain.
50:51
I did, and so I think I have some of these movies on DVD, but they are in Espana, so
50:57
I will have to go watch them down there. Elyse Rivin: Now you're going to have to go watch down there.
51:00
It's going to confuse your brain between the Spanish and the French again.
51:03
Merci Beaucoup Elyse here's to another 500!
51:11
Annie Sargent: Let's clink, let's clink by your microphone, by the microphone. Whoa, sorry.
51:17
Oh, and by the way, we never drink on the podcast.
51:20
I know there's a lot of podcasters who drink, ah, you know, they
51:24
drink some wine or beer while Elyse Rivin: podcasting.
51:27
Annie Sargent: Oh, no! We never, ever do that. If we're silly, it's just a natural silly.
51:31
It's not the... not the drinking silly kind.
51:33
All right, Elyse.
51:37
Elyse Rivin: Bye Annie! Annie Sargent: Au revoir. Elyse Rivin: Au revoir. Annie Sargent: Again, I want to thank my patrons for giving
51:48
back and supporting the show. Patreon supporters get new episodes as soon as they are ready and ad-free.
51:55
And those of you who choose to pay annually, save 16% OFF.
51:59
I offer five levels of support with increasingly great perks that start
52:05
at $2 per month, and you can see all of that at patreon.com/joinus.
52:11
And a shout out this week to new patrons: Wouter Koek, Jonellyn
52:17
Dittenhauser, JoAnn Stubbings, and my thanks to Amanda Rose for increasing
52:23
your pledge to Groupie du Podcast.
52:27
And to all my current patrons, merci, patrons make all the difference
52:30
and go behind the scenes helping me make this podcast a great resource
52:35
for francophiles, and we also interact one on one quite a bit.
52:40
And to support Elyse go to patreon.com/Elysart.
52:45
So one of my patrons sent me a question about swimming in the Seine
52:50
or not, whatever the case may be.
52:52
Okay. What's happening? Let me explain. Let me try to explain what's happening.
52:56
In Paris, they have an extensive water reclamation system that gets overwhelmed
53:04
at times, mostly by rain and runoff.
53:08
So, especially for the Olympics, they had a goal that the Seine would be swimmable.
53:14
And it has been swimmable in the past, you can see photos of people jumping into
53:20
the Seine from the Pont d'Inéa in 1945, and then it got more and more polluted.
53:26
Not that it's a filthy, horrible river that catch on fire or anything
53:30
like that, but the pollution levels are too high for people to swim in.
53:35
The cleanup started about 20 years ago when they started putting in
53:40
all sorts of things to retain the water and re claim it, clean it
53:44
up before it got to the Seine.
53:47
They were hoping that this would be completely done by this year, and
53:51
theoretically it should have been. Except that this year is extremely rainy, probably three or four
53:58
times rainier than normal. And so they need to have at least a week or two without rain before the
54:07
system can catch up, and clean up all the water running into the river.
54:13
And that's why it is not certain that the Olympics swimming competition
54:18
will take place in the Seine as was initially planned, perhaps they will
54:23
have to do it at a swimming pool instead, which is not the end of
54:26
the world but, there you have it. Weather is unpredictable.
54:31
And the other thing I wanted to mention is that the extension to line 14 of
54:36
the Paris Metro is now in operation.
54:39
This extension is fully automated, it is also fully accessible, whereas most
54:45
of the rest of the Paris Metro is not. Every station is protected by doors.
54:50
It's like line one of the metro has been for a long time.
54:54
This metro will serve between Orly airport and Saint Denis Pleyel,
54:59
where a major Olympic venue is.
55:02
The construction lasted for eight years.
55:05
They added 14 kilometers of tracks and 16 stations.
55:10
They will have a new metro come every 85 seconds in peak
55:15
hours, which is a lot of metros.
55:18
The ride time between Châtelet and Orly is going to be 25 minutes, so that's
55:22
half as long as what it is today with the RERB, and those who have a monthly
55:28
or yearly pass will have the fee to get to the Orly airport included.
55:34
I am not certain if the weekly pass includes this.
55:38
Several people have told me that it does, but I found a lot of interviews with
55:44
people on French radio, et cetera, where they say it's not for weekly pass holders.
55:49
And so I don't know. It's a question that somebody needs to ask at a metro station because it's
55:55
really not clear, I've heard, but for yearly and monthly, I know it's included,
56:00
for the weekly Navigo, I'm not sure.
56:02
But, the cost is 11.50 Euro, it's not a super expensive way, for the most part
56:10
they've counted on visitors to fund a lot of the costs of the Paris Metro,
56:16
and I think it's going to be wonderful to be able to go to Orly on the Metro.
56:21
French people, I should add, mostly when we fly within
56:25
France, we mostly fly into Orly.
56:28
We rarely fly into CDG.
56:31
That's mostly for international travelers.
56:34
My thanks to podcast editors, Anne and Cristian Cotovan,
56:37
who produced the transcripts. Next week on the podcast, an episode with Cami Turner about
56:45
getting her first taste of France.
56:47
It's always good to talk to people who come visit for the first time because
56:51
they notice a lot of things that the rest of us perhaps are blind to anymore.
56:56
And remember, patrons get an ad-free version of this episode, click on the
57:01
link in the show notes to be like them.
57:04
Thank you so much for listening, I hope you join me next time so we can look
57:08
around France together, and perhaps for another 500 episodes of this podcast.
57:15
Au revoir. The Join Us in France travel podcast is written, hosted, and
57:21
produced by Annie Sargent and Copyright 2024 by AddictedToFrance.
57:26
It is released under a Creative Commons, attribution, non-commercial,
57:31
no derivatives license.
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