Another day, another blogathon. This week I sent in my recommendation for the “Paris in Genre” blogathon being run by Eternity of Dream. The object of this was to recommend in a few sentences a movie about Paris or set in Paris in one of the film genres. After everyone has submitted there recommendations, there will be one film for each genre for anyone in the mood for a Paris film (the entire list has now been posted). The genre for my recommendation is Music and for it, I revisited Hotel Chevalier (the prologue to The Darjeeling Limited) by Wes Anderson. Read my recommendation:
I don’t have alot of experience with the work of Wes Anderson beyond the wonderful The Royal Tenenbaums (which have forever changed my perspective on the versatility of active wear and the casual nature of fur coasts), however, in my recent reintroduction to the quirky, maddened creativity of writer/director Anderson, I discovered the short film Hotel Chevalier which serves as a companion opening film to his 2007 film The Darjeeling Limited. Set the in fictitious Parisian Hotel Chevalier, featuring the pair of Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman, it tell the story of a brief encounter between American exs who just can’t seem to let each other go. The film showcases the Paris-inspired song “Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?” by Peter Sarstedt which we hear as we are introduced to Portman’s character, a women who tracks down her former lover and intrudes on his solace emotionally and physically. The song parallels what is implied in the film; this is a woman who possess enviable loveliness but is sadly trapped in a continued search to find contentment, ultimately bringing her to Paris. If you are so inclined, watch the entire 13-minute film here.
