Midnight in Paris

Today was my first day of classes at the Sorbonne!  I am enrolled in Paris IV, and today was my course magistral (aka big lecture) on Louis XIV and the Nobility.  Thankfully, they did not change the classroom at the last minute, so I found it easily.  I understood most of what the professor was saying (my host mom told me, "il faut que le prof ait le bon diction" "It is vital that the professor has good diction.").  I was a little lost on one or two phrases, so I asked a (cute) French boy I was sitting next to for help, and he happily obliged and even responded in French.  Success!  After class I finally found the perfect pair of brown leather boots FOR 50% OFF and then I went to an exhibit oh Cezanne in Paris at the Musee de Luxembourg.  Gosh what a great day.   I'll go over the class in more detail tomorrow after I have my other Sorbonne course and the TDs (smaller discussion classes) for the courses. 

How could I not do a post on Midnight in Paris???  I got it for Christmas and it just might be my new favorite movie.  Although it does have some stiff competition from An Education, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Animal House, Star Wars, Becoming Jane, and Beauty and the Beast(and many others, I have a very diverse taste in movies).

It's just so freaking good!!  I saw it once before I came and I watched it again now that I'm here.  It opens with some scenes of Paris and I got so excited when I recognized a seemingly random street corner.  I had to stop from yelling in my room, "OH MY GOSH I KNOW WHERE THAT IS AND I'VE BEEN THERE!"  It was the a street corner near the Odeon metro stop.  After some delightful images of Paris in the sun, at night, and in the rain, we hear Gil (Owen Wilson) and Ines (Rachel McAdams) having a conversation.  Gil says, "This is unbelievable, look at this, there's no city like this in the world. There never was." Ines replies, "You act like you've never been here before." But Gil is still lost in the mystique of Paris, "Imagine this city in the 20s in the rain."  This conversation sets the tone for the whole movie.  Gil is a Hollywood script writer who is working on a novel.  He is engaged to Ines, and they tagged along on her father's business trip.  The banter between Gil and his future in-laws (the film was written and directed by Woody Allen) is extremely witty and funny.  Gil loves Paris and the French but the in-laws are not quite so enamored with the city of light.  Ines runs into her old college crush Paul and his wife Carol and the two couples begin to spend more time together.  It's impossible not to want to punch Paul in the face for being an insufferable know it all.    His wife's American accent is also hilarious.  "Paul got invited to lecture at the Sorbohnnne. Sorrrrbonnnee." Just cracks me up.  This trailer gives you a good idea of what Paul is like....

After the wine tasting, Gil takes a walk to clear his head while Ines goes dancing.  That's when the magic happens.  Gil hops into a vintage car and is whisked away to 1920s Paris.  There he meets the Fitzgeralds (Scott and Zelda), Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, and others.  Hemingway is a great character, he has some of the best lines and delivers them extremely well. 

What a champ.  I think for my written expose in my monuments class, I'll write about the Paris of Hemingway.  Then maybe I'll have the excuse to watch the movie again!  I won't spill all the details on this fantastic film, you just need to watch it for yourself.  There are many great actors and they all do a great job.  My host family said that they did not like the performance of Carla Bruni (the First Lady of France), they thought she was too stiff.  But they liked everything else!  Let me know what is your favorite scene or favorite line of Midnight in Paris in a comment!