French Friday: Movies set in France

It's been awhile since I have done a French Friday post!  For other Francophiles out there, you can find the other FF posts here.

It's been over a year since my Paris trip, and my heart truly aches for Paris.  I got a bit of a fix by reading Amy's posts while she was there this spring, and am anxiously awaiting Jeanie's posts about Paris when she returns from her trip in May!  In addition to living vicariously through the travels of other, I get my Paris fix by watching films set in France.  There are SO many good ones to choose from, but here are some of my favorites!

Midnight in Paris - This movie came out last year so is a recent release.  It is a Woody Allen film, so it is quirky, but I loved it.  I thought they did a fabulous job of showcasing the city of Paris, and I adore Owen Wilson, so I really enjoyed this movie.  When the opening scene came on, I actually put my hand on my heart because the scenes they were showing of Paris were so stunning and brought back memories of my time in Paris.

French Kiss - I have always been a Meg Ryan fan, so I really loved this movie.  Plus Kevin Kline's character is SO sexy.  Hello, wonderful, charming accent.  I loved the way he said his name, Luc Teyssier.  I think this one has been broadly seen since it came out in the 90s, so I won't explain the plot, but it's one of my favorites - and one I should really own.

An American in Paris - This is a musical from 1951 which features Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.  There is lots of singing and dancing, and it's just a really sweet movie.  I watched it back before my first trip to Paris, and the title of the film inspired the title of my French Travel blog.

Before Sunset - This is actually the sequel to the film, Before Sunrise.  So you need to watch that first to appreciate/understand Before Sunset.  In Before Sunset, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy reunite in Paris, 9 years after spending a night together in Amsterdam.  They spend most of the movie walking around Paris, talking about what has happened in their lives over the last 9 years.  The conversations are amazing and I totally relate to Delpy's character.  I feel like I could have written the bulk of the script, honestly.

Paris, je t'aime - Last, but not least, is the film Paris, je t'aime.  It's a collection of vignettes about the city of Paris, and it's such a wonderful film.  In fact, I am going to close with a clip from this film.  It is sort of long, but I love it - especially the last 60 seconds.  And in the event that you don't want to watch, I've transcribed the end of the clip, as the character's monologue really resonated with me.

"Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me.  It was like remembering something I’d never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn’t know what.  Maybe it was something I’d forgotten or something I’ve been missing all my life.  All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness.  But not too much sadness, because I felt alive.  Yes, alive.  That was the moment I fell in love with Paris.  And I felt Paris fall in love with me."

Do you seek out movies set in a certain location?  Are there any films set in France that you would recommend?  I just requested Funny Face from the library and am excited to check it out!