Couple of nights ago, I finally got a chance to see the film, Midnight in Paris. I don’t know what took me so long, but no excuse is a good enough excuse in my opinion.
I have this amazing love, love relationship with Paris and if the name is referenced in any
title, such as movies, books, travel articles, museum special events, musicals or concerts or blogs, I will make every effort to see what it is all about.
To see a film by Woody Allen, I think it is very important to be a fan. If not, the message and film contents may not go very well for the newbees. To see a film made by Woody Allen about Paris, you must have a certain understanding of the city of lights to completely appreciate the film for what it’s worth.
I took a friend, who has a youthful appreciation for Paris, to see her reaction. The funny thing is that, after 30 minutes into the film she turned to me and said, “what am I doing here?” as she listened to the laughter coming from every one in the audience at various intervals throughout the film. She just didn’t understand Allen’s work or the film.
The film is, as usual about people, not so complex, who move about society questioning various aspects of their life or relationship. In this case, the story revolved around a young engaged couple, named Inez and Gil from Los Angeles, who took a trip to Paris with her parents. While Inez (Rachel McAdams) shopped for antiques with her mother, her fiance, Gil (played by Owen Wilson) contemplated writing a book and possibly moving to Paris.
As the story took it’s course, the young couple began to realize their views on life were worlds apart and basically they had nothing in common to sustain a lasting relationship.
What was most fascinating however, is the way Woody Allen decided to tell the story. Through, either his imagination or Gil’s, he transponded Gil into the early 1920s to seek advise and opinion from the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Matisse, Monet, Salvatore Dali and numerous other artists who frequented the various cafes throughout Paris.
While visiting with the artists at the stroke of midnight, he met and fell in love with a woman named Adriana (played by Marion Cotillard), who was also interested in escaping her present life. Together, they made interesting discoveries about themselves, each other and the choice they have opted on thus far in their lives and the rest, I will keep to myself.
Here is the best part: If you happen to be someone who has never been to Paris, nor understand the magic of the city of light, please consider seeing Midnight in Paris, because although the story is a typical one (about relationships) and easy to relate to, Woody Allen did an amazing job depicting a nostalgic take on the typical and the usual. I highly recommend the film.
So, as a child, when I got introduced to film, I began to envy my mother’s generation, because of all the gentlemanly leading men in cinema. I secretly fell in love with a few of them even though they were old enough to be my father or grandfather.
