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When my husband and I visited Paris a few years ago, we stopped for a drink at a café in Montmartre (on our way to the Moulin Rouge, of course) and noticed some posters from the movie Amélie. We hadn’t seen the film yet, but we rented it as soon as we got home, only to realize that the Café des Deux Moulins played a supporting role. For us, stumbling into that little corner café was just a happy accident. But if you’re planning a trip to Paris—and you’d like to see the cafés, the parks, and the city streets where your favorite movies were set, you’ll want to pick up a copy of Paris Movie Walks: Ten Guided Tours Through the City of Lights! Camera! Action!
In this impressively extensive guide to Parisian movie settings, author and movie buff Michael Schürmann takes readers through 10 sightseeing walks through the City of Lights. Each walk takes you through a different part of the city. The first four take you through the more popular parts of the city, from Notre Dame to the Louvre. The next four walks wander a little farther out, to the areas that might be a little less familiar—like Montparnasse and the areas beyond the Eiffel Tower. And the final two walks explore the outer areas of the city—the places where tourists (and Hollywood filmmakers) rarely go.
Along the way, you’ll walk in the steps of some of your favorite actors—from some of your favorite movies. You’ll find yourself in scenes from everything from classic French films to modern American films (everything from The Bourne Identity to The Devil Wears Prada). And, in the process, you’ll also see the sights of Paris—both the famous and the not-so-famous.
Paris Movie Walks is crammed with references to movies you’ve seen and loved—and movies you’ll be dying to see once you’ve been there. There are so many references to so many movies, in fact, that it’s a bit overwhelming at times. It sometimes feels like an endless list of short snippets from movies, without a whole lot of context. And if they’re movies you haven’t seen, you might feel a bit lost—but that’s a small price to pay for such a comprehensive guide (which he somehow managed to squeeze into such a light and back-packable book).
Schürmann freely admits his limitations—and the book’s weaknesses—but he does an excellent job of organizing and presenting the information. He even throws in some other facts and tips along the way—from dining advice to notes on a number of historic (non-movie-related) landmarks.
So if you’re planning a trip to the City of Lights, pick up a copy of Paris Movie Walks—and pick it up well in advance, since Schürmann also suggests a few movies to see before you go. Then be sure to pack some good walking shoes for your trip (no matter how un-chic and touristy they may be)—because, with Paris Movie Walks in hand, you won’t want to travel any other way.
