Charlie Hebdou Attack Compels Paris to Restrict Street Filming of Action Movies

Interior of Paris' Gare du Nord,
near which Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity
began his Parisian car escape.
(Image: Wikipedia)

New York residents are accustomed to seeing its neighborhoods turned into backdrops for film and television productions. However, the Big Apple is not the only city so blessed by studio and directorial preference. Paris' charming rues, boulevards, and avenues, along with its iconic structures, also appear with increasing frequency in feature-length feature films and television series.

Alas, one consequence of the Charlie Hebdou and Paris kosher supermarket massacres is increased sensitivity toward violence in the City of Light. As a result, according to a BBC report, Parisian authorities have significantly restricted movie and television productions' shooting (no pun intended) of action sequences in the city itself. The BBC story noted that one municipal concern was the possible confusion between actors and dangerous, armed impostors. Ironically, the blurred line between simulated violence and the real thing has become too grave a risk for the French capital to tolerate on its streets.

Je Suis Charlie

Image: en.wikipedia.com

Parisian Wall Art

Parisian mural by Jerome Mesnager
(photo from BBC)

The BBC provided a Power Point-style report on Parisian murals which looks better than it reads. The images illuminate the notion that art can enliven urban spaces. Cities that take risks in this area, such as Philadelphia, Miami, and Los Angeles, have strongly benefitted from this approach. If content yearns to be free, then walls yearn to be painted.

"Adopt-A-Guy" Dating Service Visits Paris Streets

Adopt-A-Guy boutique
(Reuters photo)

Paris' meat markets moved to the suburbs many years ago, but human flesh markets have retained a vigorous life inside the City of Light. An imaginative intersection of aroused libido and Gallic skepticism is currently found in the French capital's "Adopt-A-Guy" dating service. This unique, temporary outdoor venture features young men who stand in a transparent box on a street. The idea is that women will consider the merchandise and, if interested, pursue the matter further.

The "Adopt-A-Guy" story is wonderful fun, and told via a BBC video segment. We're not certain if Mitt Romney, who performed his Mormon religious duty in France during the Vietnam War (thank you, military draft deferral on religious grounds), has a foreign policy position on this phenomenon -- other than missionary, of course.

Recalling an Easter at Paris' Palais Garnier

Grand Staircase/Palais Garnier
Photo appeared in Opera Today; photo credit: Minor Keys

Today's Easter Sunday happens to be a quiet one for my wife and me, and something of a work day for me, as well. During a break from the deadline concerns, I thought about an Easter we spent in Paris some years ago. Good New York friends of ours were coincidentally visiting Paris at the same time, so we decided to enjoy Easter Sunday together. After careful planning, we decided to attend the ballet at the Palais Garnier, the 19th Century opera house popularized in Phantom of the Opera.

Our decision turned out to be inspired. We had the good fortune to know someone who purchased the tickets for us, as they were only available onsite and one month before Easter. (I picked them up at the opera house's version of will call about an hour prior to the performance.) The day itself unfolded as a crisp, sunny day, and we felt jazzed about attending a cultural event in Paris. The ballet company was showcasing 20th Century dance created by American choreographers; that eliminated language barriers and added some cultural understandings. The experience, from the opera house's atmosphere, the hall's enchanting Chagall ceiling, and the excitement of a live dance performance, was an exhilarating one.

Vacheron Constantin watch, with Chagall ceiling on face
Photo appered in The Robb Report; photo by Jean-Marc Breguet

When the performance concluded, and we returned to the Parisian streets, we felt connected to the city, its people, and its purpose. My wife and I still feel chills about that day. Even the limited edition Vacheron Constantin timepiece featuring Chagall's ceiling mural gets me excited, even though I don't typically follow the world of "important watches," as auction houses characterize them. (Michael Weare's clicktempus.com story about the watch is brief, informative, and fun to read.) Mostly, I'm grateful for experiencing a magical event, in a glorious setting, and shared in friendship and love. That's an Easter worth remembering and cherishing on this quiet, calm Sunday.

Snowtime in Paris

I don't associate snow with Paris. My image of the French capital consistently includes tree-shaded gardens and other botanical phenomena that one associates with mild weather. That picture received a jolt earlier this week, when over four inches of snow fell on the City of Light.

This episode illuminates how strongly images affect one's conception of the world. It's difficult to imagine a more artistically rendered city than Paris. Characteristically, these images show a vibrant, extroverted city that manifests itself best in warm weather. Few mitigating images interfere with this dreamy version of everyday Parisian reality. One becomes conditioned to a vision of how an environment ought to be. Then, an event such as a snowstorm compels us to look with fresh eyes at seemingly familiar scenes.

There's a useful value in that fresh look, even if one doesn't particularly like snow.

The image is Effect of Snow at Petit Montrouge, a sketch composed by Edouard Manet in 1870.

The Imperfect Game

An unusual event occurred in Major League Baseball last night. A pitcher for the Detroit Tigers threw a perfect game, only to have the first base umpire obviously miss a call that would have been the 27th and final out. The Detroit pitcher, by this egregious turn of fortune, ironically has become a sports celebrity beyond what his achievement would have typically merited him.

Sometimes, a seemingly cruel twist of fate leads to a situation better than one could imagine. When my wife Amy and I were on our honeymoon in France, we looked forward to celebrating my birthday in Paris. However, such was not meant to be. A French rail strike completely paralyzed transportation throughout the country and within Paris. Accepting local advice, we booked a hotel in a town we'd never heard of. The destination turned out to be a medieval town off the beaten track. I can still vividly recall the town, its quiet sense of history, its maze-like streets echoing ancient ways.

It was a birthday to remember.