18 Must-See Films That Celebrate Paris
Its rooftops, its streets; its neighborhoods, monuments, Metro—Paris can’t help but be cinematic. Ahead of Vogue World: Paris, here are just some of the films that have beautifully showcased the City of Light, from Amélie to Belle de Jour and Charade.
Photo: © Productions Georges de Beauregard / Collection Christophel / AFP1/18Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard (1960)
On the Champs-Elysées, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg take a stroll. Belmondo plays a charming criminal who has just killed a policeman near Marseille; Seberg is an American student selling the New York Herald Tribune and dreaming of becoming a journalist while having a casual affair with Belmondo. This irresistible duo, combined with a dynamic pace and a noirish storyline, created a groundbreaking film: Breathless marked the debut of a brilliant director and the birth of a new, more realistic French cinema.
Photo: © Ciné-Tamaris2/18Cléo from 5 to 7, Agnès Varda (1962)
Released in 1962, Agnès Varda’s second feature film, Cléo from 5 to 7, confirmed her commitment to cinéma vérité. Beyond exploring the inner turmoil of its main character (played by Corinne Marchand), the film offered a postcard-like tour of Paris, showcasing locations from the Rue de Rivoli to Parc Montsouris and the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. This cinematic postcard took Varda to the Cannes Film Festival, and even to Hollywood: in the early 1980s, Madonna saw herself in Cléo s character and asked Varda to write a screenplay for a Hollywood remake. Varda, however, declined.
Photo: © MK23/18The Last Metro, François Truffaut (1980)
In Nazi-occupied France, Lucas Steiner (Heinz Bennent), a German-Jewish director hiding in Paris, must rely on his wife, Marion (Catherine Deneuve), to manage their theater alone. Struggling to keep it afloat, she meets Bernard Granger (Gérard Depardieu), an actor determined to resist the occupation. The Last Metro, the first film pairing Deneuve and Depardieu, features stunning night scenes and exquisite lighting, winning 10 César awards the year it was released.
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection4/18Ratatouille, Brad Bird (2007)
It s hard to list the best films set in Paris without mentioning Ratatouille, one of Pixar s finest creations. Released in 2007, it is frequently hailed by cinephiles worldwide, including British actor Josh O’Connor. And it s easy to see why. How can one not be charmed by Rémy, the young rat separated from his family who finds his calling in the kitchens of a grand Parisian restaurant?
Photo: © Nord Ouest Films5/18Amanda, Mikhaël Hers (2018)
For his third feature film, director Mikhaël Hers paints a portrait of Paris after the terrorist attacks in 2015, exploring themes of grief and reconstruction. César Award winner Vincent Lacoste stars as David Sorel, a 24-year-old who must care for his seven-year-old niece Amanda after the sudden death of his sister. This poignant chronicle depicts a desolate Paris that remains, despite everything, a city of poetry.
