Photo of the Week
Another view of the Centre Pompidou. Photo © Darren Palmer of Paris by Photo.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update What's New in Paris
RESTAURANT/CLUB/CAFE
Wanderlust: Finally, part of Les Docks, Cité de la Mode et Design will open to the public on June 6. Brunch on the terrace, take a yoga class, take in a concert or dance all night. 34, quai d'Austerlitz, 75013 Paris.
SHOPS
Stella Cadente: The designer of very feminine clothing and accessories has a new Paris store that's like a gold-lined tunnel. 102 boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris.
Ecolo-Chic: Pop-up store in the Marais selling ethically resourced products, from toys and design to organic wine. 90, rue des Archives, 75003 Paris.
SMOKING
A new organization, L'Union pour les Droits des Fumeurs Adultes, has been formed to lobby for the rights of French smokers
JUSTIN ON THE ROOFTOPS
Keep your eyes peeled: Justin Bieber will be filming for the Web TV program live@home in an undisclosed location on the rooftops of Paris on the evening of May 31. Click here to win a pass to the taping.
Wednesday, 30 May 2012 00:00
Paris Update Flash News
CAKE THE WAY WE LIKE IT
Goodies on display at Merce and the Muse.
Nowadays, American expatriates in Paris can easily satisfy almost all their nostalgic food cravings, from hamburgers to Reese’s peanut-butter cups or Oreo cookies. Until Merce and the Muse opened in the Upper Marais, however, it wasn’t easy to find good homemade, American-style cakes. The desserts at this homey, flea-market-furnished café are not just good, they are scrumptious and original, made from owner Merce Muse’s own recipes. The other day I shared a slice of chocolate layer cake with vanilla icing and another of pistachio cake with rose icing with a friend, but in truth I wanted to eat all of both of them. 1 bis, rue Dupuis, 75003 Paris. Tel.: 09 53 14 53 04. Open Tues.-Sun. for breakfast, lunch and coffee; brunch on Sunday. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
 Art Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Left Bank gallery walk. Collective opening, May 31, 6pm. May 31-June 3.
Carré Rive Gauche
>Another Left Bank gallery walk, with 120 participating galleries. June 1-June 3.
Champs-Elysées Film Festival
>A new Franco-American film festival, presided over by Lambert Wilson and Michael Madsen. Various locations, Paris, June 6-12.
Chartre en Lumières
> The town of Chartres illuminates its monuments and the cathedral with colorful light installations. Through Sept. 15.
Designer's Days
>Design shops, galleries, schools and more participate in a city-wide design event. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 4.
Festival de l'Imaginaire
> Performances by troupes from around the world, Maison des Cultures du Monde, Paris, through June 17.
Festival de Saint Denis
> Music festival featuring both stars like Sir Colin Davis and young talents; ends with a dawn performance by horse whisperer Bartabas and oud player Mehdi Haddab, Cathedral and Legion of Honor, Saint Denis, through June 30.
Festival Extensions
> Concerts, dance, films and more, various locations, Paris and Val de Marne, through May 31.
Festival International des Jardins de Chaumont-sur-Loire
>"Gardens of delights, gardens of delirium" is the theme of this year's garden festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire, through Oct. 21.
Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-des-Prés
>Jazz acts ranging from amateur to big names like Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef (together). Various locations, Paris, Through June 3.
Le Court en Dit Long
>Festival of short films. Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, Paris, June 4-9.
Nomades
>Cultural festival in the third arrondissement; art, poetry, concerts and more. Various locations, Paris, May 31-June 3.
Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
>The features and short subjects entered in this category at the Cannes Film Festival shown in Paris, Forum des Images, Paris, May 31-June 10
Salon du Vin de La Revue du Vin de France
>Annual wine fair. Palais Brongniart, Paris, June 2-3
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Film
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/ Drama
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Created on Tuesday, 06 January 2009 23:00
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Published on Sunday, 22 February 2009 08:58
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Written by James Gascoigne
| Gun-Toting Teacher Springs Wife from Jail |
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| Diane Kruger as the wife accused of murder. |
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The most successful French movie exports in recent years have been psychological thrillers, led by Michel Haneke’s 2005 Caché (Hidden), Jacques Audiard’s De Battre Mon Coeur S’est Arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped, 2005) and Ne le Dis à Personne (Tell No One, 2006), directed by and starring Guillaume Canet.
A new thriller, Pour Elle (For Her), directed by Fred Cavayé and starring Vincent Lindon and Diane Kruger, deserves similar worldwide recognition. Slickly made and well acted, Pour Elle is about a French teacher in Paris, Julien (Lindon), whose seemingly perfect family life is torn apart by the arrest of his wife Lisa (Kruger) for murder. Convinced of her innocence but unable to prove it, he embarks on a plan to help her escape from jail (without her prior knowledge).
As in so many thrillers, one has to forgive certain implausibilities. Surely, for example, it would have been easier for him to set about gathering evidence to have her released through legal means than planning a highly dangerous escape? In fact, this film is not so much a whodunnit as a letsnotbotheraboutwhodunnit. What is more, it seems highly unlikely that a run-of-the-mill teacher would suddenly discover all the firearms skills to outwit scores of highly trained marksmen.
That said, the movie is gripping throughout, with genuinely exciting chase sequences. There are also a number of moving scenes as Julien copes with suddenly becoming a single parent to their young son, Oscar, who becomes progressively less interested in accepting his mother’s affection when he and his father visit her in jail. Set against the close father-son bond of Julien and Oscar, we observe the dysfunctional relationship Julien has with his own father (played by Olivier Perrier) as he becomes more and more obsessed with his escape plan.
It should be mentioned that, unlike Caché, which explored questions of race and difference with sensitivity, Pour Elle portrays all the low-life criminals as being of Arab origin, harking back to French thrillers of 20 years ago.
Without giving away the ending, I feel that Cavayé would have made a much more memorable film if he had opted for a grittier, truer-to-life conclusion; but this does not take away from the fact that Pour Elle is a well-paced, affecting and ultimately hugely enjoyable piece of filmmaking.
James Gascoigne
© 2009 Paris Update
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