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, 23 December 2008 23:00
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Published on Sunday, 22 February 2009 21:37
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Written by James Gascoigne
Mirrors in the Sand
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| Agnès Varda looks for reflections of her youth. |
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Agnès Varda, the great filmmaker and one of the few women associated with Nouvelle Vague cinema, has reached the age of 80. And, if her new movie is anything to go by, there are no signs of her slowing down.
Les Plages d’Agnès charts Varda’s life and work, casting an affectionate and occasionally wistful eye over the many extraordinary people she has known, most of them now dead. It would be all too easy and perhaps understandable for her to be self-indulgent, but her humor and constant inventiveness rarely allow her to stray into the realm of the maudlin.
From the very beginning of the film, her creative energy is astonishing as we watch her setting up a bank of mirrors on a Belgian beach while she muses on her childhood. Instead of focusing on conventional memories, she concentrates on the group of young workers who are helping her to place the mirrors in the sand, perhaps reflecting her own youth through these younger faces in mirrors rather than simply giving a straightforward account.
This is typical of her generosity throughout, as she talks about not only the famous people she has known (there are many), but also her local baker or grocer or grandchildren.
Her most tender memories are reserved for her husband, the wonderful film director, Jacques Demy, who died in 1990 of an AIDS-related illness; these observations complement the trio of films she made in his honor in the years following his death.
Sometimes her cinema goes beyond autobiography or fiction and becomes almost performance art. This is very much the case in various recreated scenes from her childhood or in her conversations with a cartoon cat.
She also retraces the trajectory of many of her movies, walking through the streets of Paris and visiting Los Angeles, where she lived for a number of years. It is typical of her that she does not dwell only on her successes but seems just as fascinated by her relatively few failures, such as Les Cent et une Nuits de Simon Cinéma, made to mark 100 years of cinema. The affection in which she is clearly held is demonstrated at the end of the film, on her 80th birthday, when 80 people arrive to mark the day.
The overall effect is of a woman who is politically and personally committed, compassionate yet feisty. I suspect that there are more movies to come from her, and thank heaven for that.
James Gascoigne
© 2008 Paris Update
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