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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Eldorado
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Film
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/ Drama
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Created on Tuesday, 01 July 2008 23:00
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Published on Sunday, 22 February 2009 21:45
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Written by James Gascoigne
On the Road Again
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| Bouli Lanners stars in the film he wrote and directed. |
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You would think that the road movie genre is well past its sell-by date, but again and again interesting variations on the theme turn up. Eldorado, a new Franco-Belgian film written, directed by and starring Bouli Lanners, is a real gem.
Although Eldorado is clearly inspired by the theater of Samuel Beckett, the film still manages to be original and disturbing. The only thing that is not fresh and distinctive about it is its title. No modern movie called Eldorado is going to be about anything other than broken dreams.
The plot is sparse. Yvan (Lanners), a restorer of old American cars, discovers a young man, Elie (Fabrice Adde), breaking into his car (the only one on the street not protected by a guard dog). Instead of accosting him or having him arrested, Yvan embarks on a trip with Elie (who turns out to be called Didier) through the sometimes bleak, sometimes beautiful Belgian countryside, meeting along the way a collection of absurd and extraordinary characters, including an old man who collects cars belonging to people who have committed suicide, Elie’s lonely mother and a nudist called Alain Delon.
The truncated dialogue and the metaphysical questions that lie behind much of the two protagonists’ conversations vividly recall Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot. In one exceptionally well-written exchange, after they bathe in a freezing river, Yvan asks Elie what he is hoping to do. Elie replies that he hopes to put on his socks. Yvan’s explanation that he is talking about “l’absolu” (the absolute) is both touching and humorous.
Inevitably, the two central characters learn more about each other as the story progresses, but at no time does the film lapse into sentimentality, even though Yvan remembers his childhood in one moving flashback. I was especially relieved that the movie’s ending was just as resolutely unsentimental
Visually, Eldorado is memorable and strikingly desolate. The two central actors are impeccable, the direction is excellent, and the writing is both poetic and poignant.
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James Gascoigne
© 2008 Paris Update
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