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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Anna M
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Film
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/ Drama
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Created on Tuesday, 29 May 2007 23:00
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Published on Sunday, 22 February 2009 21:45
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Written by Heidi Ellison
Sartorial Insanity
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If being badly dressed is a sign of insanity in Paris, then it should have been clear to everyone right from the start that something was seriously wrong with Anna M (Isabelle Carré), the “heroine” of the new film of the same name, written and directed by Michel Spinosa. She may be pretty and seem normal otherwise, but that rumpled, ill-fitting little-girl raincoat and the worn-out skirt with the baggy derriere are dead giveaways of her mental state.
This seemingly sweet young woman has a boring job restoring antique books in the rarefied setting of the Bibliotheèque Nationale de France (the beautiful old one on the Rue de Richelieu) and still lives with her depressed mother and their equally depressed dog (he can’t even raise the energy to get up when his mistress returns from work).
Once this background has been established, Anna not surprisingly attempts suicide. Yet another failure in her life, but it has a bright side: she finds love, or at least she thinks she does. A few kind words from her handsome doctor (Gilbert Melki) are enough to convince her that he is crazy about her. She starts following him, sending him letters, calling him at home at all hours – the usual stalker behavior. But when Anna’s overtures are rejected, she becomes much more creative in infiltrating his life, getting a babysitting job in the apartment above his, breaking into his apartment, causing an auto accident and making it look like his fault, and even contemplating the murder of his wife. This is a very determined young woman.
This film, perfectly acted and visually attractive, should be seen as a sophisticated horror story rather than a psychological study of a stalker (we are never given any clue to the cause of Anna’s insanity or any psychological insight in spite of the title’s obvious reference to the famous case of Anna O. treated by Freud and Breuer), but I wish it had been just a bit more suspenseful and gut-wrenching. Perhaps because the trailer showed far too much, I never felt the shocks you should feel in such a film (nor did I hear any gasps of surprise from the rest of the audience), although the ending did manage to satisfy. Still, it's an entertaining (though a bit overlong) addition to the genre.
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Heidi Ellison
© 2007 Paris Update
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