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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Le Bal des Actrices
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Film
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/ Drama
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Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:29
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Written by James Gascoigne
Singing and Dancing their Way Into Our Hearts
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| The life of an actress make look like fun... |
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Going to see Le Bal des Actrices on the same night as the orgy of self-congratulation that is the Oscars, I must admit to having felt some apprehension. A film about an actress/director making a documentary about other actresses portended self-indulgence on the grandest scale, especially as nobody does self-indulgence in the cinema quite like the French.
I need not have worried, however, because overall Le Bal des Actrices is amusing, moving, quirky and, most important of all, able to poke fun at itself. Apparently Isabelle Adjani turned down a part in the film, prompting the director, Maïwenn, to remark that Adjani rejected the role because she was unable to laugh at herself.
Those actresses who were able to take the joke and who play versions of themselves include Charlotte Rampling (who seems much more natural here than in so many of her other roles), Karin Viard, Jeanne Balibar, Muriel Robin, Julie Depardieu, Romane Bohringer and Maïwenn herself. The singer Joey Starr (currently serving three months in jail for assaulting his former partner) plays what he is in real life, Maïwenn’s partner.
As spectators, we sometimes witness the documentary as filmed by Maïwenn and sometimes a film of the documentary (as it happens, also directed by Maïwenn!). These clips run alongside little musical numbers in which the various actresses perform and dance, as in director François Ozon’s 8 Femmes.
Although none of these different genres is startlingly original, at its best Le Bal des Actrices is sublimely funny, camp and at times affecting. Two of the highlights for me were Viard, in sumptuous form as a prima donna-ish actress attempting to make it to Hollywood but failing dismally in her English-language audition, and Robin, whose battles with the director Jacques Weber during play rehearsals are frighteningly real.
Nor is the 32 year old Maïwenn afraid to tell some unpalatable truths about the egos of almost all actresses and the declining number of roles for many as they get older, perhaps most touchingly shown in the case of Romane Bohringer.
The first half of the film goes at a cracking pace, but thereafter it becomes somewhat pedestrian. The insertion of a lesbian kiss and naked cavorting between Maïwenn and Estelle Lefebure do not ring true, and the reconciliation between the director and her partner feel like unnecessary add-ons.
For the joy of seeing so many excellent actresses at the top of their game, however, and for the director's wit and energy, this film is a must-see.
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James Gascoigne
© 2009 Paris Update
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