Books/movies Amsterdam, Brugge, Paris?
Feb 12th, 2003, 05:40 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Books/movies Amsterdam, Brugge, Paris?
Any suggestions to get me excited about my trip? Read Anne Frank's diary last week, watched 'Amelie' recently. I have Victor Hugo's Hunchback, but I can't seem to get into it. Any suggestions?
Feb 12th, 2003, 06:02 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 131
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast" is a must-read! Try looking at "The Traveler's Readers Guide", not sure if it's still in print. It lists recommended books for every country, U.S. states, major cities and regions worldwide. Also many tourist guidebooks often have a section of recommended books and films to prepare you for your trip. <BR> Movies: "Paris Blues" if you like jazz, "Shoot the Piano Player" "The Last Metro", or any films by Truffaut, There are a million French films so it depends on your taste. "Hunchback" has also been made into a passable film.<BR>Try this web site for movie ideas: All movie guide :http://www.allmovie.com, you can search by location.<BR>Also, my local library has a search feature on their web site where you can put in Motion Pictures-French (or any other language) and see what titles they have on video to check out (cheapr than Blockbuster and more likely to have older classic films).
Feb 12th, 2003, 06:20 AM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,904
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I loved Ian McEwan's book Amsterdam. Well written and funny. Highly recommended. Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire takes place in Haarlem during the Tulip market bust and was an enjoyable read. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier was about a girl's relationship with Vermeer and his work in Delft.
Feb 18th, 2003, 04:39 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 20,921
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
For Amsterdam, try Nicolas Freeling's Van der Valk detective stories.<BR><BR>If you can find it (and you should be able to in Amsterdam), the memoirs of Miep Gies (one of the people who helped the Franks in their hiding-place) could be interesting.
Feb 20th, 2003, 06:27 AM
#9
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,396
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lots of good Paris movies to get you in the mood:<BR><BR>"Diva" (1981) is an absolutely terrific crime-suspense movie about an opera singer, a fan who makes an unauthorized recording, and some nefarious goings-on. The movie is set and filmed in paris, and it's a feast for all the senses. <BR><BR>"Va Savoir" is a recent movie about an actress, her husband, and their relationships with each other and assorted other individuals. It's more a touchy-feely movie than a film with a great plot, but the street and interior scenes are all paris, and the movie does have a certain French sensibility to it.<BR><BR>"Day of the Jackal" is a great thriller about an assassination plot against de Gaulle in the 60s: it's a wonderful movie, filmed in paris with all the standard tourist sites.<BR><BR>"The Train" is an obscure, but excellent, film starring Burt Lancaster and Jeanne Moreau, about the efforts of the Nazis to remove the greatest Impressionist paintings as the allied troops prepared to re-take Paris in 1944. No scenes of contemporary Paris, but a wonderful movie and a treat for those who love Impressionism.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
ebi1978
Europe
9
Jun 14th, 2005 11:13 AM
