Going to the Cinema in Paris
 

My husband suggested that we go to the movies while in Paris. I am assuming they will not be subtitled unless we see an English movie? We would like to check out Bercy and see they have cinemas. Or what would you suggest? Thanks.

Hello,
Most (though not all) cinemas in Paris show films in the original language with subtitles (marked as "VO" or version originale), as well as in dubbed version ("VF" or version française). So as long as you choose a film originally shot in English, you should be fine!

You'll get all the cinema times, including whether they are in VO/VF in Pariscope magazine, which you can pick up at any news stand.

The UGC cinema at Bercy Village (Cours St Emilion) always has some films in VO so you shouldn't have any problem if you want to go there.

why would you want to waste your time on a 'contemporary' movie if not a local one? but that's just my opinion.

on the other hand, Paris is a goldmine when it comes to classical movies, so this would be a great chance to see one of them on the big screen.

get a Pariscope or similar to establish which retrospectives etc. are running.

likely venues: cinémathèque francaise (in the frank o'gehry building that was supposed to become the 'american center') in bercy, action christine/action école (6th/5th arr.). these usually show movies in OV.

p.s.

http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/nosact...ion-venir.html

http://www.actioncinemas.com/

It is always an interesting cultural experience to see a new movie in a foreign country. People behave differently in different countries, laugh at different things in comedies and just generally have different reactions to things. Even the commercials and the previews of other movies that are shown beforehand can be fascinating.

You will find a number of English language movies that probably aren't even playing at home, since more and more movies now open on international markets first.

Beware if ever you choose an English language movie that has some foreign dialogue in it -- it will be subtitled in French rather than English in that part.

You can take a look notably at
www.mk2.fr and www.ugc.fr to see the programs and locations of the two major chains in Paris.

If you're looking for a full-on experience try Le Grand Rex, an Art Deco beauty:

http://www.legrandrex.com/

Highly recommended.

Except that the Grand Rex only shows movies in VF.

We enjoy VO movies in Paris... the first time we went (UGC Normandie on the Champs), the concession had both 'salty' and 'sweet' popcorn (like kettle corn), which was different. Still had the ushers then, too. Also US cinemas had not started running commercials prior to the film, but the UGC did. I don't remember if you can buy beer in French cinemas, that was our fun discovery in Amsterdam. Also, our 'neighborhood' cinema gives us the senior discount :)

It's fun to do ordinary, mundane things in foreign countries. Laundromats are different, grocery stores can be different, and I have never seen a curb-side 'pull up and pump' gas pump in my town like we did in Paris (by Invalides).

I agree with Travelnut..It's fun to do ordinary things somewhere else.

I saw Spiderman3 at Les Halles (VO) and had a great time feeling like a local.

FYI, either the theatre did not have A/C, or it was at a level far less than we are used to. I usually freeze when I go to the movies, that time it was very warm, but not uncomfortable (I dressed in layers).

I just saw the 'Sex and the City' movie last week in 'VO' at the Bastille cinema on rue Faubourg St. Antoine. The French don't dub movies as ogten as they used to, but, like others say, if you're seeing an English/American movie, make sure it's 'VO'.

I wanted to go see the Rex theater also, but alas only movies in 'VF'.

This brings back a memory from the past. We had flown to Paris from San Francisco. Not too long after we arrived, we went to see a VO showing of The Conversation. That movie, a classic, begins with a distance shot of Union Square in San Francisco, zooming in from afar. It felt so strange, having just arrived from there to be taken back, flown back even.

When we were traveling for a year, it was such a thrill to see an American movie. However, a dialogue-heavy movie was a struggle for us. Since the audience was reading subtitles, they didn't care about the sound and occasionally talked so much we couldn't hear the soundtrack.

At the cinematheque we saw a Buster Keaton film, a silent, with placards in Serbo-Croat. Luckily it wasn't hard to figure out what Buster was up to.

Yes, memories from the past indeed !

When I was 12 and we were in Paris during the summer holidays, "Tommy" the movie was playing. Of course my sisters wanted to see it and we did. It was a neat experience doing something so 'everyday' in a foreign country.

Then, 4 years later, I saw " Star Wars " (the first one) in Zurich. Didn't matter that I was a huge fan of the movie and could have seen it a dozen times (that was my third time LOL) but it was great to be doing something so ordinary in a different place.

I say definitely see a movie in Paris. And be as adventurous as you want with your choice of venue and movie. It will be an experience you'll enjoy and remember either way.

It's usually only theaters in the center of Paris that show a lot of VO films. In the outer arrondisments, they are often dubbed, even when American or English films. You can find some VOs out there, but not as many. I like going to French, SPanish and American/English films (Or German) as I can read French, so it's kind of educational to see how they translate some American slang.

I go just to relax and take a break, that's all. I don't consider it some special fun experience culturally, it's just a movie theater. I do like seeing some foreign films that haven't been shown in the US. The big difference is they are not air conditioned, for the most part, even when it's 95 degrees. I was dying looking for some good movies to go to one summer, and it was very difficult to find any theater that said it had AC. I finally found one in the 15th and they claimed to have AC but it wasn't obvious to a normal human that they had it. It will still at least 80 in there, probably.

Christina, you are giving misinformation. Since most neighborhood cinemas have closed over the past 20 years, the only cinemas out of the center are generally major multiplexes specialized in VO -- the MK2 Bibliothèque in the 13th is my personal favorite in the 'mega' category, and the UGC Ciné Cité Bercy is pretty good, too. In my own neighborhood, I live the MK2 Quai de Seine/Quai de Loire at Stalingrad (19th), which only shows VO, and I love taking the boat from one side of the canal to the other. What other cinema in the world has a ferry to connect its 6 screens on each side? The MK2 Gambetta in the 20th also shows its films in VO, and it was the sort of neighborhood where this sort of thing never existed in the past. Even the very working class Pathé at Place de Clichy devotes 6 of its 12 screens to movies in VO.

As for the air conditioning, it is very true that it is not set to American levels. Generally they adhere to the environmental recommendations of not going below 22° (about 75°F). The French like it that way and probably freeze to death if they go to the movies in the U.S.

&quot;I live the MK2 Quai de Seine&quot; = &quot;I <b>love</b> the MK2.&quot;

THANK YOU for all the information! I really would have liked to see a French film but no use if it isn't subtitled - my French isn't THAT good. Nice to know about the AC, too, in case it turns hot during our stay. Will be interesting to see what is playing.

I've done this. We just saw whatever was playing, it was dubbed into French, no subtitles. (I wasn't looking to understand the plot just participate in the experience). We saw some horrible Wesley Snipes vampira flick.