Looking for some must read titles or must see movies before trip to Paris. For example...
 

I'm reading Moveable Feast and have watched the Red Balloon and 400 Blows and Jules and Jim and Camille Claudel. 400 Blows is now one of my all time favorite movies. Anybody have some other suggestions they'd like to share?

Definitely check out Francois Truffaut's "Small Change" and the balance of his Antoine Doinel cycle. You might enjoy Janet Flanner's essays -- she was a writer for the New Yorker magazine and there are two published volumes of her "Letters from Paris" both pre and post-WWII. Adam Gopnik writes the column now. Also, check out the correspondence between Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir (also published).

Movies: "Charade", "Diva", "When the Cat's Away", "Mon Oncle"...I'll think of more...

Le Mariage, Diane Johnson <BR>Le Divorce, Diane Johnson <BR> <BR>Very entertaining reads. Good for the plane trip, too. <BR> <BR>Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris <BR> <BR>Non-fiction, several chapters about his moving to France and trying to learn French in France with a sadistic teacher. Very funny.

Have you seen the classic film "Les Enfants du Paradis," set in mid-19th century Paris and filmed during the Nazi occupation? On the surface, it's an almost melodramatic story about theatrical folk and romantic rivalries, but it also subtly undercut the Nazis by making a statement about art and freedom.

"Surviving Picasso" is another great movie by Merchant/Ivory/Jhabvala productions that takes place near the end of the German occupation in France and focuses on the life of Picasso and Francoise Gilot. <BR> <BR> This is a great movie! It seems to capture the mood of Paris in the 40's and also parts of the South of France during this time. <BR> <BR>Hope you enjoy! <BR>Patricia

My favorite movie for seeing Paris through the eyes of alienated youth from the Paris suburbs is "La Haine".

I'm just an old romantic, but I love "An American in Paris!" Another oldie, but goodie, is "Funny Face."

The book or the movie "Is Paris Burning?" It's about the last days of the German Occupation and the orders given to the Commander of the city to burn Paris if it looks like its in danger of falling into allied hands. The movie is great to see after your trip because you have a better feel for the geography and have that first person sense, that, yes I've been in that very spot.

For books, I'm a fan of mystery stories, so the Maigret novels by Simenon; Hugger Mugger at the Louvre by Eliot Paul. For the classics, Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Three Musketeers, les Miserables. <BR> <BR>My favorite movies for streets scenes of Paris are Frantic, the Fatal Image and Come September (I *cannot* find this title on video/CD or any such animal; anybody know if it's available?)

Sabrina--The ultimate Paris movie! I love the Harrison Ford/Julia Ormond remake! <BR> As Sandy mentioned, Funny Face is great too. When I was in Paris, I couldn't get that Hello, Paris!-song out of my head. "I want to walk out, on the Champs-Elysee....

Never mind...the name of the movie is UNTIL September, which explains why I could never find the video...and it does exist! It's a predictable story about an American girl in Paris who falls in love with a (married) French guy, but the shots of Paris are all I'm after anyway. And how could I forget Jules et Jim, and la Femme Nikita!

If you're looking for a recent book set in Paris that provides some wicked fun, try "Le Divorce" by Diane Johnson.

You might try reading an oldie -- "Day of the Jackal." It was made into a decent movie, and then remade into a very bad Bruce WIllis movie (they substituted exploding cars for drama). <BR> <BR>The book is a fun read if you're going to Paris because it describes the Parisian haunts of a hired killer, including an apartment building off the Champs Elysees.

MED- <BR> <BR>Hey, Jayelle- loved La Haine as well. Good recommendation!! I haven't run into a lot of people that even know about this great movie! I also like Le Femme Nikita, Girl on a Bridge, and To Catch a Thief with the dashing Cary Grant and Grace Kelly (not based in Paris, but love it all the same). <BR> <BR>Also, just read a bio of Marie Antoinette (Evelyn Lever), Le Divorce, Le Mariage (both Diane Johnson), Black Paris (Shay Youngblood) am now reading From Paris to the Moon (Adam Gopnik), and The Collected Traveler-Paris (Barrie Kerper- wonderful book, I recommend it to anyone and everyone). As you can see, I've been totally addicted to all things Parisian since my trip in March and can't get enough.

Kathy, <BR>was this the post? <BR>