Speaking of Paris

I just returned from the movie theater having seen "Midnight in Paris," directed by Woody Allen.  I found the premise of the film to be completely delightful!  Owen Wilson's character, Gil, an America screenwriter who desires to be a novelist, is traveling with his fiancee, Inez, played by Rachel McAdams, and her parents.  They foursome is out to dinner when a pedantic windbag and his ignorant female companion, both of whom are friends with Inez, enter.  At this point in the movie, it is decided these two couples shall spend copious amounts of time together.  All these encounters and interactions give way to the audience hating Rachel McAdams' character and the other couple.  I frequently thought to myself, "Rachel McAdams's character is such a self-serving, shallow creature."  I didn't think I could ever hate Rachel McAdams, but in this film, I do!  After suffering through so much pompous spew from Paul, the pedantic windbag, Gil begs out of an evening of dancing with the group to wander through the streets of Paris.  Traipsing about for some time has proven Gil lost.  When Gil sits down to ponder how to get back to his hotel, a vintage car comes up the boulevard.  It stops in front of the stairs upon Gil is sitting, and a gentleman beckons for Gil to join them.  Because this is the movies and not reality, Gil decides to get in the car, and he is suddenly transported back to Paris in the 1920s, which in his opinion is the city's Golden Age.  During this journey to the past, Gil meets many historical figures such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, Cole Porter, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali, among others.  Gil also meets a woman named Adrianna, who is Picasso's mistress.  She, too, is disenchanted with her present life in the City of Lights and yearns for the Paris of the 1890s.  This disenchantment is what brings Adrianna and Gil together, and ultimately leads to Gil rediscovering himself, leaving his fiancee, and moving to Paris.  I promise that doesn't ruin the ending.  Anyone who finds themselves loving Paris, struggling with their career, or is a history buff should see this film.  I know it confirmed that I will someday live in Paris, most realistically in the distant future, but it will happen.

I happen to adore France.  I am a bit of a Francophile.  I desperately regret letting my friend, iRene (yes, that is how she spells it) talk me into taking Spanish in high school.  Though, I suppose at the time it was the better career move as I was still planning on becoming a psychologist.  However, as my career has very much steered from that original path, French would have been much more sensible.  During my last May Term at Simpson, I had the wonderful opportunity to travel through historical Burgundy with the Simpson Madgrial Singers.  I wasn't singing, but I was more than happy to join the trip as a groupie just to see Francis the First's castle, the Louvre, DaVinci's home in France, L'arc de triomphe, Giverny, Mt. Saint Micheal, Saint Chapelle, and the Eiffel Tower, among other amazing sites.  I find there's such a rich history that America can't offer.  Everything in Europe seems so interconnected and America feels very siloed. For me the Golden Age of France was during the Romantic Period when so much of the art being produced was politically charged.  As I mentioned in my first post, the idea of Le Cenacle and the salons before it are so intriguing to me.  Perhaps the thought of sitting around someone's living room, discussing the issues of the day while enjoying new compositions, poetry, and novels makes me a modern day hippie.  So be it!

I firmly believe there is a lack of discourse today.  As the middle class begins to die out and our time is as valuable as ever, we desperately search for someone else to form an opinion we halfheartedly agree with so we can have an opinion.  As a result we have groups of thought that are so drastically different with no middle ground.  We want everything to be black and white, cut and dry.  I am equally as guilty.  What would happen if we took a step back and actually thought about what's happening today and how our words and actions affect others?  What if we all formed our own opinions and could support how we feel?  Perhaps we'd be more innovative and make more intelligent decisions.  This is definitely something to ponder.


--Caro