A Book Takes Movie Walks in Paris

 

Paris Movie Walks by Michael Schurmann

Destination: Paris

Book: Paris Movie Walks: Ten Guided Tours Through The City of Lights! Camera! Action!, by Michael Schurmann

I was going to say “You don’t have to be a movie fan to enjoy this book.”  But who among us is NOT a movie fan? And who has seen a movie set in Paris and NOT wanted to glide right over the Seine?

It might have been the breathtaking chases of the Bourne Identity. Or perhaps you swayed to Gene Kelly’s dancing in American in Paris.  Or romance, ahh, romance, with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in Somethings Got to Give (2004) or Keven Kline and Meg Ryan in French Kiss (1995) And the camera made love to Audrey Hepburn in many Paris films and I not only wanted to BE Audrey Hepburn, but I wanted to be Audrey Hepburn IN PARIS.

I can not list all of the movies made in Paris, and even Michael Schurmann, himself an American in Paris, does not try to list every movie ever made in this popular location. There are too many.  But Schurmann’s book Paris Movie Walks give you ten ambles through neighborhoods, and each route crosses paths with several movies.

The tours cover much more than just ‘this chase scene took place on this street,’ or ‘this kiss on this bridge.’  Schurmann packs the book with value added.  Although he promises “there will be no endless lists of French monarchs and their annoying mistresses, no stories about poets and painters about whom you know little and care even less” the book does include some references to history and the usual ‘Hemingway slept here’ kind of information. Inclusion of plenty of information beyond movie sets makes the book useful to more people and makes it more useful to all readers.

The book includes

  • Tips on dining in Paris without going bankrupt. (Maxims charges €35 for a mousse au chocolat.)
  • How to adapt to French culture
  • A list of movies with Eiffel Tower shots. (Every apartment in a movie set in Paris has a view of the Eiffel Tower, he says.)
  • The evolution of the use of locations rather than studio sets, with an aside on American in Paris. (Did they or didn’t they?)
  • The student riots of the 1960s.
  • Movies with scenes in or outside the Louvre.
  • The best view (and most photographed view in movies) in Paris.

I love this book.

  1. I love the useful index that shows which of the walks show scenes from which movies.
  2. I love that each walk starts and ends at a metro stop and a metro map is included.
  3. I love the list of movies to see before you go.
  4. I love the depth of research that went into the book.

I would love it even more if the maps of each walk showed where the stops are, if the photographs had captions, and if there were not quite so many French language movies included which are unfamiliar to me. Sigh! I guess I’d better spend more time at the Loft Theater, Tucson’s foreign and indie film house.

But on balance, this is a valuable book for the movie lover traveling to Paris, or even the person who just wants to find interesting walks in the city of “Lights!” without the “..camera!action!”

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

About Vera Marie Badertscher

A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, or recreating her family's past at Ancestors In Aprons . She has written for Reel Life With Jane, Life is a Trip and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.

12 thoughts on “A Book Takes Movie Walks in Paris

  1. Hats off to Michael for a great concept! Clever way to transport the uninitiated Paris visitor from the vicarious to the visceral. Look forward to getting hold of a copy of the book. Cheers!

  2. Saw Mike Schurmann’s book Paris Movie Walks mentioned on Twitter and have to say we took the Amelie tour of Montmartre at the end of September from the book. We loved seeing the Two Windmill’s Cafe where scenes of Amelie were filmed, along with many other wonderful sights. This book would be the perfect gift for the traveler on your list, or anyone who loves Paris. I’m picking up a few copies for friends this holiday season!

  3. Please don’t buy this book if you enjoy viewing sites from the tour bus window. This guidebook is meant for strollers who delight in small discoveries overlooked by most. Sure, anyone can enjoy a roll-by tour through the City of Light . . . but if it would please you to create a personalized step-by-step guide that places you in the very places where Vincent Van Gogh, Audrey Hepburn and other historical persons and film characters once stood, this is the Paris guide book for you.

  4. Wish Michael much success with his book! I have not yet read it, but I’m sure his profound movie knowledge goes perfectly with his entertaining qualities … looking forward to reading it! 🙂

  5. Just came across this from a tweet. Sounds like a very interesting and informative book to me. It’s true that there is a lot of material in Paris, so it could be a valuable resource if the author has managed to organise it correctly. I’ll check it out!

  6. Sounds like a very interesting book, unlike other Paris guide books. Wonder if it will be available on audio format? That would be great for a walking tour.

  7. Saw this posted on Twitter and had to check it out.

    What a perfect companion to my next Parisian trip. Refreshing to know I can follow this rather than the standard tour options

  8. Sounds like a really interesting book! Would love to have it for the next time I’m in Paris.
    Last time I was there I stayed in Montmartre, just down the street from le Café des Deux Moulins, where Amélie worked. They’ve painted it bright pink!
    (came here via Twitter)
    .-= Loulou´s last blog ..La Fête du Fromage – November Round Up =-.

Comments are closed.