Review 2 of 2: Midnight in Paris

*My first Paris review was of The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain.

I’ve said previously that my “Golden Age” was Paris in the 20s. Similar to Owen Wilson in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. This was a time when (I imagine) jazz was always floating through the air. Men and women were dancing at every movement or at least sitting in a café planning their next soiree. There was a feeling of excitement in each conversation, and a carefree spirit that believed anything was possible. It was a time for adventure, imagination, and creativity.

Some, including Allen, might label this nostalgia as Golden Age Syndrome – an illusion and exaggerated romantic notion that a time gone by and all its customs were considerably better than the present time. And in Midnight in Paris, Allen explores this notion through his own distinct way and some very humorous, although grossly stereotyped, characters.

The film follows Gil and Inez, who are vacationing in Paris while Inez’s parents are there on business. The parents are portrayed as a stereotypical conservative, American couple, who believe their values, customs, and business practices are superior to those of anyone else. They are impatient at restaurants. The mother scolds shopkeepers for their lack of service. And in one particularly funny scene for our little Normandy group, the father is trying to argue the principles of Republican politics while being severely distracted by a small dog sitting at the table beside him. Snide comments on French hygiene and their lack of respect for other diners follows.

One night Gil chooses a quiet walk through the streets of Paris over a night of dancing with his fiancé and some of her pretentious college friends. At midnight, a vintage Peugeot rolls up and a lively crowd beckons Gil to come along. Now, we’re carried back in time to Paris in the 1920s, with Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, T. S. Eliot, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and many other writers and artists of the time. Allen’s 1920s characters are even more stereotyped than those in the present day – Hemingway hits on every woman he meets and his conversations are straight out of his novels.

Gil has landed in his Golden Age. He loves every minute, and he seems content to stay there forever. Along the way, he meets Adriana (Marion Cotillard), a young mistress to Picasso. She laments that Paris in the 20s is so hard, and she wishes she lived during the Belle Époque with Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. We’re meant to see that people in every age are always idealizing the past as something much better than the present. It’s a never-ending cycle.

Gil eventually realizes that he needs to live fully in the present and free himself of his nostalgic tendencies. But part of me wonders if he really will be happier without that dream of Paris in the 20s. While I appreciate a Carpe Diem – Seize the Day – motto and making the most of the present moment, I also believe we can carry with us in the present certain elements of our Golden Age. I think there’s still great value in hand-written notes, formal salons, dressing for dinner (and for travel), and a wide variety of other forgotten customs. And who’s to say these little touches can’t make our present just that much better than it is on its own.

Midnight in Paris, while my review so far might lead you to think I disliked it, was actually a great comedy and farce of many of the members of the Lost Generation. It’s disingenuousness kept me laughing throughout the film. And the scenes in many of Paris’ great museums and monuments were a vivid, visual love letter to the City of Lights and brought back so many personal memories of my time there.

If you’ve ever imagined being part of that raucous and impulsive time that is Paris in the 20s, or if you just love Paris at any time, Midnight in Paris should definitely be on your summer movie list.

Have you ever dreamed of living in another time? Another place? Somewhere where life was maybe a little easier, the clothes were more stylish, and the parties were over the top?

My “Golden Age” (or at least one of them) would be Paris in the 20s – jazz floating through the air, a smooth dance step in every movement, a feeling of excitement in each conversation, and a carefree spirit that believes anything is possible. It was a time for adventure, imagination, and creativity.

My life-long love for Paris recently led me to two things – The Paris Wife by Paula McLain and Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s latest film.

Review 1 of 2:

Hadley & Ernest's First Apartment in Paris was on the Fourth Floor of this Building in the Latin Quarter.

The Paris Wife recounts the love affair between Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley. The story is told from Hadley’s point of view, which provides a unique female perspective into the life and times of one of America’s most celebrated authors and into the expat social scene of Paris in the 1920s. When Hadley met Ernest, he was living with friends in Chicago, readjusting and recuperating after his time as an ambulance driver during World War I, and working as a freelance correspondent for the Toronto Star. After only a few short months, the two married and moved to Paris. In Paris, Ernest and Hadley quickly become part of the lively and impulsive expat crowd – the “Lost Generation” – together with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and James Joyce. Can you imagine their dinner party conversation?! Well, thankfully, you catch a glimpse of it in McLain’s book.

The dynamics of Hadley’s relationship with Ernest and with the others is what drew me into this story. From my brief study of Hemingway in high school, I remembered that he was known for his womanizing and chauvinistic ways. So to see glimpses of true love and infatuation (mostly based on fact) in his relationship with Hadley softened my resolve against Hemingway. However, as Hemingway tries more and more to fit in to the fast life of Paris – lots of beautiful women, alcohol, and talented competition – you can see him struggle between the richness and excitement of Paris and the traditional values he professes to share with Hadley. For good or bad, I think we all know how that struggle ends for Hem.

Meanwhile, Hadley is struggling to find her own balance between wife, mother, and muse. Not to mention, she has her own hidden ambition and talent to become a concert pianist. Where does that fit into Hemingway’s plan?

The story of Hadley and Hemingway covers a rollercoaster of emotions from wedded bliss and carefree adventure to heartbreak and deception. Both must reconcile their true love for each other, their own ambitions, and Hemingway’s ultimate betrayal. Through it all, The Paris Wife highlights Hadley’s strength and grace during the crises of her marriage and her growing self-confidence pursue her own dreams.

If you’ve ever imagined being part of that Lost Generation or living it up in Paris in the 20s, The Paris Wife is a must read.

As part of a benefit auction for International Relief & Development‘s Haiti programs, I and 10 of my best friends won a week in Normandy at the amazing country home of one of my IRD colleagues. La Porte Rouge in Carentan was an idyllic location for a week of exploring Normandy’s D-Day beaches, port towns, local farms and apple orchards, and so much more of this region’s rich history. And of course, we had to spend a few extra days in Paris at the end of our trip. Hope you enjoy the photos!

A little belated … but here are a few shots from our girls’ week in Cabo, Mexico. You’ll have to do with out any stories, because what happens in Cabo, stays in Cabo. And yes, you’re allowed to be jealous.