I watched Midnight in Paris last night for the first time. My parents said that I’d love it which is the main reason that I hadn’t seen it yet. I studied abroad in Paris several summers ago and absolutely fell in love. There is something about the city that captivated me. Maybe because I had enough time to really explore and get to know the city, which is hard to do when you’re only passing through on a vacation. I took a photography and French Cinema course that enabled me to get to ”know” the city better than an average tourist would. My photography teacher would take us to “hidden spots” in the city that were away from the hustle and bustle of the main attractions. It was a much more intimate tour of the city that helped me to make it my own. I wasn’t too excited for the French Cinema class but it was the only option available that would work with my schedule. It turned out to be one of those “blessings in disguise” as it allowed me insight to French culture that I would otherwise be clueless about. I was also surprised by just how much the cinema class related to photography. I suppose it makes sense when you step back to look at the two arts. I became more aware of “shots”, framing, and colors from learning about cinema that helped me become a better photographer. Gotta love when things turn out that way!
Anyways, I also loved Midnight in Paris because not only were the shots of the city spectacular, it combined several of my other favorite things: the 1920s, art, and literature! It’s a comedy, but not to cheesy, and a bit predictable but I guess that’s to be expected. If you haven’t already seen the movie I obviously highly recommend it, even if you haven’t been to Paris. There was a quote from the beginning of the movie that really “struck me” seeing as I’ve been “looking back” a lot lately.
Nostalgia is denial – denial of the painful present… the name for this denial is golden age thinking – the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one ones living in – it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.
