6 March 2024

Wine Wednesday

 

Champagne, wine, beer and other drinks are set out for the evening's first screening at one of the many small art house cinémas that dot the Latin Quarter.

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While living on the coast in the north of Spain years ago it was easy to get to Paris by train, and sometimes, with friends, we'd treat ourselves to a weekend of "movie marathons" at those easy-to-miss theaters on Left Bank side streets known for showcasing off-the-radar quality international indie films and filmmakers.

 Upon arriving in Paris the first order of the day was to head for a kiosk to buy the latest copy of Pariscope or L'Officiel des Spectacles, weekly magazines that list all the movies in the city, then, over breakfast, make a game plan of what to see and in what order. The films we were looking for - whether from the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Japan, Italy… - would be left intact in their original languages (labeled V.O. for "version originale"), something that was not an option at most theaters in Barcelona, which was closer but did not have the variety of films that Paris did. Whatever the original language, it was vital to hear the actors' true voices and not have to endure badly synchronized translations of dubbed versions. And, as most of the titles we chose were already in English, distracting subtitles would not be an issue. - BPJ

Below: some of the cinémas that have survived

Quartier Latin:
 Cinéma Le Champo
Cinéma Saint-André-des-Arts
Christine Cinéma Club
Le Reflet Médicis
La Filmothèque du Quartier Latin
Studio Galande - besides a roster of independent films, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in V.O. w/performances every Friday and Saturday night. Bring a bottle of water and rice

Montmartre:
Studio 28 - cinéma interior by Jean Cocteau - bar w/charming tea salon / courtyard 
 

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