Montmartre: in the footsteps of Amélie Poulain
In 2001 the French feature film "Amélie
was released. Both in France and far beyond the movie about a Parisian waitress
was a great success.
. The story, the humour, the atmosphere and the acting performances turned out
to appeal a wide audience from Japan to the USA. The movie won several Césars
(French movie awards) and was nominated for a number of Oscars. The movie is,
for the most part, set in Montmartre. Not so much in the most touristy part
around the Place du Tertre, but rather in the lesser known part west of
it.
Through the website of Michelin we got the idea of doing a walk through
Montmartre along the locations where the film was set and was
actually
shot. Admittedly, director Jeunet's picture of Montmartre is strongly
romanticised, but the actual locations of the movie were real.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amélie:
'Life in Montmartre has changed since Amélie. A few years ago, the owner of the Café des deux Moulins wanted to sell his business, because he had enough. Now that is totally out of the question! [meanwhile the café has been sold under the condition that it will be continued without changes - Eddy]. He gives interviews every other day and the place is always crowded. The tourist trains points out Amélie's café when it passes. Mister Ali, the owner of the Arab grocery, has kept part of the props of the Colignon grocery and tells everyone who wants to listen that his life is full of joy thanks to the movie, despite what Kaganski thinks! At the tourist office there a long lines of tourists asking for maps for their pilgrimage. And I'm even accused of causing a rise in property prices in the 18th district of Paris! Amélie has really changed more than one life!'
Jeunet exaggerates a bit. There are more tourists than before, but compared to the real tourist attractions this part of Montmartre is still an oasis of relative peace in the French capital.
On these pages you will find an account of the walk with photos. By clicking and dragging the map below you can follow the route on a map. You can also download the map in a separate tab through this link
