Sandrine’s Paris

Last night, «La nuit des Césars» took place, the annual French Film Awards Ceremony was opened by Marion Cotillard (Oscar for Best Actress for « La Môme », 2009).

Unsurprisingly, the excellent « A Prophet » won almost all categories ( 9 Césars in total) Best Film, Best director (Jacques Audiard), Best script, Best editing…and an exceptional first in French cinema history : Both Best Newcomer and Best Actor awards went to debutant Tahar Rahim for his performance as a prisoner.

Fortunately there was not an actress nominated for « The Prophet », otherwise Isabelle Adjani wouldn’t have received her fifth César for « la Journée de la Jupe ». This French icon was yesterday back in the limelight after a long retreat.

I was glad « Le concert », a compelling feature about a fake Bolchoï orchestra who leave Russia for a performance in Paris won Best Music and Best sound.

Worthy of note, Harrison Ford received a Special Award for his career from the hands of Sigourney Weaver who speaks perfect French.

« Gran Torino » was prefered to « Avatar », and received the Best Foreign Film award. Clint Eastwood’s son thanked the Academy in the tongue of Molière.

Trailer for A Prophet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiZSIQwNk3k

The title is well deserved: this Arts event is Monumental. For three years now, one artist every year is invited to create an Arts installation at the scale of the glass dome of The Grand Palais.

I was happy with this year’s choice, a “tour de force”, your whole being is involved. Boltanski overtook the space and offered a poignant scene under the imposing glass dome. Experiencing the installation in a cold winter night is even more striking.

As you pass a wall made of small rusty containers, a vast field of neatly arranged square sections of clothes lay on the floor. Low neon lights produce a cold glow over the relics. As you walk among the avenues of clothes, the loud beat of pumping hearts invades the space. It’s as if souls have left their corpses, their clothes still resting on the floor.

Dominating the field, a huge pyramid also made of clothes stands in the background. A crane above the pile descends, clutches some pieces, lifts them up and then releases its grip so the clothes fall back on the pile. Its overwhelming presence could only make me think of a blind hand picking people randomly and throwing them back. Not a sweet image, but a powerful stage.

Boltanski works with absence and memory but I’m impressed by his evocative force ; so many pictures come to mind. Mass murder. Ethnic cleansing. Memory and anonymity. Death and life.

Visitors were invited to record their heart beats for a second installation on an island in Japan. I left my heart there to make it beat in Japan for ever…

For those who haven’t come across it before,  Delpire is one of France’s most celebrated book publishers.

They are particularly well known for their lavish Photography books and beautifully crafted children’s illustrated books.

Their publications have covered all major photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson,  Marc Riboud, William Klein, Josef Koudelka, Sebastiao Salgado, and so on, the list is endless.

You will find many of their original photos on show at the  ”Maison Europeéne de la photographie”, along with copies of the books they were featured in.

Also featured are many children’s books you might recognize, such as Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are”, as well as many other charming illustrator’s work in both their original artboards and finished book form.

There are also some film screenings, including a documentary about Muhammad Ali and cult fashion film “Who are you Polly Maggoo” by William Klein. Quintessential 60s pop.

Certainly worth a visit if you’re in Paris, it’s on until 24 January 2010.

Delpire et Cie. at the “Maison Europeéne de la photographie”

5 / 7 Rue de Fourcy

75004 Paris

In 2007, the Paris Town Hall put in place a public system for bike hire across the capital. I was waiting for a while to see how much it would catch on before I report on it, the truth is it’s works pretty well and is proving very popular but it has its quirks.The general idea is you arrive at one Velib station (there is one every 300 metres in Paris), enter some details on a touchscreen, and you can pick your bike and ride it.Once you’ve arrived at your destination, you just park it at the nearest Velib station. So if you’re already a cyclist, this can be a great way to get to know the city without having to bring your bike to Paris!You can ride for free for up to 30 minutes, and then the system will  charge you for every hour or so, but it’s quite cheap. Alternatively you can get a one-day pass for one euro, or a weekly pass for five euros. You can pay using your Velib or NaviGo card if you’re a subscriber, or your credit card if you’re an occasional user. Just make sure you park your bike on a Velib station  when you’ve finished your journey though, or the system will deduct the deposit from your account, this is to prevent people abusing the system.In practice the system works well, but you’re never 100% sure you’ll find an available bike at a particular station. Likewise, you’re also never guaranteed an available parking spot at your destination. But with a station every 300 metres it’s not too hard to find another station. It’s worth checking your bike is in working order before you decide which one to pick from the terminal, as sometimes they’re not in the best condition. They’re maintained very regularly though.More information here: http://www.velib.paris.fr  

Today is Bastille day, which celebrates the day the Bastille was taken over in 1789, marking the beginning of the French Revolution.  Officially it is commemorated by a parade in the morning at the Champs Élysées, if that’s your sort of thing, but personally I would rather attend one of the many Parties organised by the different Fire Brigades. Always great fun, be sure to arrive early or you risk waiting in a queue for a long time. Full list of “Bals de pompiers” here: http://www.pompiersparis.fr   Also make sure not to miss the amazing Fireworks!14 juillet 2006 parisUploaded by jonathan77170

France stops for one day to celebrate music with free concerts open to everyone, everywhere in the country.

Also make sure to check this video archive with many examples of French Chanson:
http://chansons.ina.fr/