Wanderlust: 1920′s Paris
24 Oct
Ah, the art, the literature, the fashion, the music!
Were we able, we would most certainly follow in the footsteps of Woody Allen’s latest protagonist and transport ourselves to 1920′s Paris.
Allen’s latest film, Midnight in Paris, is a gorgeous tribute to the city of lights in the roaring twenties. At midnight each evening, while roaming the streets of Paris, Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) finds himself in the company of Ernest Hemmingway, Zelda & F.Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Dali and many more. The film is full of cultural and literary references so the more you are familiar with 1920′s art & literature and the expat scene in Paris at the time, the more you’ll enjoy the little surprises Allen throws in. Though not to worry – if you’re not so well versed you can find a handy little (spoiler-ridden) cheat sheet here.
It’s easy to be charmed by the past. To want to escape to a better, more exciting time. But as the film reminds us (in a clear ‘the grass is always greener’ moral of the story), future generations will likely look back on our lifetime and long to have been a part of it. In dreaming of another place or time, we are often taking for granted the greatness of the present.
An important little lesson indeed! Though we just can’t help being seduced by the Années Folles so we’ve gathered a few tips to get the next best thing:
- Relive the lavish parties at the West Egg with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
- Brush up on your musical history & watch this fascinating documentary on the legendary Josephine Baker.
- Live the life of an expat in Paris with Hemmingway’s The Sun Also Rises.
- Pick up a Cole Porter album.
- While we all wait for Baz Luhrmann’s rendition, watch the old Gatsby starring Robert Redford.
- Get in the mood with the appropriate tunes courtesy of 8tracks.
