In the Footsteps of Amélie Poulain

by Tess Wise

Paris is full of so many interesting attractions, it was really hard to choose just one to use as my personal project.  As a result of my indecision, I tagged along with various other students on their personal projects.  With Alona, I visited the "Musée de la Mode" to see an exhibit about "Les Années Folles" (the 1920's and 30's) which was very interesting.  With Serginio I visited the "Salon du Cinéma" which showcased the current trends in French cinéma.  Finally I settled on a project :  I would retrace some of the steps of my favorite French actress, Audrey Tatou, star of the whimsical French romantic comedy Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain.  This popular movie takes place in Paris, and during my personal project I visited many of the featured locations and decoded some of the parisian references that I wouldn't have otherwise understood.

 

My first step in following the footsteps of Amélie Poulain was to get my photo taken with the photomaton in the subway.  In the movie, Amélie meets a man (who will become her romantic interest) who collects the pictures that people throw away from the photomaton.  I had to cut out one of my pictures, but that was just for my "carte orange."

After looking at my photomaton pictures, I decided that if I wanted to emulate Amélie Poulain, I would need to get a haircut so I would look more like her.  After investigating salons, which are everywhere in Paris, I chose one right down the road from the hotel in the Latin Quarter. Having an "Amélie makeover" was a fun opportunity to practice using my French in a slightly unusual situation.  As I sat drinking my little coffee waiting for my color to develop, I was privy to some  fantastic people watching.  All sorts of people passed through the salon.  A classy man with the huge dog (who took up residence on the rug by the door - unthinkable in America!) came to get a trim and chat with the stylists.  A woman talked about her sister's wedding as her hair was highlighted.  At the end, after my cut and color, I felt like I was part of a community, and I looked a lot more like Audrey Tatou.  I think it's pretty close, don't you?

Now that I looked the part, I was ready to explore Montmartre, the location where a lot of the movie takes place.  Montmartre is a very popular district in Paris, known for it's art and of course the magnificent l'église Sacré Cœur which rests atop the hill (mont = mountain) and looks out over the whole city of Paris.  In Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain, Amélie leads her romantic interest on a treasure hunt up the path to the church path the carousel, which is still there.  This area is full of street performers, and, as in the movie, I saw a mime on the path!  Quelle coincidence!

One of the characters in the movie is named Madéline Wallace.  Mrs. Wallace tells Amélie that she is predestined to cry because of her name, which evokes both Mary Madeleine (and the expression in French "to cry like a Madéline") and the "Wallace fountains".  I never understood this reference until Sophie, our guide pointed out a "Wallace fountain"  during one of our tours.  It so happens that these fountains which were built In the late 1800's are an important and historic part of the Paris landscape .  After the war against Prussia, many of the aqueducts were destroyed, and it was difficult to find fresh water in Paris. To prevent the population from only drinking wine, a rich parisian, Sir Richard Wallace bought the city a series of fountains called the "les fontaines Wallace".  To this day you can see them at various points throughout the city, including in Montmartre.

Another feature of the movie was the Paris métro which we had the the opportunity to take frequently.  The station featured in the movie is Abbesses which we passed by during our tour of Montmartre.  In fact, the Paris Métro owes it's distinctive architecture (which also features in the movie) to the art nouveau movement and the architect Hector Guimard who designed the entrances to the metro that are still visible all over Paris today.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Amélie Poulain adventure, and I recommend that if you ever visit Paris you give some of these places a look.