(15) Short Film Sunday #3: Tuileries (Paris, je t'aime) (2006)

Tuileries (2006).
http://eye-contact.tumblr.com/post/262555211/paris-je-taime-segment-tuileries-via

Planning your next trip? Well how about a trip to Paris? Everyone wants to go to Paris at least once in their life! Keep on reading and watching and you will find out a few useful tips about Paris, and especially its metro.

This is kind of a half way cheating short film, since it is a short film within a feature length film, nevertheless it is brilliant. One of 18 segments from the film Paris, je t'aime (2006), Tuileries directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, who are now adapting their own big screen Fargo (1996) to everyone's living room via TV.

Tuileries tells a story of a tourist, played by Steve Buscemi, in Paris' metro station. As a diligent tourist he pulls out his guide book on Paris, and everything that he is reading in the book the Coen brother's place in front of his eyes, "Paris is a city for lovers... lovers of... love", and who is there on the other side of the railroad, of course, two lovers. Instead of using dialogue, evidently the tourist doesn't know French, the Coen brothers use camera to tell the story. Through use of close ups and medium shots, the combination of the tourist's thoughts, the text from the guide book and back to the tourist's thoughts, the story is told. One eye contact and the tourist is pulled into the whirlpool of two lovers fighting, in the whirlpool of Paris, the city of love. And let's not forget the little boy and his spit balls, which made me smile every time. Enjoy!

This video has no English subtitles, feel as the tourist does. If you want to watch with English subtitles, go here, however video quality isn't as good.

I know I said one short film per Sunday, but because I fear that you are all having a slight dread of Parisians after watching the Coen brothers' short, I feel responsible to relieve your fears. So before I leave you all to your Sunday duties, please, take your time and fall in love with Paris.

14e Arrondissement directed by Alexander Payne, in my opinion, is the most moving short out of all in Paris, je t'aime. Beautiful in its simplicity!

Now, who is up for catching the next train London - Paris?