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"Midnight in Paris" Neighborhood?

Does anyone know the name of the neighborhood or street where Gil gets picked up by the mysterious car each night to go meet Hemingway, et. al?

Posted by
212 posts

I believe they filmed that at the side of St. Etienne du Mont, which is at the top of a twisting narrow cobbled street. That 's what our walking tour guide told us when we took a Pariswalks Hemingway tour.

Posted by
16024 posts

Thank you! I will see if I can locate that on Google Maps.

Posted by
16024 posts

OK, I found the church, but I don't see the narrow twisty streets, on less maybe on the north side?

Posted by
9098 posts

In movie making magic, never assume that two consecutive shots in the same scene are in the same locale. Big budget Hollywood movies think nothing of filming 60 seconds in front of one building, and then packing up and heading across town for 10 seconds of the next shot at a different angle.

Posted by
198 posts

I liked that movie, too. 27 rue de Fleurus is where Gertrude Stein lived with Alice Toklas, FWIW. I think there's a plaque on the building indicating it as such. You can also see where Hemingway lived and wrote (and drank) over in the Rue Mouffetard/St-Étienne-du-Mont area.

Posted by
11507 posts

The shot of him on the stairs is in one area, ( as noted by other poster by a church not far from Pantheon in the 5th) but the scenes that show the twisty streets looks a lot like areas behind Sacre Coeur. You know, you can google for this information, and look on the movie sites too, they often will have a "details" section that contain interesting tidbits like this.

Posted by
16024 posts

I have now found a website, movie-locations.com, that goes into great detail on many of the scenes. Gil does come down the steps of St. Etienne du Mont, but the scenes where the car comes around the corner to pick him up may be somewhere else ( it looks like the area behind Sacre Coeur to me too, Pat.) the scene with Gertrude Stein was indeed filmed in her home, at the address given above. Makes for great reading for anyone who loves the movie (and/ or Paris). So now WoodyAllen has made movies with loving looks at Barcelona, Paris, and Rome. Will Venice be next?

Posted by
2349 posts

It is St. Etienne du Mont, on the northwest side of the church. There is a small street that he walks up, along the wall of the church. He sits on the steps, and then the car comes up the larger street. The same clock tower is there as well. It struck noon while I was there, not midnight, so maybe that's why the magic didn't work.

Posted by
16024 posts

Ah, Karen, too bad! Did you consider going back at midnight? So the street is right there too? MI cannot recognize it on Street View but I may not be looking at the right spot. Is this in the Fifth Arrondisement?

Posted by
9098 posts

Will Venice be next? He did Venice a while back (1996)in one of his biggest flops: Everyone Say I love You It's a musical!
Personally I give it a thumbs-up. It's not half-bad. Don't forget about London: Match Point

Posted by
16024 posts

Great article, Laura-I printed it out for my travel folder. Sarah-I did forget about "Everybody Says I Love You" - probably bbecause it was so forgettable!!!

Posted by
2349 posts

I could be wrong, but I really think the whole steps scene was filmed in the same place. I looked up the scene to be sure. If you look at Google maps, at the north end of the church, it says "Paroisses Saint Etienne du Mont." Put your little street view man right there where the street intersects the alley. You won't see the exact view because the camera was filming from the steps. The car came up the hill from the north east. I took the Hemingway tour from Paris Walks. When the guide said those were the steps of Owen Wilson, there was more reaction from the group than for the Hemingway sites! Yes, it's in the 5th, across from the Pantheon. The church is worth a trip inside, too.

Posted by
719 posts

I agree with Karen, that the whole scene appears to be filmed from those steps. I just watched that movie the other night, but I wasn't specifically watching with this in mind, but those concrete pylons with chains look pretty familiar. I'm headed to Paris in a few days, so I'll check it out for myself. These last few days before departure are sheer torture...

Posted by
1976 posts

He did Venice a while back (1996)in one of his biggest flops: Everyone Say I love You And in "Wild Man Blues" from, I believe, 1997. There's a great scene where he and his band members are riding in a gondola in Venice down a quiet canal and Woody Allen says, "You could get murdered back here and no one would know!" Never mind the magic of the moment!

Posted by
10118 posts

Add the restaurant Polidor on Rue Monsieur Le Prince. The scene where he meets Hemmingway was shot there. The pushed the tables out of the way but you'll recognize the floor, mirrors, and counter.

Posted by
4 posts

I just took a photo of my wife on those steps last week. It is the St. Etienne du Mont as others have said and not too hard to find. Go to google and type in: Paris Perfect's Midnight in Paris Tour. Get yourself a handy little map and mark the location or print out what google shows you. The neighborhood is quaint and there are some nice little places for lunch as well. We stayed in the Marias neighborhood and walked over.

Posted by
16024 posts

Thanks! I am hoping we will be in Paris a year from now. I have located a promising hotel not too far away, up closer to the river.