Monday • Paris, Je T'aime

Yesterday Polly and I enjoyed lunch at the California Pizza Kitchen in West Hollywood. Afterwards we popped in Virgin Records on our way to the Sunset 5 to see a movie. We saw Paris, Je T'aime . . . and I do love Paris, having spent 4 years of my life in that fantastic city. We both enjoyed the movie and the rest of our afternoon into evening that consisted of getting back in bed, watching another movie and ordering in for Chinese. Quite the international day. . . if you ask me.

Twenty filmmakers bring their own personal touch, underlining the wide variety of styles, genres, encounters and the various atmospheres and lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris.

Each director has been given five minutes of freedom, and we, as producers, carry the responsibility of weaving a single narrative unit out of those twenty moments. The 20 films do not appear in the order of the arrondissements, from one to twenty, but rather, in a pertinent narrative order, initially unknown to the audience. They are fused together by transitional interstitial sequences, and also via the introduction and epilogue sequences of the feature film. Each transition begins with the last shot of the previous film and ends with the first shot of the following film, and has a threefold function: 1) The first is to extend the enchantment and the emotion of the previous segment, 2) The second is to prepare the audience for the surprise of the next segment, and 3) The third is to provide a general, comfortable and cohesive atmosphere to the feature film. The delightful and brief interludes of these transitions enables the viewer to slide from one world to the next, featuring a recurring and unexpected character.

This mysterious character is a witness to the Parisian life and helps create a continuous narration. It appears both in and in-between the films. In addition to the information these transitions provide about the city and its people, their tone is intentionally light often referring to famous scenes easily attributed to the history of Paris cinema. Similar specifications are followed by the composer who supervises the musical fusion between the films and the transitions as he creates the musical score of "Paris, je t'aime."

Considering the common theme of Paris and Love, the fusion between the films and the transitions, the fast pace of a fluid and complete storytelling, Paris, je t'aime" is not just another "anthology" picture. It ia a unique collective feature film that constitutes a two-hour cinematographic spectacle whose original structure makes for a dramatically different experience for its global audience.

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