L = Louvre Museum - A to Z Blog Challenge

Musée du Louvre

The Louvre and the Glass Pyramid, Paris - by Green Eye



 
The Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre, is one of the world's largest museums and a historic monument. It's a landmark of Old Paris, located in the 1st arrondissement, with one side facing the rue de Rivoli. 


Entry into the Louvre is through the Glass Pyramid, located in the inner courtyard.  I expected the effect of the old (the Louvre building) and the new (the pyramids) to be jarring.  Instead, the transparency allows for the Louvre building to be seen or reflected by the pyramid.  Commissioned by President Francois Mitterrand, the large pyramid was completed in 1989 by I. M. Pei. 



Louvre Interior Gallery, Antiquities - by DG Hudson



It's difficult to indicate the size of this palace and its galleries without a reference point, like the crowds above. No expense was spared in the flooring, the marble, the light fixtures and the gilt.  Palais du Louvre began its life as a 12th century fortress.  A model representation of the medieval version is on display in the basement, where the original foundations of the old Louvre castle can be seen.





Louvre Painted and Gilded Ceiling by DG Hudson



In 1682, King Louis XIV, the Sun King, moved his household to the Palace of Versailles keeping the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including a collection of antique sculpture.




Antiquities, The Louvre, Paris - by DG Hudson



During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.  Treasures from antiquity survived because of this wise decision. 

The Louvre Museum Interior, Paris, by DG Hudson

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What do you think of the Louvre?  Do you like art museums?  Or do you think of The Da Vinci Code?  Please share in the comments. 

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References:


http://www.louvre.fr/en  Louvre home page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_districts  Paris Districts

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre Louvre Museum, Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre_Pyramid  Louvre Pyramid

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K = King Louis of France - A to Z Blog Challenge

There can be only one. . .

Louis XIV, Carnavalet Museum courtyard, by DG Hudson



King Louis XIV of France


Louis XIV was known as Louis the Great, or the Sun King.  He was born on September 5th, 1638 in the Chateau of Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Louis XIII and Anne of Austria.  He ruled as King of France and Navarre.  He holds the distinction of being the longest reigning king in European history, reigning for 72 years and 110 days.


Louis XIV, as a child, shared a very affectionate relationship with his mother, Anne. Their shared interests revolved around food and theatre.  This love of culture would continue in his adult life when he became a patron of the arts and literature.


He began his rule of France in 1661, as an adherent of the 'divine right theory' of kings, and continued to create a centralized state governed from the capital.  He sought to eliminate the remnants of feudalism and compelled the noble elite to inhabit his lavish Palace of Versailles.  By bringing the nobles together, Louis consolidated his  absolute monarchical rule that endured until the French Revolution.


Louis XIV put his personal stamp on his chateau/palace at Versailles, changing the hunting lodge to a golden palace containing his 'village' of nobles and their support staff.  Louis also introduced a code of etiquette at Versailles that was copied in the other courts of Europe. 




Versailles - Statue of Louis XIV by DG Hudson



After a reign of 72 years, Louis died of gangrene at Versailles on 1 September 1715, four days before his 77th birthday.  Upon his death, Louis was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV.  All his intermediate heirs had predeceased him.  Louis XIV's body lies in Saint-Denis Basilica, outside Paris.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV_of_France

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Did you learn anything new about Louis XIV?  Would you like to have lived during that time?  Please share in the comments.

Come back to this blog April 25 for the letter V (for Versailles) in the A to Z Blog Challenge.

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J = Jean d'Arc - A to Z Blog Challenge

A French Icon. . .

Jean d'Arc statue with Hotel Regina in back - by DG Hudson 


Jean d’Arc (Joan of Arc)


Joan of Arcadia, (French, Jeanne d'Arc) is a national heroine of France.  Born circa 1412 - 30 May 1431, this visionary peasant girl led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, paving the way for the coronation of Charles VII.


After motivating her fellow Frenchmen into action, she was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English for money, put on trial by the pro-English bishop and burned at the stake. 


Jean d'Arc was 19 years old.  She wasn't a witch, she was fighting for France, her country. 


The gilded statue of Jean d'Arc and horse can be seen heading east along the Rue de Rivoli, at the Place des Pyramides, a public square in the 1st arrondissement.  This is near the spot where she was wounded at the Saint-Honoré Gate in an unsuccessful attack on English-held Paris, September 8, 1429.





Jean d'Arc, Rue de Rivoli, Paris - by DG Hudson



Twenty-five years after her execution, an Inquisitorial court pronounced Jean d'Arc innocent and declared her a martyr.  Joan of Arc was beatified (blessed after death) in 1909, and canonized (declared a saint) in 1920.


Seeing the gilded statue in front of the Hotel Regina, her commanding presence forcing traffic to route around her, I realized that this was how I had visualized her.  A fierce young woman leading the fight to save her home, her country.


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DG's Theme:  PARIS, ETC  (Art, Film, Places and People)

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How does such a person arise from the general population (male or female)?  Strength of character?  Strength of conviction?  What makes our heroes and heroines stand out?  What do you think?  Please share in the comments.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_of_Arc  Joan of Arc


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rue_de_Rivoli,_Paris  Facts about the Rue de Rivoli


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I = Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis - A to Z Challenge

Île (Fr.) = Island (Eng.)

Pont Neuf (New Bridge), Île de la Cité, Paris - by DG Hudson

Île de la Cité


The Île de la Cité, in the Seine River, is connected to the rest of Paris by bridges to both banks of the river and to the Île Saint-Louis. The oldest surviving bridge in Paris is the Pont Neuf, which lies at the western end of the island.  The Pont Neuf was inaugurated in 1607 and today remains a favourite spot of visitors.  The Prefecture de Police, the Palais de Justice and the Hotel-Dieu hospital are also on this island.


Three medieval buildings remain on the Île de la Cité (east to west):

The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, built from 1163 on the site of a church dedicated to Saint Étienne, which in turn occupied a sacred pagan site of Roman times.



Notre Dame, Île de la Cité - by DG Hudson




Louis IX's Sainte-Chapelle (1245), built as a reliquary to house religious artifacts.
La Sainte-Chapelle, The Holy Chapel, is the only surviving building of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France.

La Conciergerie is a former royal palace and prison in Paris located on the west of the Île de la Cité, near the Cathedral of Notre-Dame.  This is the prison where Marie Antoinette awaited execution in 1793.  The Conciergerie had an unpleasant reputation before it became famous as the "antechamber to the guillotine" during the Reign of Terror, in the French Revolution. 

While the building looks like a brooding medieval fortress, this appearance actually only dates from about 1858.

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The Centre


The Île de la Cité remains the heart of Paris. All road distances in France are calculated from the 0 km point located in the Place du Parvis de Notre-Dame, the square facing Notre-Dame's west end-towers.





The Centre of Paris, Notre Dame square - by DG Hudson

 

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Île Saint-Louis


The Île Saint-Louis is named after King Louis IX of France, 25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270, who was commonly called Saint Louis.  The island is connected to the rest of Paris by bridges to both banks of the river and by the Pont Saint Louis to the Île de la Cité.


The island was formerly used for the grazing of market cattle and stocking wood.   There are only narrow one-way streets and no metro station, due to its residential layout.  This is where you'll find small family-owned bistros with great food and a variety of small shops.
 

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On the Île Saint-Louis:

Berthillon, a French maker and retailer of luxury ice cream and sorbet, has its primary store on the Île Saint-Louis.  Some cafes advertise on their menus that they feature  Berthillon products in their dessert line.

Conciergerie overlooking the Seine River by DG Hudson

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Do you like exploring little communities like these two islands?  Do you know of any other river with islands like these?
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References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_Saint-Louis  Île Saint-Louis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_IX_of_France  Louis IX

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%8Ele_de_la_Cit%C3%A9  Île de la Cité

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conciergerie Conciergerie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle Sainte Chapelle




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H = HUGO - A to Z Blog Challenge

 A little boy all alone . . . except for the one thing that gives him hope

Hugo, Image via Wikipedia


HUGO

2011 - Director, Martin Scorsese; written by John Logan. 
Co-production GK Films and Infinitum Nihil. Distributed by Paramount Pictures


A small boy’s search for a message from his deceased father leads him to a secret instead.  Hugo lives in the train station and learns to maintain the clock mechanism from his alcoholic uncle after his father dies in a museum fire.  By maintaining the clock mechanism, he can live in the train station and continue his father’s work on a non-working automaton rescued from the museum.


The train station is the setting for a community of characters, a woman 'of a certain age' and her friend, a gendarme who takes his job seriously, a flower girl and a few dogs. One of the characters, Méliès, a grumpy toy store owner, accuses Hugo of stealing toy parts, then in a turnabout, offers the boy a chance to pay back what he has stolen by working around the store.


Hugo then meets Isabelle, the goddaughter of Méliès, and discovers that the toy store owner has a secret past, too.  Between Isabelle and Hugo, a friendship deepens as they help an old man retrieve his life by unravelling the clues.  Along the way, the secondary characters provide us with interesting distractions.  The story of Méliès, within the story of Hugo, is a nice touch since it's true.  See previous post for F,  French Films.


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One scene seems to be a tip of the hat to Harold Lloyd, the silent film star who loved to hang around with clocks. The inspiration for the clock featured in the Hugo film released in 2011 was the former Gare Montparnasse, an elegant railway station in Paris.


Have you seen the movie Hugo? Do you plan to? Any comments?

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References/Links:

 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGTfCw1x98   Hugo Trailer


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo   about Hugo, the movie


Montparnasse Train Station, 1895 Derailment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_Montparnasse

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G = Gay Purr-ee - A to Z Blog Challenge



Warner Bros. Image via Wikipedia



Gay Purr-ee
A Feline Adventure in Paris


Gay Purr-ee is an animated film musical produced by United Productions of America and released by Warner Bros. in 1962. Judy Garland is the voice of the female cat in her first and only animated-film role as Mewsette.  Robert Goulet is the voice of Jaune Tom, the male lead.

The setting for most of the action is Paris, France in 1895, but the story begins in Provence.  The lovely cat Mewsette is frustrated with her beau (Jaune Tom, an accomplished but shy mouser). Mewsette believes her human's stories of the glamorous life in Paris and longs to see the Big City for herself.

Hopping a train going to Paris, Mewsette is promptly snagged as a provincial ingenue by the slick con-cat Meowrice (The Money Cat).  For her training in the 'city' life, Meowrice introduces her to Kittie, a kind-hearted saloon singer.  When Jaune Tom (Jean-Tom) comes looking for Mewsette, she learns the value of friendship.  He and his sidekick are catnapped by the Money Cat's henchmen and crated for shipping to America. 

For a look at this retro animated musical video, check out the links below.  The cover image heading the post is from Warner Bros., via Wikipedia.  I discovered this movie when one of my kids selected it for viewing, because it had cats. The theme and choreography is vintage 60s.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Purr-ee  The movie, and who did the voices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTiPr2l_6o8&feature=related
The Money Cat song

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Do you like animated films?  Please share your favourite OR the latest one you've seen in the comments. 

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F = French Films - A to Z Blog Challenge

Birthplace:  France

In the late 19th century, Auguste and Louis Lumière of France, invented the cinématographe. Their first film in 1895 is considered by many as the birth of cinematography. During the next few years, filmmakers began experimenting with this new medium.


Georges Méliès was one of those filmakers.  He invented many of the techniques now common, and made the first science fiction film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon) in 1902. The Méliès background was explored in the story of Hugo, a recent movie release.


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Four French Directed Films:

Amélie - or The Fabulous Destiny of Amelie Poulain
2001 Comedy/Romance/Drama -  Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Amélie (Audrey Tautou) is a waitress in a Montmartre café. She and her father live alone in a small apartment, her mother having recently passed on.  Her father has made a shrine with his wife's beloved garden gnome in the centre.  As they try to adjust to their new life, Amélie finds a box full of secret remembrances that a past tenant had hidden.  She wants to return it to its owner.  Her quest begins.  And the Gnome goes traveling.

The setting for some of the scenes is a working café in Montmartre.   While she waits tables, Amélie observes the little quirks of affection that people use, and tries matchmaking her co-workers.  On her travels about the city, she begins to notice a

strange young man about her age who collects photos from underneath an instant booth.  She wants to make everyone happy, including herself.  This, she has decided, is her mission in life.

I enjoyed this movie about coping with life's inconsistencies.  Audrey Tautou is perfect in her role as the spunky French girl. 


http://www.bestfrenchfilms.com/20_amelie.php  A list

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sECzJY07oK4 , Amelie, The Trailer


*****

The 400 Blows
1955 Crime/Drama - Francois Truffault


A semi-autobiographical French New Wave film, reflecting events of Truffaut's and his friends' lives. Dedicated to André Bazin, the man who influenced Truffault, the film is an exposé of the treatment of juvenile offenders in France during the early 1950s. Antoine is accused of stealing and called a troublemaker. Eventually, he is sent to an observation centre for troubled boys.  It's a harsh lesson in consequences for this young boy.

Quoted from Wikipedia:

"Filmmakers Akira Kurosawa, Luis Buñuel, Satyajit Ray, Jean Cocteau, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Richard Lester and Norman Jewison have cited The 400 Blows as one of their favorite movies. Kurosawa called it "one of the most beautiful films that I have ever seen."


http://www.bestfrenchfilms.com/35_400coups.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_400_Blows


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Jules et Jim
1961 Romance/Drama - François Truffaut


A story about two men who fall for the same woman. The triangle relationship between the three is interrupted by WWI, but continues afterwards.  The film reflects the new attitudes and changing morals of the early sixties;  it was a time of questioning.

Jeanne Moreau, French actress, is the catalyst.  Truffault's films are usually shown at film festivals and may be difficult to find other than online. 

http://www.bestfrenchfilms.com/08_jules.php

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055032/


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Cyrano de Bergerac
1990 - Jean-Paul Rappeneau

The Man

Hercule-Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac (6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French dramatist and duelist. He is now best remembered for the works of fiction which have been woven, often very loosely, around his life story, most notably the 1897 play by Edmond Rostand.


The Movie:

Man, Cyrano, who loves unattainable woman, believes himself ugly with no chance to win his heart's love.  He sends love letters and poems in another man's name.  Woman falls for the writer of these letters, never guessing the man is Cyrano. 

What follows is a chain of events that force Cyrano to be honest about his affections.  


http://www.bestfrenchfilms.com/38_cyrano.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrano_de_Bergerac_(1990_film

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Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen isn't included in my list as it isn't by a French director, but I recommend seeing it for the setting.

Have you seen any of these films? Please share in the comments if you have seen one of them OR if you know of others.