Lights, camera, action!

It all began with the notice in the photo plastered all over our street--every door and every vehicle got one. "Ladies and gentlemen, the Residents, we have the pleasure of informing you (!!!)..." it began. The pleasure? Where's the pleasure? It certainly isn't pleasant for the residents, because we lost most of our parking places on our street for over 24 hours, and if the French were violent people, they would kill over parking spaces. On Tuesday, March 30, they would tourner (film, literally "roll") a feature-length film with the working title of Le Carton (The Box). Filming would take place in the big boulevard and the plaza at the base of our street, and at 9 rue de Logelbach (we live at 10 rue de Logelbach).



When I saw how densely we'd been notified, I was sure it meant we were going to lose a lot of parking. I warned Denis, who parks his car on the street. And I was right. On Monday afternoon, the day before the filming was slated, dayglo-green-vested guys started roping off both sides of the street...and having altercations with angry people. I didn't envy them their job. Not only did they have to deal with endless hot-heads, but they had to stay there all night long to guard the parking spaces and keep them empty.



Actually, the residents of my street are perfectly accustomed to films being made. Our street has been chosen for this dubious honor at least 5 times since I've moved here. Once, the actors were dressed in medieval garb, and a stuntman kept getting dropped out of a window on a bungee cord right next door to our building.

I'm pretty sure that the reason our street is so often chosen is that, at one block long, it's one of the shortest streets in Paris. This means that it can be blocked off, roped off, and all sorts of havoc let loose without disrupting too much traffic or too many people--except of course those of us who live here. Also, we're right by picturesque Parc Monceau.



In this case, most of the filming took place in a corner bar and restaurant named the Iris. Even though it is practically across the street from me, I have never stopped in there. I don't really know why, other than that I am a busy person and always just steam right by on my way to do errands, perhaps glancing in to see the crowd at the bar, sipping coffee in the morning and wine or aperos later on. At lunchtime, they put tables out on the sidewalk where they serve what appear to be palatable, typical French fare.

I have to admit that as I took the photos of the goings-on for this postcard, I sort of took a new look at this place. I tried to see it from a stranger's point of view, as if I'd never seen it. I had to admit that it has a sort of neighborhood atmosphere, perhaps sort of like a French Cheers, although I can't be sure since I've never owned a television and never watched an episode of Cheers.

Apparently, regulars were not barred from the bar during filming. Of course, for most of them, this was an enormous perq, and I'm sure that instead of the usual 2-hour lunch, many of them took even longer this Tuesday.



The film company set up a snack bar on the sidewalk across from the café where the filming was going on, to nourish the crew members. I kept wondering if any passersby just helped themselves, as there didn't seem to be anybody minding the goods. Next to the food, a long line of director's chairs was set up, but I never saw any directors in them.

When I got into bed around 11 p.m., they still had high-powered lights focussed on the corner bar, filming away. A neighbor who unfortunately lives at ground level told me they continued until 1:30 in the morning. All we really cared about was that we had our parking spaces back the next morning. So they were filming a movie...hohum. Just another day at 10 rue de Logelbach, 75017 Paris.

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