Armchair travel: 8 films set in France that’ll whisk you away to l’Hexagone
Bring out the popcorn and snuggle up on the sofa with one of these English-language films set in la belle France
A Good Year
Sun-drenched Provence is the gorgeous setting for this charming British romcom starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard. A workaholic London banker inherits a beautiful Provencal farmhouse, owned by his uncle, but there’s trouble in paradise when another possible heir turns up.
The story is based on the eponymous novel by one of Provence’s most famous adopted son, Peter Mayle; director Ridley Scott had an affinity with the area, having owned a house there for 15 years.
Before Sunset
The City of Love couldn’t be a better backdrop to Richard Linklater’s gorgeous romance. Nine years ago, two strangers met by chance in Vienna; now, they cross paths once again in Paris and get the chance to see what might have been – but they’ve only got until sunset. You’ll be whisked away to Paris as the relationship between stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy plays out in front of the city’s most photogenic sights.
Mr Bean’s Holiday
Mr Bean wins a holiday to Cannes in a raffle in this cheerful caper, but of course, things don’t go smoothly. From a disaster at a French seafood restaurant to drama at the Gare de Lyon, chaos ensues for the hilarious Bean (played by Rowan Atkinson). It’s a film to keep all the family entertained.
Midnight in Paris
Be whisked back to the Paris of the Roaring Twenties in Woody Allen’s bewitching fantasy. Midnight in Paris stars Owen Wilson as a screenwriter who holidays in Paris with his fiancée and her family, and ends up going back in time to the height of the expat arts scene, meeting icons like Cole Porter, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and many more.
Chocolat
Chocolatier Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her daughter settle in the fictional French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes, dominated by tradition. But by opening a chocolate shop opposite the church as Lent begins, she enables the villagers to succumb into temptation. Based on Joanne Harris’ novel of the same name, Chocolat was filmed in Burgundy and Dordogne.
Moulin Rouge!
Paris’ cabaret scene plays a starring role in this ever-popular musical, starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. McGregor’s character, a young Englishman called Christian, becomes infatuated with one of the Moulin Rouge cabaret’s singers, Santine. It’ll make you want to book tickets for one of the world-famous show’s performances!
My Old Lady
A troubled New Yorker (Kevin Kline) goes to Paris to clear out and sell an apartment owned by his estranged father; however, he doesn’t anticipate the apartment still having residents: Mathilde (Maggie Smith) and her daughter (Chloe). It’s a sentimental, thoughtful drama filmed in and around the City of Light with some stellar performances from its key cast.
The Man in the Iron Mask
Enjoy the rip-roaring exploits of musketeers in 17th-century France in this fun caper with Leonardo DiCaprio and Gérard Depardieu at the helm. Filming took place in France with the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte standing in for Versailles.
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