Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [223]
Return to beginning of chapter
FILM
Both Pariscope and L’Officiel des Spectacles Click here list the full crop of Paris’ cinematic pickings and screening times, though going to the cinema in Paris is not cheap: expect to pay up to €10 for a first-run film. Students, under 18s and over 60s get discounted tickets (usually just under €6) every night except Friday, and all day Saturday and on Sunday matinées. Wednesday yields discounts for everyone. English-language films with French subtitles are labelled ‘VO’ (version originale).
There are a few noteworthy movie theatres over and above mainstream cinemas showing Hollywood blockbusters:
CINÉMA DES CINÉASTES Map
01 53 42 40 20; www.cinema-des-cineastes.fr, in French; 7 av de Clichy, 17e; adult €8.70, student & child €6.80, morning screenings €6; Place de Clichy
Founded by the three Claudes (Miller, Berri and Lelouch) and Betty Blue director Jean-Jacques Beneix, this is a three-screen theatre dedicated to quality cinema, be it French or foreign, but always avant-garde. Thematic showings, documentaries and meet-the-director sessions round out the repertoire. Don’t miss the excellent Bar à Vins du Cinéma des Cinéastes on the 1st floor.
CINÉMATHÈQUE FRANÇAISE Map
01 71 19 33 33; www.cinemathequefrancaise.com; 51 rue Bercy, 12e; adult/student/child under 12yr €6/5/3; box office noon-7pm Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat, to 10pm Thu, 10am-8pm Sun; Bercy
This national institution is a temple to the ‘seventh art’ and always leaves its foreign offerings – often rarely screened classics – in their original versions. The association is a nonprofit collective and also holds debates, cultural events, workshops and exhibitions. For information on its exhibitions Click here.
LA PAGODE Map
01 45 55 48 48; 57bis rue de Babylone, 7e; adult/student €6/4; Vaneau
A classified historical monument, this Chinese-style pagoda was shipped to France, piece by piece, in 1895 by Monsieur Morin (the then proprietor of Le Bon Marché), who had it rebuilt in his garden on rue de Babylone as a love present for his wife. The wife clearly wasn’t that impressed – she left him a year later. But Parisian cinéphiles who flock here to revel in its eclectic programme are. La Pagode has been a fantastic, atmospheric cinema since 1931 – don’t miss a moment or two in its bamboo-enshrined garden.
LE CHAMPO Map
01 43 54 51 60; www.lechampo.com, in French; 51 rue des Écoles, 5e; adult/student & under 20yr €7.50/6, 2pm matinée €5; St-Michel or Cluny la Sorbonne
This is one of the most popular of the many Latin Quarter cinemas, featuring classics and retrospectives looking at the films of actors and directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Jacques Tati, Alain Resnais, Frank Capra and Woody Allen. One of the two salles (cinemas) has wheelchair access.
MK2 BIBLIOTHÈQUE Map
08 92 69 84 84; www.mk2.com; 128-162 av de France, 13e; adult/student/under 18yr €9.90/6.80/5.90, everyone before noon €5.90; Bibliothèque
This branch of the ever-growing chain (nine outlets at last count) next to the Bibliothèque Nationale is the most ambitious yet, with 14 screens, a trendy café, brasserie, restaurant, late-night bar and a trio of shops specialising in DVDs, books and comics and graphic novels respectively. MK2 cinemas show blockbusters and studio films, so there’s always something for everyone. Don’t miss the new branches MK2 Quai de Seine (Map; 08 92 69 84 84; 14 quai de Seine, 19e; Jaurès or Stalingrad) and MK2 Quai de Loire (Map; 08 92 69 84 84; 7 quai de Loire, 19e; Jaurès or Stalingrad), which face one another opposite the canal and are linked by ferry boat.
UGC CINÉ CITÉ LA DÉFENSE Map
08 92 70 00 00; www.mk2.com; 15 Parvis de la Défense; adult/student/under 18yr €9.50/6.50/5.90, everyone before noon €5.50; La Défense Grande Arche
One of a dozen-odd UGC cinemas in Paris, this modern 16-screen venue inside the Centre Commercial des Quatre Temps shows all the latest