Paris

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Film
Paris belongs to the movies. There are nearly 90 cinemas and almost 400 screens, 150 of them independently owned – and of those, 89 show nothing but arthouse. More tickets per capita are bought in Paris than anywhere else in Europe. And, in any given week, a choice of around 230 movies – not counting festivals. You like cinema? You’ll love Paris.

 

Even if you’re only in town for a couple of days, it would be a real shame not to visit at least one of the city’s many and varied picture palaces – the glorious faux-oriental Pagode, for example, or the active and innovative Forum des Images. In addition to the multitude of retrospectives and cut-price promotions, there are many Q&A events: if you are lucky, your trip may coincide with a visit from a major international director or actor.

New releases, sometimes as many as 15 or more, hit the screens on Wednesdays. Hollywood is well represented, of course, but Paris audiences have a balanced diet that includes an insatiable appetite for international product and for non-standard formats like shorts or documentaries; then there are the 150-plus annual releases funded or part-funded with French money (the French film industry is still
the world’s third largest).

 

Classical music & opera

If Gérard Mortier’s first season as director of the Opéra National de Paris had predictable moments of controversy, including a universally despised take on Mozart’s Magic Flute, at least his efforts to introduce the public to unfamiliar work generally made a welcome change from the conservative approach of his predecessor, Hugues Gall. Mortier also takes the trouble to give personal pre-show talks, which appeal to an audience not always entirely free of intellectual pretension. Elsewhere, the recently elected director of the Châtelet, Jean-Luc Choplin, should provide an interesting antidote to Mortier’s elitist sensibilities.

 

Contemporary composition remains a strong suit in Paris’s musical makeup, thanks to the work of the IRCAM, the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the active presence of Pierre Boulez. It’s matched only by the Early Music scene, led by William Christie’s Les Arts Florissants, with French conductor Emmanuelle Haïm joining other native specialists such as Christophe Rousset and Jean-Claude Malgoire. There’s plenty going on in churches and other venues, too. The Festival d’Art Sacré (01.44.70.64.10, www.festival dartsacre.new.fr) presents church music in authentic settings in the run-up to Christmas; Les Grands Concerts Sacrés (01.48.24.16.97) and Musique et Patrimoine (01.42.50.96.18) also offer concerts at various churches, while music in Notre-Dame cathedral is taken care of by Musique Sacrée Notre-Dame (01.44.41.49.99, tickets 01.42.34. 56.10). The main music in summer is the Paris Quartier d’Eté festival, with concerts in gardens.

 

Many venues and orchestras offer cut-rate tickets to students (under 26) an hour before curtain-up. But be suspicious of smooth-talking ticket touts around the Opéra and at big-name concerts.

 

On La Fête de la Musique (21 June), all events are free, and year-round freebies crop up at the Maison de Radio France and the Conservatoire de Paris, as well as at certain churches.

Dance

Although Paris is revered for its sumptuous Opéra productions and groundbreaking avant-garde performances of a century ago, its contemporary scene is also impressive: local punters are always hungry for cutting-edge dance. Talent is constantly shuttling between Paris and Brussels; Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker and her company Rosas are among the commuters. Superstars Pina Bausch and William Forsythe also visit regularly, drawing healthy crowds.

 

For would-be performers, there are masses of dance classes – ballet and hip hop being the most popular – and there’s also no letting up of the Buena Vista-inspired Latin phenomenon. And every season sees some kind of contemporary dance festival in or near Paris; Paris Quartier d’Eté and the Festival d’Automne are just two of the biggest.

 

Theatre

Paris is rich in dramatic history. From moody medieval plays to revolutionary street theatre in 1968, French drama has always mirrored, shaped and commented on French society. Paris has led the pack in the development of new acting styles, popular dramatic movements and landmark theatre buildings. But for the outsider, especially the outsider whose French isn’t fully fluent, the options are limited. None of the legendary theatrical venues subtitle their performances, so even open-minded visitors are unlikely to venture in. Meanwhile, a couple of anglophone troupes cater to the English-speaking crowd. Dear Conjunction Theatre Company (6 rue Arthur-Rozier, 19th, 01.42.41.69.65) is the main source of English-language theatre, in a variety of venues. And Shakespeare in English is performed in June at the Bois de Boulogne’s Théâtre de Verdure du Jardin Shakespeare (08.20.00.75.75) by London’s Tower Theatre Company (www.towertheatre.org.uk).

 

What’s on

For listings, see L’Officiel des Spectacles, Pariscope or Zurban. When it comes to films, take note of the two letters printed somewhere near the title: VO (version originale) means a screening in the original language with French subtitles; VF (version française) means that it’s dubbed into French. Matters musical are covered by monthly magazines Le Monde de la Musique and Diapason, which list classical concerts; Opéra International provides good coverage of all things vocal. Cadences and La Terrasse, two free monthlies, are distributed outside concert venues. Another useful source of information is website www.concertclassic.com.

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