ISSUES IN PARIS

1.  Do NOT get in line in the grocery store behind any woman wearing a black quilted jacket belted at the waist.

It is the latest thing.  This means the woman is the sort who is better off having the housekeeper doing the grocery shopping. 

Or more likely she's spent every last euro on that coat, so there is no housekeeper.  In that case, send zee boyfriend.

Whatever.  Do not get behind her, as I did at the Bon Marche.  Besides the fact she couldn't move in her coat, she could barely see over the collar.  And paying seemed to be totally beyond her.

2.  Do stand in line to see the movie that reveals France's last taboo.  "Cliente."  It is about an older woman (late fifties), a "hard driving television  shopping channel anchor" who upon finding herself divorced, and therefore without regular (albeit unchallenging) sex, goes out and buys it. 

Apparently going to prostitutes is still the man's domain...that is, going to prostitutes in a dignified manner.  Well, now here comes our heroine, no victim, she, willing to pay good money for a regular sex life without the accompanying melodrama of real relationships.  She is too busy at this point in her life to do everything.

This then is the last taboo in France, according to the article in The International Herald.  Whereas the rest of the world believes all French women are Brigitte Bardot or Carla Bruni Sarkozy in her early years, the truth is the average French woman is not encouraged to go out and get good sex just because she's alone.  

This taboo may be a difficult one to end.  The French, and it would seem the rest of the world, continue to like their women, particularly older women, receiving their sex safely at home wearing diamonds and slippers, clutching her rosary beads and the check book.

3.  In spite of the above movie coming out, and like I said, breaking a last taboo, there is rising complaint among the young film-goers of France that the French movie makers are cowards.  Since this article came out the day after I read the taboo article in the International Herald, I read on.  

Well, the problem is that the French filmmakers have tended to shie away from political movies.  The young cinema fanatics here point to the US as having the bravery to make political films...nevermind these films tend to be unsuccessful financially.

Well, I don't know about all that.

My own confusion lies with the choices France makes in the American films they do bring over here.

For me, it's been a six week drought of no movies while here.  There may be those who would think I'd be able to fill my time quite well without going to the movies.

You try it.

  

Comments

[yolanda garfield]

It ain't gonna be a genius remark but in the spirit of Paris and movies, there is a wonderful one that I completely enjoyed for more than a couple of reasons. Maybe you've seen it? It's called 2 Days in Paris and has 2 of my favorite actors in it. Look at the promo on line and if you like it, watch it.