Paris, city of cinema: in 2021, 110 films and 64 series were shot in the capital, i.e. 7,000 days of filming! But among all the filmmakers who have filmed the streets and monuments of Paris, there is one who has endeavored to reveal Paris in a new light with his camera, far from the studios: Jean-Luc Godard. Born at 2, rue Cognacq-Jay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, this figure of the New Wave, alongside Truffaut, Rohmer, Varda and others, is known for having produced, among others, “Breathless”, “Contempt” or “Pierrot le fou”. His death at the age of 91 is an opportunity to return to the emblematic Parisian places of his filmography.
The Latin Quarter: nerve center of the New Wave
An emblematic place for all New Wave filmmakers, led by Jean-Luc Godard. Arthouse cinemas, La Sorbonne, Saint-Michel and its quays, etc. In 1959, Jean-Luc Godard chose to shoot one of his first short films at the Jardin du Luxembourg: All the boys are called Patrick.
The Latin Quarter, which is also the subject of a walk in the director’s footsteps to follow in his footsteps. Little anecdote, historical this time: during the riots of May 68, we find a certain Jean-Luc Godard demonstrating in the streets and distributing cobblestones.
A Bout de Souffle: in pursuit of Paris
With Breathless (1960), Jean-Luc Godard follows his characters wandering around Paris: on the Quai Saint-Michel, on the Ile de la Cité, or even on the Champs-Elysées when Michel Poiccard finds Patricia who is selling the New York Herald newspaper Grandstand.
But the most striking setting remains that of the final scene of the film, where Michel, trying to escape the police, will be fatally hit rue Campagne-Première, in the 14th arrondissement, under the frightened eyes of Patricia.
On the right bank: from the café to the metro
If in A woman is a woman (1961), the actress Anna Karina strolls through the streets of the Strasbourg-Saint-Denis district, she poses in a Parisian café for a mythical scene of Live your life (1962).
In 1964, in the film Keeping to himself, he blackmails Anna Karina on line 8 of the Paris metro. A black and white scene where the Franco-Danish woman recites a poem by Aragon at the Liberté station.
Finally, the streets of Paris represented, for Jean-Luc Godard, a universe of freedom and a unique creative playground for his cinema.