The 25 best movies set in Paris
A brief history of the French capital on celluloid
In the 120-odd years between the Lumière brothers hosting the world’s first film screening and Tom Cruise HALO-jumping into the city in ‘Mission: Impossible’, cinema’s love affair with Paris has proved just as passionate as any other romance forged in the City of Love – and far more enduring.
As the millions of tourists who flock here every year would agree, there’s something inherently alluring about the Ville Lumière. And with more cinemas than any other – not to mention all the film bars and the temple to the septième art that is the Cinémathèque – it’s a proper dream for cinephiles.
Over the decades, the city’s drawn both native auteurs like Vigo, Godard, Tati and Truffaut, and foreign filmmakers from Martin Scorsese (‘Hugo’) to Billy Wilder (‘Love in the Afternoon’), Stanley Donen (‘Charade’) and Michael Haneke (‘Amour’, ‘Hidden’). But with so many films shot in this apparently immaculate city, which should you prioritise first?
Below, you’ll find out pick of the 25 most magical movies set in Paris – ranked, we should clarify, according to the artistic merits of the film, not the images of the city itself. This one is for cinéastes – although virtual day-trippers are also welcome.
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