The cult film Amélie is back in cinemas, in a French version with subtitles, from 24 July 2024! It's a chance to (re)watch a French classic and take a look at the typical places in old Paris that are featured in the multi-award-winning film.
No, there is nothing wrong with your sense of direction! Although Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the director of Amélie, took a few liberties with the topography of the district, the Blanche metro station would be Amélie’s (Audrey Tautou) station. Nevertheless, the spot is a great place to start your walk.
Going up rue Lepic, you will recognize some of the local shops, fruit & veg shops and the horse butcher shop sign that the young woman described to a blind person. You will in particular recognize the Café des Deux Moulins where Amélie was a waitress.
The poster for the film is well displayed inside and although the tobacconist’s is no longer there, the bar still has the zinc counter of an authentic Parisian bistro. If you are a fan of the film, treat yourself to a crème brûlée and break the sugary crust with the end of a teaspoon …
A second not to be missed venue is the grocer’s store Maison Collignon: it took its name from the film. It still sells fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs, as well as a few souvenirs of Amélie – postcards and posters.
And now to the little Willette public garden with its old-fashioned merry-go-round, below Sacré-Cœur basilica.The telephone box and trail marked with arrows: it is indeed there! To get to the top of the butte (hill), take the flight of steps that line the lawns … or the funicular. On arriving at the heart of the village of Montmartre, leave behind the place du Tertre and its busy surrounding, to find Amélie on Rue Saint-Vincent, bordering the vines. Then lose yourself, (why not?), near to the Allée des Brouillards, among the little squares, little streets, little gardens, and fairy-tale houses among which she liked to dream … The metro Lamarck-Caulaincourt is just a few flights of steps away and, this time, it is indeed Amélie’s ‘station’.
In a few minutes, you are at the Gare de l’Est. Recent embellishment work has changed the place, but with a little imagination, you can see the central hall, and even find a photo booth to immortalize your walk. This finishes by the canal Saint-Martin, the other favourite district of Amélie. Try your hand at skimming a flat stone across the water!
Piaf, Brel, Aznavour, Dalida... Between songs, anecdotes and more confidential addresses, Montmartre en chansons takes you back to the "Time of Cherries in the Time of Flowers".
