Paris Blues (1961)

Boulogne-Billancourt, France

Canal Factory, formerly known as the Studios de Boulogne, is a complex of filming studios located in Boulogne-Billancourt, between Avenue Jean-Baptiste-Clément and Rue de Silly, and is one of the historic landmarks of French cinema. Founded in 1941 and long operated by the Société française de production (SFP), it has hosted countless film and television shoots. Acquired by the Canal+ group, it was renovated and renamed "Canal Factory" in 2016. The site now includes five filming stages and remains an active production complex.

The scene : 3 minA long nighttime pan over the rooftops of Paris closes with an optical shutter: Marie Séoul (Barbara Laage) walks up the alley and then descends the stairs to the cellar where Ram Bowen is performing, Club 33.

Paris, France

Paris train station in the Europe district (8th/9th arr.), immortalized by Monet and Caillebotte.

The scene : 8 minRam Bowen (Paul Newman) comes to greet the trumpeter Wild Man Moore (Louis Armstrong), who has just arrived from the transatlantic train from Le Havre. He lingers in front of his poster and gets approached by two admirers. The hall closes the film: Lillian (Joanne Woodward) is waiting for Ram, who joins her at the gate to announce that he is staying in Paris, while Eddie (Sidney Poitier) leads the two American women to their compartment.

Paris, France

Star-shaped square spanning the tracks of the Saint-Lazare train station, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. It dates back to 1826. It is officially named Place de l'Europe - Simone Veil.

The scene : 8 minA bird's-eye view of the rail yard at Saint-Lazare from the bridge at the square: a train departs while jazz enthusiasts gathered below anticipate the arrival of Wild Man Moore, and Lillian and Connie arrive in Paris.

Paris, France

The scene : 24 minAt the end of Ram's concert at Club 33, Eddie Cook (Sidney Poitier) and Connie Lampson (Diahann Carroll) stop while crossing the bridge during a nighttime stroll, with Notre-Dame de Paris rising behind them.

Paris, France

The scene : 24 minWhile Eddie and Connie cross the bridge, Ram (Paul Newman) and Lillian (Joanne Woodward) walk below, on the bank, for their own evening stroll.

Paris, France

The most famous avenue in Paris, connecting the Concorde to the Étoile.

The scene : 27 minThe saxophonist and Connie extend their romantic stroll until the early morning on the avenue, with the Arc de Triomphe silhouetted in the distance to the left.

Paris, France

The scene : 28 minThe day rises over Montmartre, where an open-air market is held: a shot frames the street with the corner of rue Coustou at its center, then a boy buys cheese from a stall at the corner of rue Cauchois.

Paris, France

The scene : 28 minAn old woman shouts at the market boy from her windows; the camera then pans up the façade to Ram's room, where Lillian spent the night and pushes the shutters open.

Paris, France

The scene : 37 minDays go by and the two couples draw closer: on the bank of the left bank, below the quai d'Orsay and west of the Pont des Invalides, they stroll among the anglers before boarding the sightseeing boat.

Paris, France

The scene : 39 minAboard the riverboat, the two couples ascend the Seine and pass under the bridge; Ram explains to Connie that Eddie could work in the United States whenever he wants, but he chooses to stay with him.

Paris, France

Left bank quay facing Notre-Dame, lined with the booksellers of the Seine.

The scene : 43 minThe boat ride over, the musicians escort their companions back to the dock. It's there that Connie urges Eddie to say what is keeping him in Paris and challenges his reasoning in a discussion that revolves around their condition as Black Americans.

Paris, France

The scene : 50 minIn the midst of Montmartre's tourist hustle, the two couples dash down the large staircase on the right of the square, from Cardinal-Dubois street to Saint-Pierre square, at the foot of the Sacré-Cœur.

Paris, France

A two-level bridge spanning the Seine, with the upper deck carrying the elevated metro, located between the 15th and 16th arrondissements. Built in 1905 by Jean Camille Formigé and Louis Biette, it is registered as a historical monument.

The scene : 50 minLeft alone, Ram and Lillian descend a staircase, the one that passes under the stone arch of the bridge and leads to the path of the island.

Paris 15e, France

The scene : 50 minIt is on the tree-lined avenue of the island, with the Eiffel Tower rising beyond the Bir-Hakeim bridge, that the two couples part ways to continue their day separately.

Paris 18e, France

The scene : 51 minThe visit to Montmartre continues in the stairway street that leads from rue Saint-Éleuthère: at the top of the steps, Connie and Eddie mingle with a group of kids and play with them for a moment.

Paris 18e, France

The oldest active cabaret in Paris, Au Lapin Agile remains attached to the artistic bohemia of the early 20th century: Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Utrillo drank and dined there during times of financial struggle, and several painted the life inside the establishment. The place was called around 1860 "Au Rendez-vous des Voleurs"; in 1875, the painter André Gill gave it a sign representing a rabbit jumping out of a pot, "Le Lapin à Gill", which gradually morphed into Lapin Agile. Steve Martin set his play Picasso at the Lapin Agile (1993) there, imagining a meeting between Picasso and Einstein in 1904.

The scene : 51 minRam and Lillian head up to the cabaret, where a photo is taken; it is there, at the corner of Saint-Vincent Street, that Eddie and Connie happen upon them by chance and the two couples reunite.

Paris 18e, France

The scene : 52 minConnie and Eddie embrace as they walk up the small cobblestone street, before the four friends move away together.

Versailles, France

Former residence of the kings of France in Versailles, a masterpiece of French classicism, now a museum and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The work initiated in 1661 involved Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and André Le Nôtre.

The scene : 53 minA brief escape from Paris: Ram and Lillian descend the Staircase of the Hundred Steps, in the estate of the château.

Paris 17e, France

The scene : 1 hr 7 minA fade finds Eddie and Connie in front of the subway kiosk, on the Place de la République-Dominicaine.

Paris 8e, France

The scene : 1 hr 8 minIn front of the honor gate of the park, Eddie buys several bouquets that he offers to Connie; it is there, having fallen in love, that he decides to return to the United States.

Paris 7e, France

The scene : 1 hr 12 minThe holidays are coming to an end: Lillian emerges from the subway entrance on Boulevard Raspail, her arms loaded with groceries.

Paris 7e, France

The scene : 1 hr 13 minLillian crosses the boulevard to join the hotel, where Connie is packing her bags.

Paris 18e, France

The scene : 1 hr 26 minAfter Gypsy's (Serge Reggiani) uproar during the party, Ram leaves the premises; a night pan follows him along the square, with the buildings of Gabrielle Street in the background.

Paris, France

The scene : Opening credits: from this rooftop in the 9th arrondissement, a 180° pan sweeps across the rooftops of the capital against a backdrop of jazz, from the Eiffel Tower to the Sacré-Cœur, passing by the dome of Saint-Augustin and the bell tower of the Trinity, before cutting to the studio set.

Paris, France

Monumental bridge over the Seine, built for the 1900 World's Fair and adorned with golden sculptures; classified as a historical monument.

The scene : The bridge first appears from the riverboat, then Eddie and Connie return on foot: he shows the young woman Paris while descending the stairs that lead from the deck to the bank.

Paris, France

Located on the Île de la Cité, the market has undergone several configurations: it was an open-air flower market starting in 1809, and in 1873 it received metal pavilions as part of the Haussmann renovations, which were destroyed in 1905 to allow for the construction of the nearby Cité metro station. Temporary canvas shelters succeeded them until 1924, when the pavilions that still form the market's structure today were constructed. Long known as the Cité flower and bird market, it is now named after Queen Elizabeth II.

The scene : Ram takes Gypsy (Serge Reggiani) to wander among the cages of the bird market, where the musician hasn't set foot in a long time. They cross paths with Fausto (Roger Blin), a former great guitarist turned drug addict; Ram then leads his friend outside and tears a promise from him to see a doctor to quit cocaine, the camera lingering on a playground after they exit the shot.