Skip to main content

Martin Scorsese in Paris

By August 19, 2010March 20th, 2016Cinephilia, Great Directors2 min read

In the evenings I often go for walks around Paris’ Left Bank, trying to capture street scenes during magic hour – when the city is at its most beautiful.

Yesterday’s photo expedition got completely derailed, as soon as I noticed a long row of white trucks lined up on rue Saint-Jacques. They are usually the telltale sign of a film shoot occurring nearby. That’s exactly how I stumbled upon the setup for a scene from Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris a couple of weeks ago behind the Pantheon – and had the privilege to see Woody Allen at work with cinematography wiz Darius Khondji.

Two days ago I had heard that Martin Scorsese was in Paris as well, to shoot his latest film Hugo Cabret, a drama set in 1930s Paris. So, I set about finding out where he will be shooting, hoping to catch a glimpse of the maestro in action. A friend told me that she’d heard he had been filming at the Sorbonne. And that’s where I headed.

I was blown away by the amount of technical equipment that circled half a perimeter of the Sorbonne: the entire rue Saint-Jacques has been taken over by prop trucks that come from the U.K. Four monster cranes are hovering over place du Pantheon, near Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve.

Something tells me that they will be here for a while… I’m planning to catch a glimpse of Scorsese and DP Robert Richardson in action. I’ll report back soon…

Join the discussion 2 Comments

  • Lindsey says:

    Ooooh how exciting! I need to join you on those walks… catch a glimpse of a star or two :) Just saw Rachel McAdams in line at Le Pain Quotidien in the Marais on Sunday as I was leaving. Discreet, didn’t look annoyed to have to wait in line… a genuine looking girl next door. Now, if I only I could see Leo…..

  • howard says:

    I’m working on Hugo, and was there in Paris for those fantastic 11 days we spent there. I think you’re going to enjoy the film and what Paris looks like in 3D through Martin Scorcese and Bob Richardson’s eyes.
    I found your site by mistake, but I’m glad I did. I really enjoy it.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.