The film Midnight in Paris, is full of art history and I thought it'd be fun to highlight some of these artists and places that are portrayed in the movie. It's no question that Paris in the 1920s was an artistic renaissance, and a branch of the Jazz Age. It was a coming together of the worlds most renown artists of the modern era. Historically it was an end to WWI and an economic boom that spanned the globe. The Roaring 20s was an inspiring time for many people, and Paris became the heart of the party.It is quite interesting to consider that it did not become a major hub for artists until the turn of the century with the unveiling of the Eiffel Tower. In the 1890s the city experienced a golden age known as the Bella Epoque. In the 1920s it once again experience a golden age of avant-garde and post-modernism often referred to as the Lost Generation. Paris thus became a center of artistic inspiration similar to the role Florence played on the Renaissance of the 1500s. To this day the city of Paris has become synonymous with artistic expression.
The portrayed artists of 1920s Paris
Scott Fitzgerald: (1896-1940) American author, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century best known for his masterpiece of Great Gatbsy. He also wrote many other notable novels and short stories such as This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He spent some of the prime of his years in Paris, during the 1920s Jazz Age. His relationship with socialite, Zelda, is also a note of interest, as she was the inspiration to many of his writings. He died at the young age of 44, most likely due to his heavy drinking lifestyle.
Portrayal: In the film he is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston as a very friendly gentlemen yet conflicted by his love for Zelda.
Zelda Fitzgerald: (1900-1948) American socialite and novelist best known as the wife of Scott. Her outgoing character and their neurotic relationship was used as material in much of Scott's famed writings. She also used material from their relationship to publish a semi-biographic novel, Save Me the Waltz. Due to her outgoing lifestyle, she was considered the first female flapper, the quintessential feminist of the Roaring 20s. She however struggled with various mental disorders such as bipolar disease and schizorphrenia and died at the young age of 47.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Allison Pill as a neurotic and manic depressive socialite. She states that drinking is her true skill.
Cole Porter: (1891-1964) American composer and songwriter best known for his compositions of musical theater and hit songs such as "I've Got You Under my Skin". He was born into a wealthy family from Indiana, and found his musical inspiration in 1920s Paris. Although he was a homosexual he married, a divorced socialite, Linda Lee Thomas to maintain their social status. The remained married until her death in 1954.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Yves Heck as a charismatic piano player that can truly stimulate a room. His crooning music of "Lets Fall in Love" is the opening welcome to Gil's magical trip.
Josephine Baker: (1906-1975) American dancer, singer, and actress often referred to as the "Black Pearl" or the "Creole Goddess". She began her career as a vaudeville dancer at the age 15 during the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. It did not take long for her to shine on Broadway as the first famed African American singer and dancer. She traveled to Paris in the 1920s and became a stunning attraction to many. Her fame in Paris led her numerous lead roles on theater as well as movies, and in 1934 she became the first African American to star in a major motion picture, in a french film called Zouzou.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Sonia Rolland only for a brief moment as she dances for others at the Bricktop bar. Her dancing takes Gils shock to a new level.
Ernest Hemingway: (1899-1961) American author and journalist considered one of the greatest of American modern literature. He published many famed novels and short stories, such as the Old Man and the Sea. His writing was no doubt derived from his adventurous life which included four marriages, service in WWI, service in the Spanish Civil War, WWII, and a safari in Africa in which he was almost killed twice. He found his literary inspiration whilst living in Paris in the 1920s and formed the basis of the "Lost Generation". In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature and spent the remaining of his years in Cuba. He committed suicide in 1961 at the age of 61.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Corey Stoll as an adventurous, alcoholic, passionate, and outspoken writer. He is perhaps Gil's greatest council, as the two share numerous conversations about life, love, and writing.
Gertude Stein: (1874-1946) American author, playwright, and art collector. By the 1920s, Gertude has established her art gallery on 27 Rues de Fleurus in Paris France as the salon of Modernist artists from literature to painting. Many notable artists came to her for direction and consultation on their work such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, and Henri Matisse. She was an artist herself, a poet and a playwright. She is often credited with the coining of the term "Lost Generation". She was also a feminist and homosexual, and had a long lasting relationship with Alice B Toklas. In Gertude's Autobiograhpy of Alice B Toklas she describes her time in Paris as well as her love and companionship with Alice.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Kathy Bates, as the well respected and opinionated art collector. She is seen giving advice to Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and many other notable names. She is the pivotal counsel to Gil, in reading his manuscript, she gives him the direction he's been looking for.
Alice B Toklas: (1877-1967) American art collector and co-host to Gertude's Avant-garde salon in Paris. She is famed as the confidant and love-interest of Gertude Stein. They met in Paris in 1907 to start the gallery of art that would soon attract numerous American artists. Although she always played the quiet second to Gertude, she was described as the foundation of the salon and the basis for Gertude's biography. The two remained together until Gertude's death in 1946.
Portrayal: She is very briefly portrayed by Theresa Bourou Rubinsztein, where her and Ernest share a momment. Its not doubt an accurate portrayal as she was always in the shadows of Gertrude's direction.
Pablo Picasso: (1881-1973) Spanish painter often considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is well known for his artistic styles of modernism, surrealism, and cubism. He was also very political and often used his art, to make abstract statements such as portrayed in his masterpiece of Guernica. He went through many artistic periods, dating back to the late 1800s, and by the Golden age of the 20s he had already risen to fame. He was well known by many artists as a leading figure in the surrealist movement. He still however moved to Paris by 1915 and found heavy influence from Gertude Stein's avant-garde salon. He was proud of his Spanish heritage yet spent most of his time in France to avoid political entanglements.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Marcial di Fonzo Bo as a passionate and stubborn artist. He argues with Gertude over his abstract painting, La Baigneuse, which is a homage to his mistress, Adriana, Although he is only seen in this one sequence he plays an important role as Adriana's lover in a conflicted relationship.
Djuna Barnes: (1892-1982) American author who paved the way for modernist-feminist writing in her novel, Nightwood. It was one of the first novels with lesbian themes. She was noted as a key figure of the Greenwich Village scene of the 1910s and later moved on to Paris in the 1920s where she experienced great inspiration.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Emmanuelle Uzban only in a very brief scene where she is dancing the Charleston with Gil.
Salvador Dali: (1904-1989) Spanish painter and surrealist well regarded for his artwork and imaginative approach. He spent a good portion of his early influential years in 1920s Paris, where he began his surrealistic approach. He developed close friendships with visual artist Man Ray and filmmaker Luis Bunuel. He incorporated styles of cubism, dada, and surrealism into his paintings. One of most famous works was the Persistence of Memory. Many of his works were visions derived from his dreams. His masterful art was often overshadowed by his flamboyant and eccentric persona.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Adrien Brody as eccentric character with an obsessive point on Rhinos. While Gil tries to discus his perplexing situation to him, he rather averts to a surreal explanation about Rhinoceroses.
Man Ray: (1890-1976) American visual artist known for his early contributions to the Dada and Surrealist art movements. He was a well regarded painter however also paved the way in new art forms through photography and other various forms of media. He moved from New York City to Paris in 1921 where his photography quickly gained the attention of many artistic giants.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Tom Cordier as a close friend to Dali and Bunuel. He is as eccentric as the others, a surrealist who tries to understand and reason the complexity of Gil's situation.
Luis Bunuel: (1900-1983) Spanish filmmaker well regarded for his experimental surrealist movies. Some of his accolades include Los Olvidados (1950), Viridana (1961), The Exterminating Angel (1962), Tristana (1971), The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeois (1972), and That Obscure Object of Desire (1977). Much of his early inspiration came from studying at the University of Madrid with Salvador Dali, and the two both began their career in the art scene of 1920s Paris.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Adrien de Van as a rather naive and curious film director. He is closely associated with Dali and Man Ray's surrealist circle, however also has a conversation with Gil regarding a future movie, which happens to be the inspiration to his Exterminating Angel film, about a group of people at a dinner party go increasingly mad.
Henri Matisse: (1869-1954) French painter and sculptor considered a leading figure of modern art with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. He experienced some of his greatest inspiration and work whilst in Paris from 1901-1917 including the Dance, Woman with a Hat, and the Blue Nude. He was a frequent visitor of Gertude Stein's art gallery and often a rival of Pablo Picasso. By the golden age of the 1920s he was already a very well established artist and relocated to the city of Nice, France, however still had an influence on the movement.
Portrayal: He is briefly portrayed by Yves-Antoine Spoto as he debates the price of one of his paintings with Gertude Stein.
TS Elliot: (1888-1965) American poet and playwright, often considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. He studied philosophy at Harvard then moved to England where he began to teach and write. He made frequent trips to Paris where he met and was inspired by other writers at the time such as James Joyce. Some of his most notable works are The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Four Quarters. In 1948 he won the Noble Prize for Literature.
Portrayal: He is briefly portrayed by David Lowe, as Gil mounts the old vehicle that serves as a time machine. Gil tells Elliot that "Prufrock is his Mantra" referring to Elliot's masterpiece The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Other mentioned notable artists in the film;
Jean Cocteau: He is the famed French writer and filmmaker, best known for his works Les Enfants Terribles and Beauty and the Beast. He is mentioned as the host of the opening party that Gil enters.
Amedeo Modigliani: He is the famed Italian painter mentioned as Adriana's first lover.
Coco Channel: She is the famed French fashion designer mentioned as Adriana's inspiration that brought her to Paris.
Georges Braque: He is the famed French painter and colleague of Pablo Picasso who is mentioned as another of Adriana's lovers.
William Faulkner: He is the famed American author best known for his works, The Sound and the Fury, As I lay Dying, and Light in August. At the close of the film as Gil breaks up with Inez he uses Faulkner's quote to describe how "the past is not dead. It's not even past"
James Joyce: The famed Irish author best known for his novel Ulysses. While the story was set in Dublin and a reference to the Odyessy it was in Paris of the 1920s where Joyce found the inspiration to finish this masterpiece.
The Setting of Paris 1920
Les Annees Folles (Crazy Years): The Roaring Twenties were a wild time of partying and artistic expression that was felt worldwide. It began it's base in the urban cultural cities such as New York, Chicago, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and Paris. It was a time of innovation, inspiration, and liberal expression. This decade were referred to as the "Annees Folles" by the Parisians, which is French for "the crazy years".
The 1920s were a time of peace and economic boom following the devastation of WWI. It marked a cultural turning point as old traditions were abandoned and new trends took way such as as jazz, art deco, and the female flapper. This new renaissance was also aided by new technologies such as the automobile, motion pictures, and radio. During this time Paris became a center for modern art, fashion, music, literature, and sheer cultural expression.
The Jazz Age: The musical emergence of Jazz began to unfold during the Roaring 20s. It sprouted from the United States, with rising stars such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Quite naturally it spread to other larger cities most notably Paris. Jazz music was used as the primary influence of the new golden age of discovery, where people were expressing themselves through various forms of modern art and dance such as the Charleston. One of the most famous to make the crossover from America to France, was Josephine Baker. She became a center-stage vaudeville dancer, singer, and performer under the lights in Paris.
Stein's Art Salon: Gertude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas turned their house into an art salon, on 27 Rue de Fleurus. By the 1920s it became a gathering point for many major names in modern literature and art. Stein collected art, yet also was a writer herself and had to set aside time where she could work on her personal projects. Saturday evenings became the bustling time for artists to visit her salon. Many of the above mentioned artists would frequent her salon for opinions and collaborations. It was here the "Lost Generation" term was used to describe this group of artists that defined the modern era.
This salon is often considered the first museum of modern art. Other notable artists that worked with Stein include; Sinclair Lewis (American novelist), Ezra Pound (American poet), Thorton Wilder (American playwright), Sherwood Anderson (American novelist), Francis Picabia (French painter), Carl Van Vechten (American photographer), Paul Bowles (American composer), Andre Derain (French painter), Joseph Stella (Italian painter), and many more.
Deyrolle: There is a brief scene in the movie of which the artists are having a party at a museum of stuffed animals. This famous Parisian Taxidermy is a real store that was and still is a hot-spot for trendy clients and tourists alike. It is a museum, gallery, store, and tourist attraction all-in-one place, for people wanting to purchase or admire these exotic stuffed animals.
This particular shop has historic value to it, since it was first opened back in 1831, by an entomologist. It nearly went down in flames in 2008, however was salvaged by the community as this had now become a historic landmark. The Deyrolle Taxidermy store is one of the longest running shops of it's kind.
Scott Fitzgerald: (1896-1940) American author, considered one of the greatest of the 20th century best known for his masterpiece of Great Gatbsy. He also wrote many other notable novels and short stories such as This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He spent some of the prime of his years in Paris, during the 1920s Jazz Age. His relationship with socialite, Zelda, is also a note of interest, as she was the inspiration to many of his writings. He died at the young age of 44, most likely due to his heavy drinking lifestyle.
Portrayal: In the film he is portrayed by Tom Hiddleston as a very friendly gentlemen yet conflicted by his love for Zelda.Zelda Fitzgerald: (1900-1948) American socialite and novelist best known as the wife of Scott. Her outgoing character and their neurotic relationship was used as material in much of Scott's famed writings. She also used material from their relationship to publish a semi-biographic novel, Save Me the Waltz. Due to her outgoing lifestyle, she was considered the first female flapper, the quintessential feminist of the Roaring 20s. She however struggled with various mental disorders such as bipolar disease and schizorphrenia and died at the young age of 47.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Allison Pill as a neurotic and manic depressive socialite. She states that drinking is her true skill.
Cole Porter: (1891-1964) American composer and songwriter best known for his compositions of musical theater and hit songs such as "I've Got You Under my Skin". He was born into a wealthy family from Indiana, and found his musical inspiration in 1920s Paris. Although he was a homosexual he married, a divorced socialite, Linda Lee Thomas to maintain their social status. The remained married until her death in 1954.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Yves Heck as a charismatic piano player that can truly stimulate a room. His crooning music of "Lets Fall in Love" is the opening welcome to Gil's magical trip.
Josephine Baker: (1906-1975) American dancer, singer, and actress often referred to as the "Black Pearl" or the "Creole Goddess". She began her career as a vaudeville dancer at the age 15 during the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. It did not take long for her to shine on Broadway as the first famed African American singer and dancer. She traveled to Paris in the 1920s and became a stunning attraction to many. Her fame in Paris led her numerous lead roles on theater as well as movies, and in 1934 she became the first African American to star in a major motion picture, in a french film called Zouzou.Portrayal: She is portrayed by Sonia Rolland only for a brief moment as she dances for others at the Bricktop bar. Her dancing takes Gils shock to a new level.
Ernest Hemingway: (1899-1961) American author and journalist considered one of the greatest of American modern literature. He published many famed novels and short stories, such as the Old Man and the Sea. His writing was no doubt derived from his adventurous life which included four marriages, service in WWI, service in the Spanish Civil War, WWII, and a safari in Africa in which he was almost killed twice. He found his literary inspiration whilst living in Paris in the 1920s and formed the basis of the "Lost Generation". In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature and spent the remaining of his years in Cuba. He committed suicide in 1961 at the age of 61.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Corey Stoll as an adventurous, alcoholic, passionate, and outspoken writer. He is perhaps Gil's greatest council, as the two share numerous conversations about life, love, and writing.
Gertude Stein: (1874-1946) American author, playwright, and art collector. By the 1920s, Gertude has established her art gallery on 27 Rues de Fleurus in Paris France as the salon of Modernist artists from literature to painting. Many notable artists came to her for direction and consultation on their work such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald, and Henri Matisse. She was an artist herself, a poet and a playwright. She is often credited with the coining of the term "Lost Generation". She was also a feminist and homosexual, and had a long lasting relationship with Alice B Toklas. In Gertude's Autobiograhpy of Alice B Toklas she describes her time in Paris as well as her love and companionship with Alice.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Kathy Bates, as the well respected and opinionated art collector. She is seen giving advice to Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, and many other notable names. She is the pivotal counsel to Gil, in reading his manuscript, she gives him the direction he's been looking for.
Alice B Toklas: (1877-1967) American art collector and co-host to Gertude's Avant-garde salon in Paris. She is famed as the confidant and love-interest of Gertude Stein. They met in Paris in 1907 to start the gallery of art that would soon attract numerous American artists. Although she always played the quiet second to Gertude, she was described as the foundation of the salon and the basis for Gertude's biography. The two remained together until Gertude's death in 1946.
Portrayal: She is very briefly portrayed by Theresa Bourou Rubinsztein, where her and Ernest share a momment. Its not doubt an accurate portrayal as she was always in the shadows of Gertrude's direction.
Pablo Picasso: (1881-1973) Spanish painter often considered one of the greatest artists of the 20th century. He is well known for his artistic styles of modernism, surrealism, and cubism. He was also very political and often used his art, to make abstract statements such as portrayed in his masterpiece of Guernica. He went through many artistic periods, dating back to the late 1800s, and by the Golden age of the 20s he had already risen to fame. He was well known by many artists as a leading figure in the surrealist movement. He still however moved to Paris by 1915 and found heavy influence from Gertude Stein's avant-garde salon. He was proud of his Spanish heritage yet spent most of his time in France to avoid political entanglements.Portrayal: He is portrayed by Marcial di Fonzo Bo as a passionate and stubborn artist. He argues with Gertude over his abstract painting, La Baigneuse, which is a homage to his mistress, Adriana, Although he is only seen in this one sequence he plays an important role as Adriana's lover in a conflicted relationship.
Djuna Barnes: (1892-1982) American author who paved the way for modernist-feminist writing in her novel, Nightwood. It was one of the first novels with lesbian themes. She was noted as a key figure of the Greenwich Village scene of the 1910s and later moved on to Paris in the 1920s where she experienced great inspiration.
Portrayal: She is portrayed by Emmanuelle Uzban only in a very brief scene where she is dancing the Charleston with Gil.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Adrien Brody as eccentric character with an obsessive point on Rhinos. While Gil tries to discus his perplexing situation to him, he rather averts to a surreal explanation about Rhinoceroses.
Man Ray: (1890-1976) American visual artist known for his early contributions to the Dada and Surrealist art movements. He was a well regarded painter however also paved the way in new art forms through photography and other various forms of media. He moved from New York City to Paris in 1921 where his photography quickly gained the attention of many artistic giants.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Tom Cordier as a close friend to Dali and Bunuel. He is as eccentric as the others, a surrealist who tries to understand and reason the complexity of Gil's situation.
Luis Bunuel: (1900-1983) Spanish filmmaker well regarded for his experimental surrealist movies. Some of his accolades include Los Olvidados (1950), Viridana (1961), The Exterminating Angel (1962), Tristana (1971), The Discrete Charm of the Bourgeois (1972), and That Obscure Object of Desire (1977). Much of his early inspiration came from studying at the University of Madrid with Salvador Dali, and the two both began their career in the art scene of 1920s Paris.
Portrayal: He is portrayed by Adrien de Van as a rather naive and curious film director. He is closely associated with Dali and Man Ray's surrealist circle, however also has a conversation with Gil regarding a future movie, which happens to be the inspiration to his Exterminating Angel film, about a group of people at a dinner party go increasingly mad.Henri Matisse: (1869-1954) French painter and sculptor considered a leading figure of modern art with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. He experienced some of his greatest inspiration and work whilst in Paris from 1901-1917 including the Dance, Woman with a Hat, and the Blue Nude. He was a frequent visitor of Gertude Stein's art gallery and often a rival of Pablo Picasso. By the golden age of the 1920s he was already a very well established artist and relocated to the city of Nice, France, however still had an influence on the movement.
Portrayal: He is briefly portrayed by Yves-Antoine Spoto as he debates the price of one of his paintings with Gertude Stein.
TS Elliot: (1888-1965) American poet and playwright, often considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. He studied philosophy at Harvard then moved to England where he began to teach and write. He made frequent trips to Paris where he met and was inspired by other writers at the time such as James Joyce. Some of his most notable works are The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, and Four Quarters. In 1948 he won the Noble Prize for Literature.
Portrayal: He is briefly portrayed by David Lowe, as Gil mounts the old vehicle that serves as a time machine. Gil tells Elliot that "Prufrock is his Mantra" referring to Elliot's masterpiece The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Other mentioned notable artists in the film;
Jean Cocteau: He is the famed French writer and filmmaker, best known for his works Les Enfants Terribles and Beauty and the Beast. He is mentioned as the host of the opening party that Gil enters.
Amedeo Modigliani: He is the famed Italian painter mentioned as Adriana's first lover.
Coco Channel: She is the famed French fashion designer mentioned as Adriana's inspiration that brought her to Paris.
Georges Braque: He is the famed French painter and colleague of Pablo Picasso who is mentioned as another of Adriana's lovers.
William Faulkner: He is the famed American author best known for his works, The Sound and the Fury, As I lay Dying, and Light in August. At the close of the film as Gil breaks up with Inez he uses Faulkner's quote to describe how "the past is not dead. It's not even past"
James Joyce: The famed Irish author best known for his novel Ulysses. While the story was set in Dublin and a reference to the Odyessy it was in Paris of the 1920s where Joyce found the inspiration to finish this masterpiece.
The Setting of Paris 1920
Les Annees Folles (Crazy Years): The Roaring Twenties were a wild time of partying and artistic expression that was felt worldwide. It began it's base in the urban cultural cities such as New York, Chicago, Berlin, London, Los Angeles, and Paris. It was a time of innovation, inspiration, and liberal expression. This decade were referred to as the "Annees Folles" by the Parisians, which is French for "the crazy years".
The 1920s were a time of peace and economic boom following the devastation of WWI. It marked a cultural turning point as old traditions were abandoned and new trends took way such as as jazz, art deco, and the female flapper. This new renaissance was also aided by new technologies such as the automobile, motion pictures, and radio. During this time Paris became a center for modern art, fashion, music, literature, and sheer cultural expression.
The Jazz Age: The musical emergence of Jazz began to unfold during the Roaring 20s. It sprouted from the United States, with rising stars such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Quite naturally it spread to other larger cities most notably Paris. Jazz music was used as the primary influence of the new golden age of discovery, where people were expressing themselves through various forms of modern art and dance such as the Charleston. One of the most famous to make the crossover from America to France, was Josephine Baker. She became a center-stage vaudeville dancer, singer, and performer under the lights in Paris.
This salon is often considered the first museum of modern art. Other notable artists that worked with Stein include; Sinclair Lewis (American novelist), Ezra Pound (American poet), Thorton Wilder (American playwright), Sherwood Anderson (American novelist), Francis Picabia (French painter), Carl Van Vechten (American photographer), Paul Bowles (American composer), Andre Derain (French painter), Joseph Stella (Italian painter), and many more.
This particular shop has historic value to it, since it was first opened back in 1831, by an entomologist. It nearly went down in flames in 2008, however was salvaged by the community as this had now become a historic landmark. The Deyrolle Taxidermy store is one of the longest running shops of it's kind.
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