Love Letters to Paris
Prompt: Compare the setting of Paris in the 20s in Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast to the depiction of Paris in the 20s in woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. How does each piece use creative techniques to convey his specific point of view?
Ernest Hemingway once said, “If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” Living in Paris can feel like a dream because it is a city that it completely unique. The lights, the buildings, the Eiffel Tower, and the endless corner cafes all contribute to its ethereal charm and leave a different impression on each person who visits. Both Ernest Hemingway and Woody Allen are two famous writers who fell in love with Paris and reflected their love for the City of Lights in the respective works, the book A Moveable Feast and the film Midnight in Paris. Both create a unique depiction of Paris through their own point of view using either literary or film techniques.
In both A Moveable Feast and Midnight in Paris, the city of Paris is highly romanticized and idealized by the main character. Ernest Hemingway thinks the city is alive and is constantly changing. Gil thinks the city is magical and Both men agree that there is no better place to write or live in the universe. The character Adriana in Midnight in Paris said, “That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me.” Both men would definitely agree with her. However, while both men are in love with the City of Lights, their love for the city is depicted differently. Hemingway moves to Paris to escape the world and to enjoy the city’s simplicity. He likes to relax breath the fresh air while enjoying a drink in a cafe. Gil, on the other hand, sees Paris as a complex, magical city with endless alleyways and fascinating people. He loves to get lost within it in hopes of discovering something new and exciting. When he travels to the 20s, Gil’s Paris is one big party filled with smart, imaginative people. Hemingway drank, but he didn’t really party. Instead, preferred to enjoy a long meal and to have serious conversations with his acquaintances.
The book A Moveable Feast could be argued to be a love letter to the city of Paris. Ernest Hemingway moved to Paris in the 20s to become a famous writer. While he was there, he lived with his wife and son in a tiny apartment and met many famous creative minds who helped him interpret the Lost Generation. His depiction of Paris in the 20s was filled with small cafes, lots of alcohol, meeting people for dinner, and walking around to admire the buildings. “We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other” (Hemingway 51). In Paris, his life was simple and happy. He wanted to focus on his writing and be able to take a break and relax. He very closely associated his writing habits and style with Paris. Hemingway saw Paris as a city that was alive. “You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil” (Hemingway 6). The people of Paris moved with the city and changed as it changed. Hemingway believed that the city left an impression on each person. He thought it was impossible to come once and never return. "Paris was never to be the same again although it was always Paris and it changed as you changed" (Hemingway 211). When he went to Austria for the winter, Hemingway missed being in Paris and stated that everyone must return once they’ve been. According to Hemingway, Paris in the 20s was the perfect place to write because it was simple, beautiful, and it allowed him to concentrate on being happy.
Hemingway’s first person point of view helped to convey his tone attitude about his time in Paris. The memoir style of the book also shows Hemingway’s attempt to be honest and true to his memories. In the beginning of the book, there are a few motifs, such as cold/warm and hunger. He always supplements his writing process with food, such as tangerines, nuts, or pastries. Hemingway believed there were multiple hungers. Hemingway talks about hunger in the literal sense, and how one was usually hungry in Paris because of all of the wonderful smells of delicious foods coming from the many restaurants one passed as they walked down the street. But there were deeper hungers, such as memory, love, and understanding, which were never satisfied. “Hunger is healthy and the pictures do look better when you’re hungry” (Hemingway 72). Hemingway's theory was that being hungry made it easier to write because of the unsound thoughts that it brought. He enjoys comparing the temperature of the air to his mood. When it is warm, he is comfortable and happy, and when it is cold, he is more focused and thoughtful. “Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This was the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural” (Hemingway 45). Hemingway personifies Paris in the cold rain as a sad city. It’s like Paris has chosen to rain because she was sad, and Hemingway delivers that image to the reader. Another writing technique he uses frequently is run-on sentences. But although the sentences are lengthy, they still seem concise, as if every detail matters. These make the story more conversational and personal. Hemingway’s unique prose helps show his unique experiences in Paris.
In the film Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen highly romanticizes the city of Paris. Gil, a famous writer trying to write his first novel, comes to visit and is immediately taken with the city’s charm and dreams of moving into a tiny apartment to write, like Hemingway. He often daydreams and wanders in the night to simply admire the lights. It is his wandering that causes him to travel back to the 20s. Paris in the 20s is Gil’s ideal time and place. In the film it is depicted as a sultry, fun, exciting atmosphere while retaining its petite charm. Gil explores the city in the past and we see the cobblestone streets, the old-fashioned cars, and gas-lit lamps. At one point, Gil says, “I don't get here often enough, that's the problem. Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain? Imagine this town in the '20s. Paris in the '20s, in the rain. The artists and writers!” (Midnight in Paris). The rain, for Gil, adds yet another element of beauty to Paris. Also, the fact that Gil travels through time in Paris adds to the idea that Paris is magical. To Gil, the city is more than a city, it is its own world. “You know, I sometimes think, how is anyone ever gonna come up with a book, or a painting, or a symphony, or a sculpture that can compete with a great city. You can't. Because you look around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form and when you think that in the cold, violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists, these lights, I mean come on, there's nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune, but from way out in space you can see these lights, the cafés, people drinking and singing. For all we know, Paris is the hottest spot in the universe” (Midnight in Paris). Woody Allen holds this city in the highest regard and tries to capture its essence in this movie.
The movie Midnight in Paris uses rather simple cinematography techniques, but the simplicity of it helps the audience to better see Paris from the character Gil’s point of view. The nondiegetic music that provides the soundtrack is jazzy instrumental music. It helps to give the film a classy, Parisian feel and to play into Gil's fantasy of the Jazz Age. The color palette of the film was developed specifically for this film. Everything has a creamy, bright color during the day. There are a lot of pastels and soft colors. At night, it is darker and more hazy, but it still maintains that warm look. The dreamy look of the city is used to help capture the simple yet alluring streets of Paris. It also represents the fantasy that Gil experiences while he's there. By day, high-key lighting is used to make everything light and soft. But at night, even though it is dark, the lights seem brighter and more dazzling. The low-key lighting at night creates an uncertainty because Gil doesn't know if it's real or not. Gil transports through time during the night and the changing light helps to distinguish this transition. These techniques show Woody Allen’s attempt to convey his unique vision to the audience.
The city of Paris is undeniably one unlike any other. Great artists, including Ernest Hemingway and Woody Allen, have come to the city of lights and been entranced by its endless beauty and classic sights. A Moveable Feast and Midnight in Paris both are an ode to Paris and through these pieces we see the impressions of two different men’s love for the city.
In both A Moveable Feast and Midnight in Paris, the city of Paris is highly romanticized and idealized by the main character. Ernest Hemingway thinks the city is alive and is constantly changing. Gil thinks the city is magical and Both men agree that there is no better place to write or live in the universe. The character Adriana in Midnight in Paris said, “That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me.” Both men would definitely agree with her. However, while both men are in love with the City of Lights, their love for the city is depicted differently. Hemingway moves to Paris to escape the world and to enjoy the city’s simplicity. He likes to relax breath the fresh air while enjoying a drink in a cafe. Gil, on the other hand, sees Paris as a complex, magical city with endless alleyways and fascinating people. He loves to get lost within it in hopes of discovering something new and exciting. When he travels to the 20s, Gil’s Paris is one big party filled with smart, imaginative people. Hemingway drank, but he didn’t really party. Instead, preferred to enjoy a long meal and to have serious conversations with his acquaintances.
The book A Moveable Feast could be argued to be a love letter to the city of Paris. Ernest Hemingway moved to Paris in the 20s to become a famous writer. While he was there, he lived with his wife and son in a tiny apartment and met many famous creative minds who helped him interpret the Lost Generation. His depiction of Paris in the 20s was filled with small cafes, lots of alcohol, meeting people for dinner, and walking around to admire the buildings. “We ate well and cheaply and drank well and cheaply and slept well and warm together and loved each other” (Hemingway 51). In Paris, his life was simple and happy. He wanted to focus on his writing and be able to take a break and relax. He very closely associated his writing habits and style with Paris. Hemingway saw Paris as a city that was alive. “You belong to me and all Paris belongs to me and I belong to this notebook and this pencil” (Hemingway 6). The people of Paris moved with the city and changed as it changed. Hemingway believed that the city left an impression on each person. He thought it was impossible to come once and never return. "Paris was never to be the same again although it was always Paris and it changed as you changed" (Hemingway 211). When he went to Austria for the winter, Hemingway missed being in Paris and stated that everyone must return once they’ve been. According to Hemingway, Paris in the 20s was the perfect place to write because it was simple, beautiful, and it allowed him to concentrate on being happy.
Hemingway’s first person point of view helped to convey his tone attitude about his time in Paris. The memoir style of the book also shows Hemingway’s attempt to be honest and true to his memories. In the beginning of the book, there are a few motifs, such as cold/warm and hunger. He always supplements his writing process with food, such as tangerines, nuts, or pastries. Hemingway believed there were multiple hungers. Hemingway talks about hunger in the literal sense, and how one was usually hungry in Paris because of all of the wonderful smells of delicious foods coming from the many restaurants one passed as they walked down the street. But there were deeper hungers, such as memory, love, and understanding, which were never satisfied. “Hunger is healthy and the pictures do look better when you’re hungry” (Hemingway 72). Hemingway's theory was that being hungry made it easier to write because of the unsound thoughts that it brought. He enjoys comparing the temperature of the air to his mood. When it is warm, he is comfortable and happy, and when it is cold, he is more focused and thoughtful. “Sometimes the heavy cold rains would beat it back so that it would seem that it would never come and that you were losing a season out of your life. This was the only truly sad time in Paris because it was unnatural” (Hemingway 45). Hemingway personifies Paris in the cold rain as a sad city. It’s like Paris has chosen to rain because she was sad, and Hemingway delivers that image to the reader. Another writing technique he uses frequently is run-on sentences. But although the sentences are lengthy, they still seem concise, as if every detail matters. These make the story more conversational and personal. Hemingway’s unique prose helps show his unique experiences in Paris.
In the film Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen highly romanticizes the city of Paris. Gil, a famous writer trying to write his first novel, comes to visit and is immediately taken with the city’s charm and dreams of moving into a tiny apartment to write, like Hemingway. He often daydreams and wanders in the night to simply admire the lights. It is his wandering that causes him to travel back to the 20s. Paris in the 20s is Gil’s ideal time and place. In the film it is depicted as a sultry, fun, exciting atmosphere while retaining its petite charm. Gil explores the city in the past and we see the cobblestone streets, the old-fashioned cars, and gas-lit lamps. At one point, Gil says, “I don't get here often enough, that's the problem. Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain? Imagine this town in the '20s. Paris in the '20s, in the rain. The artists and writers!” (Midnight in Paris). The rain, for Gil, adds yet another element of beauty to Paris. Also, the fact that Gil travels through time in Paris adds to the idea that Paris is magical. To Gil, the city is more than a city, it is its own world. “You know, I sometimes think, how is anyone ever gonna come up with a book, or a painting, or a symphony, or a sculpture that can compete with a great city. You can't. Because you look around and every street, every boulevard, is its own special art form and when you think that in the cold, violent, meaningless universe that Paris exists, these lights, I mean come on, there's nothing happening on Jupiter or Neptune, but from way out in space you can see these lights, the cafés, people drinking and singing. For all we know, Paris is the hottest spot in the universe” (Midnight in Paris). Woody Allen holds this city in the highest regard and tries to capture its essence in this movie.
The movie Midnight in Paris uses rather simple cinematography techniques, but the simplicity of it helps the audience to better see Paris from the character Gil’s point of view. The nondiegetic music that provides the soundtrack is jazzy instrumental music. It helps to give the film a classy, Parisian feel and to play into Gil's fantasy of the Jazz Age. The color palette of the film was developed specifically for this film. Everything has a creamy, bright color during the day. There are a lot of pastels and soft colors. At night, it is darker and more hazy, but it still maintains that warm look. The dreamy look of the city is used to help capture the simple yet alluring streets of Paris. It also represents the fantasy that Gil experiences while he's there. By day, high-key lighting is used to make everything light and soft. But at night, even though it is dark, the lights seem brighter and more dazzling. The low-key lighting at night creates an uncertainty because Gil doesn't know if it's real or not. Gil transports through time during the night and the changing light helps to distinguish this transition. These techniques show Woody Allen’s attempt to convey his unique vision to the audience.
The city of Paris is undeniably one unlike any other. Great artists, including Ernest Hemingway and Woody Allen, have come to the city of lights and been entranced by its endless beauty and classic sights. A Moveable Feast and Midnight in Paris both are an ode to Paris and through these pieces we see the impressions of two different men’s love for the city.
Works Cited:
Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964. Print.
Midnight in Paris. Dir. and Writer Woody Allen. Hopscotch, 2011.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Moveable Feast. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1964. Print.
Midnight in Paris. Dir. and Writer Woody Allen. Hopscotch, 2011.
