A Day at Le Louvre
Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Monday, February 1, 2010 • Paris, France
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Ever since visiting Egypt this past Fall, it's been on my "to-do" list to visit the Egyptian wing at the Louvre, which would have much more meaning now than prior to the trip. The date was fast-made when visiting actress and coach, Paula Plum, told me she was soon to portray "Cleopatra" in an upcoming play...so we set our sights on a day at the Louvre, focusing on the Pharaohs and how the research would prove useful to her new role.
Le Louvre is not a museum you attempt in one afternoon -- one can barely see one part of one wing without sensory overload, so we chose to take in only "From the last Egyptian Pharaohs to Cleopatra" in the Sully wing. After meeting at the skylight base of the "Pyramide Inversée" (Inverted Pyramid) in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center, we lunched at the "Restaurant du Grand Louvre," the formal dining room across from the bookshop and hidden behind the open-air café. It's under promoted and little known, yet a lovely, elegant spot to dine inexpensively and make your plans for your museum visit.
We got pleasantly inebriated, then sobered up with a "Café Gourmandise," ate too many of the little pastries after a virtuously light salad and reeled out ready to pounce on Egyptian antiquities. I can't say that the collection 'held a candle to' a visit to the real temples and tombs in Egypt, but we had frivolous fun researching for costume design, noting the women's fashions in clothing, make-up, hair and jewelry.
There's a dress on a figurine I liked so much, I am considering having one like it made. Flatteringly, the dresses are empire waisted, form fitting, with bra-like triangular halter bodices that are topped off by bejeweled collars. Every woman could look as good in this Cleopatra style!...and how many centuries old is the 'look?' -- more than 2000 years!
There is simply nothing quite like Le Louvre. Living here, we likely don't take advantage of its expansive collection often enough -- certainly not as fervently as the tourists. There were many parts of the museum I had never seen, until getting lost in its corridors as we did yesterday, just looking for the way out with a stop at the bookshop before leaving...which by the way, has one of the best collections of jewelry on sale (first floor above the books).
(For more information about Le Louvre, and the Egyptian wing, visit:
http://www.louvre.fr)
That evening, I met with friends for another kind of experience -- to finally see "Avitar"...in 3D, of course. Everyone has been talking about it and everyone seems to have a different opinion, so there was only one solution to solving that mystery, and that's to see it for oneself.
It was a particularly funny experience, and a first time for this to have happened in a lifetime of movie-going. We arrived early, got good seats and waded through the dozens of ads and trailers to get to the feature film. Within 30 seconds after the film started, we realized that the version we were watching was in French ("version française" instead of "version originale") and immediately gathered our belongings to head out the door to find out how we had managed to make this mistake! There were other people leaving the theater, too, so they must have made the same mistake...until we all realized that it wasn't our fault, but the projectionist had loaded the wrong version!
Back in we went, refound our same great seats and the film started over again, this time in English with French subtitles, at which everyone applauded and a woman behind us thanked us for coming to their rescue. It somehow created a funny camaraderie among the anxious audience.
On again went our 3D glasses and we became mesmerized by the overwhelmingly beautiful animation of the film until about two-thirds into it, someone nearby started passing gas...not the noisy kind that at least gives a warning, but the 'deadly' kind, if you get my meaning. My friend leaned over and said, "Oh my, someone is farting!" to which I replied, "I know, but it isn't me!" It took a while before we could stop giggling and resume focusing on the intense film.
And so, what did I think of Avitar? I'd say it had to be the most visually impressive film ever to have landed on the silver screen. You've perhaps read about all the racist undertones (or overtones?) of the film and seen all the criticism it has gotten, but I want to say, "folks, get over it!" How do we address the concept of racism if we deny it exists? I agree with director, James Cameron, who denies any racist intent and wrote to the Associated Press that 'Avatar' "asks us to open our eyes and truly see others, respecting them even though they are different, in the hope that we may find a way to prevent conflict and live more harmoniously on this world. I hardly think that is a racist message."
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
(Photo by Michael Honegger)
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P.S. Don't forget to mark you calendar now for the next Parler Paris Après Midi -- February 9th, from 3 to 5 p.m. at La Pierre du Marais. It's free and it's fun. Join us. Visit parlerparis.com/apresmidi.html for more information and see you there!
P.P.S. Do your part to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake! Join in any or all of the Fitness Fundraiser three 40-minute classes at a contribution of 10€ each at the American Church in Paris, Saturday, February 6th from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All funds go to GOAL, the international humanitarian agency based in Dublin. Funded by former sports journalist John O’Shea, and with support from many athletes, GOAL has an emergency response team of 50 people on the ground in Port-au-Prince. For more information, visit http://www.goal.ie and download the Fitness Fundraiser flyer at http://www.parisfitness.com
