Nostalgia of ‘Midnight in Paris’
Ashley Jo Will

Take a journey back to the 1920s and spend time with icons of the art and literature world in “Midnight in Paris”, released on video Dec. 20, 2011. Gil is a successful movie script writer for Hollywood. He is also writing a novel about somebody working in a nostalgia shop. Gil feels as if he is a Hollywood hack who never got a shot at real literature. Gil is engaged to a woman named Inez. Her parents have brought the couple along to Paris on a business trip. Gil quickly falls in love with every corner of this city and wonders what it would have been like in the 1920s when his literary idols were alive and in Paris.

The beginning of the film is entirely comprised of footage of Paris from various angles while music is playing. This scene can feel long but serves to emphasize the beauty of Gil’s favorite city. Gil tells Inez about his dream to stay in Paris and make a home here. Unfortunately, Inez does not understand Gil’s literary ambitions since he is already well off. Gil tries to explain the beauty of Paris, especially in the rain, but Inez does not see it. Her main concern is money and securing her future. Inez’s parents have instilled this attitude onto their daughter, judging by their behavior. While furniture shopping, Inez’s mother points out a very expensive piece of work. When Gil scoffs at the price, Inez’s mother says that “cheap is cheap.” Only expensive trinkets will please Inez, not a leisurely stroll at midnight in Paris.

Inez’s friend named Paul is also in Paris. He is said to be a pedantic man and Inez idolizes him. Paul is pretentious about his knowledge of history. He even accuses a tour guide of being wrong. Gil becomes annoyed with Paul easily and would rather be alone than spend any time with him. Although Gil doesn’t want to spend time with Paul, he trusts Inez and allows her to go dancing, have lunch with him, and more. Gil becomes drunk at a wine party and finds himself lost and alone, while wandering among the streets of Paris. At a particular intersection, the chiming of midnight is heard. Soon an old-fashioned vehicle pulls up and the occupants beckon Gil to climb in. Gil doesn’t think much about the style of vehicle since he knows someone who collects them. When Gil arrives at the vehicle’s destination, he realizes something is awry when he recognizes the faces and names of people whom he idolizes but are not alive in 2010.

Gil cannot believe he is actually hanging out with Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of “The Great Gatsby.” They take him to meet the iconic author Ernest Hemingway. Gil tells Hemingway about his novel; he is in nearly a state of disbelief when Hemingway says he will take the manuscript to Gertrude Stein to have a look at Gil’s writing. Gil returns to his hotel room to retrieve his writing to give to the well-known author but discovers time has changed back to the present when a laundromat is found instead of a bar with 1920s characters inside. Inez thinks her fiance has brain damage when he tries to explain his amazing experience. Inez repeatedly tells Gil, “You’re in love with a fantasy.” Gil convinces Inez to come along with him at night to wait for the old-fashioned vehicle to arrive. Unfortunately, Gil realizes the precise moment of the old-fashioned vehicle’s arrival when it is already too late for Inez to believe his tall tale.

Midnight arrives and the magic of the moment occurs with the 1920s vehicle arriving. Gil meets artists, including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali. Picasso is working on a painting of his mistress, who is there as well, named Adriana. Gil is instantly stunned by the French art groupie’s beauty. Every night like clockwork, Gil returns to the 1920s. Stein gives Gil advice concerning his novel; he is led to rewrite some portions and it is apparent the characters in his novel resemble Gil’s life. The first sentence grasps Adriana’s attention and she yearns to hear the rest of the story. Gil notes that life is mysterious and becomes increasingly attracted to this girl in his ideal time to live in. Like many of us have an illusion of the majesty of the past, Adriana does as well and longs for an earlier time period than the 1920s she is living in.

Meeting Adriana, although in a different time period, stirs conflicting emotions within Gil, leaving him unsure if he should marry Inez. The past and present come together when Gil finds his name in a work of literature. He is also an aficionado of the music during the 1920s and discovers a record store that plays the music of his nightly escapades. The audience of this film is required to suspend their belief because the mechanics of the time travel are not explained at all. Besides Gil being nostalgic for an earlier time period, viewers may find themselves nostalgic as well. I became nostalgic for high school and college with the presence of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, William Faulkner, and many more. Like Gil, you will most likely yearn for a different time period, even if not the same one as Gil considered the golden age. “Midnight in Paris” is an alluring romantic and comedic film about a man trying to discover his path toward the future, by spending time in the past.