Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.
Gil: You haven’t even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it’s bad, I’ll hate it. If it’s good, then I’ll be envious and hate it even more. You don’t want the opinion of another writer.
Yes, this is the conversation between Gil and Hemingway, the Hemingway. Woody Allen brought the great artists who lived in Paris in 1920s into life through “Midnight in Paris”. The 1920s so called the golden age, the most creative including writers and painters were living in Paris. Ernest Hemingway, T.S Elliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Salvador Dali, Picasso…
Gil Pender, who is an American writer from California living in 21st century, falls in love with Paris.
Gil: This is unbelievable! Look at this! There’s no city like this in the world. There never was.
One midnight, he stumbled upon the 1920s by a carriage. And everything started from there. He met Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald on the first day and he encounters with Cole Poter, Alice B. Toklas, Cole Porter, and Josephine Baker.
Paris is one of the most beloved cities in the world. My friend and I used to talk about rent Paris apartments for a month and drinking coffee in front of Eiffel tower. I believe people can fall in love with the place ‘just because’ and Paris is one of the places. Just like Gil says, there’s no place like Paris and can’t be more beautiful.
I’ve never been to the place but I could see the beauty and charm though Midnight in Paris the movie.
Gil and Adriana, the girl from 1920s who was a mistress of Picasso, are walking and chanting the city. The scene when yellow streetlights are brightened the hazy street is quite memorable and shows how beautiful the city is just like what they said. I too love walking, and I wish I were there to feel the beauty with them.
Adriana: I can never decide whether Paris is more beautiful by day or by night.
While he wants to stay in the era with Adriana and Hemingway, Adriana wants to stay in the 1890s, the golden age for her. He gave a lecture to Adriana that we couldn’t wish to be in the past. And that was an advice to himself to follow. Gil finally realizes what he wants in life, and stop coming back to his special place. Midnight, visiting the golden age indicates that he’s not happy in the present. And also helps him realizing that we always can’t be stuck in the past.
Finding Utopia is always one’s mission. Though Utopia is in people’s imagination, it’s the wish and hope. If we are looking for something better and don’t know where to stop, you’ll never find the glorious place. We are the one who makes the change and build the utopia. We do what we can do the best for our lives, and believe that we are doing the right thing. If you think something’s wrong, find the problem and try to fix it.
Gil certainly found one; by breaking up the engagement with a woman who doesn’t support him and following his dream in Paris.
Overall, Midnight in Paris was a great movie with a lot of aspects: humor, a lesson in life, the joy of meeting great artists and most of all, see the beautiful Paris.
