Paris, the Luminous Years

We went to a preview showing of the first hour of Paris: the Luminous Years the Alliance Francaise last night with a talk by the director beforehand.  She spoke of it as five year project with four years devoted to fundraising, and one to making the two hour program which will be shown at 9:00 p.m. on December 15, 2010.

Even though the time of the post-impressionists is so well known, there is much to learn and enjoy; the film is lovely and there are many little discoveries.  Why did they hang out in cafes?  Their apartments had no heat, and there was a law against meetings without a permit.  Permits were awarded slowly and capriciously.  Bars had booze, heat and toilets, and no one bothered a group sitting around a bar.  Some of the filmed interviews are with people who were there and some with distinguished and well-spoken scholars.  Highly recommneded.