Midnight in Paris - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Midnight in Paris or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Midnight in Paris

[jesus]

The "Alice" who opens the door at Gertrude Stein's apartment is meant to be Alice B. Toklas, who was Gertrude Stein's longtime romantic companion from September 8, 1907 (the day Toklas first arrived in Paris) until Stein's death on July 27, 1946.

[sandra]

Ernest Hemingway and Gil Pender visit Gertrude Stein, who is arguing with Pablo Picasso. In the background there is a portrait of her on the wall, painted by Pablo Picasso in 1906.

[fred]

The streets and area where Gil gets lost the first time before he settles down on the steps are in the 5th arondissement: Rue Édouard Quenu, Pascal, and Bazeilles. The Moisan "Pain au Naturel" bakery has since closed and is now called Saines Saveurs.

[claude]

Woody Allen did not attend the 2012 Oscars Ceremony to receive the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award, continuing his trend of never appearing at the event. Allen is not a member of the Academy, though he did appear at the 2002 Oscars ceremony for a tribute to New York films after the September 11 bombings.

[aaron]

This film was one of numerous movies that were in competition at the 2012 Academy Awards that was related to France and French culture in some way. The films included The Artist (2011), Hugo (2011), Midnight in Paris (2011), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Puss in Boots (2011) from the French fairy-tale by Charles Perrault, Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) based on the novel by Pierre Boulle and A Cat in Paris (2010). Interestingly though, there was no French film nominated for the Best Foreign Film Academy Award (Oscar) in 2012.

[kylie]

Gil discovers that a woman with whom he had been dancing was Djuna Barnes, who in 1936 published her now-classic novel Nightwood. Gil's remark about Barnes wanting to lead when they danced is an oblique reference to Barnes' bisexuality and the lesbian subject matter of Nightwood. Woody Allen also named the main character of his movie Everyone Says I Love You (1996) (which was also set partly in Paris) after Djuna Barnes.

[aaron]

Corey Stoll was understandably nervous about playing not only the famous Ernest Hemingway, but also this particular version of Hemingway. Adding to that the fact that Woody Allen doesn't rehearse, when Stoll had to do his first scene, he didn't know whether or not he was doing the right choices as an actor. When the scene was shot, Allen made him at ease because he told him: "That was perfect. That was exactly what I wanted." Allen is known for not giving many compliments to the actors, arguing that the fact that he cast them proves he trusts their talent.

[christina]

Probably inspired by the Moberly-Jourdain incident in 1901 in which two academics, Charlotte Anne Moberly and Eleanor Jourdain, claimed to have experienced a timeslip into pre-revolutionary France on the grounds of Versailles.

[violet]

Opening film at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the second of Woody Allen's films to be given this honor following Hollywood Ending (2002) at the 2002 Festival.

[francisco]

The painting of Adriana is actually called "La Baigneuse" (The Bather), and was painted in 1928.

[christina]

For Gil's difficult and demanding fiancée, Inez, Woody Allen says he had Rachel McAdams in mind as he was writing. And when he pitched her the part, he told her, "It would be much more interesting for you to play this kind of character. You don't want to go your whole life playing these beautiful girls. You want to play some bitchy parts. It's much more interesting for you." Despite this, McAdams had already had her share of playing "bitchy parts" prior to playing Inez, such as her roles in The Hot Chick (2002) as Jessica Spencer, Mean Girls (2004) as Regina George, and The Family Stone (2005) as Amy Stone.

[lonnie]

Elsa Pataky was attached to the project before dropping out.

[jesse]

Owen Wilson, Marion Cotillard, and Kathy Bates were on the long list for a BAFTA nomination (as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively), for their performances in the film, but didn't make the final cut.

[dustin]

Woody Allen won a Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for this film. The Oscar was Allen's fourth, and the first he had won since Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Allen received two Oscar nominations for this movie, the other being for Best Director, they being his twenty-second and twenty-third nominations. Additionally, this is his first film since Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) to earn a Best Picture nomination.

[alyssa]

One of four movies in which Rachel McAdams stars as the love interest of a time traveler. The other ones were The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), in which she played the title wife to Eric Bana's character, About Time (2013), in which she played the girlfriend of Domhnall Gleeson's character, and Doctor Strange (2016), in which she played girlfriend of surgeon Stephen Strange. In none of these movies, does McAdams' character get to participate in time-travel herself.

[chad]

The flea market scenes were filmed during the week when the market is normally closed.

[elmer]

Woody Allen stayed at the Hotel Le Bristol during filming, the same hotel where characters Inez and Gil stay.

[steve]

Tom Hiddleston received a letter from Woody Allen, along with fifteen pages of the script, offering him the role of F. Scott Fitzgerald. "It was three sentences long," Hiddleston told Entertainment Weekly. "Dear Tom, I'm making a movie in Paris this summer. I attached some pages. I'd love for you to play the role of Scott." Hiddleston now has the letter framed and hanging up in his home office.

[jim]

Among the expatriates depicted in this film are Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda Fitzgerald, Alice B. Toklas, Man Ray, T.S. Eliot, Djuna Barnes, Bricktop, and Cole Porter. We see a glimpse of the famous bookstore and library Shakespeare and Co., but owner Sylvia Beach is not mentioned. Other famous expatriates not mentioned include Ezra Pound, Robert McAlmon, Natalie Barney, William Carlos Williams, Bryher, Sylvia Beach, and Mina Loy. Other famous artistes we do see include Salvador Dalí, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Luis Buñuel, and Josephine Baker. From the Belle Epoch we see Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Paul Gauguin, and Edgar Degas.