Paris: The Luminous Years

Paris gained fame as the location of the impressionists such Cezanne, Van Gogh and Renoir. These really are not the subjects of this film. Then, towards the beginning of the 20th century, folks flooded to Paris from all over the world. Such folks as Chagall, Miró, Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Josephine Baker, Matisse, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Langston Hughes, Calder, Prokofiev, Modigliani, Dali, E.E. Cummings, Debussy, Cocteau, Hemingway, James Joyce and many others famous in the arts lived there during this era--SOME of these are the subjects of this documentary. However, if you see it to learn of the Impressionists, Josephine Baker, Fitzgerald and some of the others above, you'll probably be disappointed. That's because the film really centers on the modernists (such as Cubists, Surrealists and Dadaists). So, if you love modern art in particular, you'll love this film. SO, if this sort of thing doesn't excite you, then you'll probably find this all a bit tedious. It's clearly NOT for the average person, as most folks would find the works of the Dadaists confusing or without merit. Now I am NOT saying that some of this art was good and some was bad--but it certainly won't appeal to everyone.

So, as a documentary about the modernists, how is it? Well, it was pretty thorough--but not exactly my thing (Dadaism makes my brain hurt). Worth seeing if you are into art history but otherwise probably not a film most people would enjoy.