Words on Film: Midnight In Paris

"Words on Film" looks at the writing process behind films that have been nominated for “Best Original Screenplay” at the Academy Awards.

This movie stole my heart. Midnight In Paris (2011) deals with modernism and nostalgia - two of my very favourite topics. And, if that weren't enough, the main character goes back in time to 1920s Paris only to find himself friends with some of the greatest writers of our time.

Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein all make (fictional) cameos in this film about owning up to our own dreams and refusing to throw ourselves away to make other people happy. The main character - a desperate screenwriter - fights to save his own goals and, despite the apprehensive possibility of time travel, finds inspiration in the strangest of places.

The screenwriting is fantastic. The transition from modern-day to 1920s Paris is seamless, an obvious difference in the setting and dialogue of the two time periods. 

MONTAGE - POV SHOTS OF PARIS SET TO MUSIC

We hear voices over - GIL and INEZ, a young couple of Americans,

engaged to be married as we shall learn. 

EXT. MONET’S GARDENS - DAY

GIL (V.O.)

This is unbelievable - look at this. 

There’s no city like this in the world. 

There never was.

If you're a fan of anything from the "Golden Age" then you really need to take a two-hour break and watch this film.

Writing Credit: Woody Allen