Friday, March 22, 2013

Movie Night Under the Stars

Ultimate outdoor movie theater in Thailand

Under the stars at Parc de Villette, Paris


Movie night under the Brooklyn Bridge

On the sand in India

Backyard summer fantasy


Cozy seaside theater in Turkey

I adore movies.  

No matter where I go, I try to have access to them.  At home in Paris, I love heading to the Champs Elysee where several larger "American" type theaters are located showing both French  and sub-titled foreign films.  The more popular American films are usually shown in what is call V.O. or version originale, a movie shown in English with French sub-titles.  You can find VO movies throughout Paris.  

Hidden in the 7th arrondisement, there is a tiny gem of a theater, La Pagode, that just wraps the visitor in old world luxury.  A bit dusty perhaps, but the past splendor is still apparent.  Literally built in the shape of a pagoda, this late 19th century building was created for the wife of the owner of Le Bon Marché.  Initially used as a ballroom, it now is home to two small theaters and a tiny space for an afternoon tea.  Really not to be missed. 

Then of course there's my iPad.  Not as glamorous as a Chinese pagoda but does the trick beautifully while I am traveling.  I download two movies, watch them, eat my airplane meal (or not), sleep a bit and before I know it, have landed in the country of my next adventure.  What did we do before all this technology made traveling so much easier! 

As I was going through some of my photos from summer 2012, I came across the last one I posted, the seaside theater in Turkey.  It was a great way to end a beautiful summer evening alongside the Bosphorus River this past July.  I had never experienced a makeshift outdoor theater before but I am now a convert.  Good friends, good food, the stars (in the sky and on the screen)...it was wonderful.  It got me thinking about how to make that happen this coming summer and my research yielded all the amazing photos here. 

Hands down the winner for me is the floating island in Thailand.  So on my bucket list.  While that is completely over the top,  the rest ... a park in Paris, under the Brooklyn Bridge, a neighborhood in India,  probably exist in hundreds of cities during the summer months.  I added the one that looks to be in someones backyard as a tiny bit of inspiration to create something under the stars for yourself.  Whether in a  beautiful backyard with land all around or a tiny porch or balcony in the city, movie night under the stars is something to start thinking about now.  While some of us are still wishing for warmer weather.  

Pass the popcorn. 
H


1 comment:

  1. Hildi, these outdoor theaters are stunning! Movies are a passion of mine, as well (I actually studied film history, theory, and criticism in college). In fact, I loved seeing the columns of the Palais Royal in the banner for this blog, as I was introduced to them during the opening sequence of Alain Resnais's recent (and absolutely tremendous) film "Les herbes folles"--it quickly became one of my favorite films, and the brief shot of the columns always stuck out to me for some reason.

    Owning a small, quaint little art house theater is a bit of a pipe dream for me.

    -Michael

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