Paris 1900: La Belle Epoque 1900-1914

This film offers a steady stream of images of Paris and its environs in 1900-1914 taken from archival sources which are listed at length in the opening credits. The film clips are a mix of fiction footage, staged scenes, news footage and "actualité" footage, grouped (very roughly) by theme, with the most attention devoted to leisurely pursuits of the privileged classes before the final 20-minute section chronicles the ominous build-up to war, which broke out in 1914. Many of the prominent figures from 1900-1914 cited by the narration are still famous, including Maurice Chevalier, Sarah Bernhardt, Andre Gide, Nellie Melba, Enrico Caruso, Rodin, Renoir, Debussy, and Andrew Carnegie. Quite a few others speed by but I didn't recognize their names, although devotees of French literature, culture and history most certainly will. This 72-minute copy offers witty narration in English delivered by actor Monty Woolley ("The Man Who Came to Dinner"). It's a scratchy, choppy, high-contrast print transferred to video in a rather low-tech manner. I recommend interested parties purchase the much higher quality DVD offered by Grapevine Video at:
http://www.grapevinevideo.com/paris_1900.html

Видео Paris 1900: La Belle Epoque 1900-1914 канала 20C History Project