Jason Bourne Paris

BOURNE IDENTITY PARIS LOCATIONS

MORNING IN PARIS

As for the millions of newcomers, the Parisian early hours of Jason Bourne originate on the shore of the magnificent Seine River, which divides the city into two, much like a piece of cake. Tellingly, both passengers of the old-fashioned Mini Cooper have had their own Paris experience long before the current brightening hours. All while a man who has sowed confusion within an American Embassy in Zurich now pulls out his memories, Marie takes the plunge for an enormous sum of money, at least for her at the moment. After his last night open-air, a multi-hour ride across the snowy highway (in fact, filmed to the south of Praga), and a short stop for a late dinner, Jason can now finally have a half-sleep on the front seat until Marie stops at the first Jason Bourne Paris location. 

Marie could hardly imagine the chase that far from Zurich and parks her car within one of the most visited sites in Paris. As far back in history as the early XX century, the modern Parisian port of QUAI DE LA TOURNELLE served as a mooring place for cargo ships and barges. In parallel with the camera moving around the chilled characters, one could notice the building of the port authorities, and seconds later, the statuary NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS. The very portion of the Cena promenade has been appreciated for decades as a honey pie for wedding photographers and a destination of choice for the natives of Paris and the guests. If we break the fourth wall of the cinematic universes, we could see Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy making their ‘Before Sunset’ way toward the Seine riverboat, as well as the Griswolds family on their walking tour across Paris in ‘European Vacation‘ or Owen Wilson in a street cafe in ‘Midnight in Paris‘. Just a few dozen meters away, a scene from ‘The Da Vinci Code‘ was filmed next to the Pont De La Tournelle Bridge. 

 

JASON BOURNE’S PARIS APARTMENT

The day before he arrived in Paris with a newly fledged partner, Marie, the protagonist was frustratingly happy to find out his first and last name, the date of birth, and the address of the Parisian residence, taken out of the Swiss safety deposit box (in fact, Prague was well). A piece of paper, enclosed in the Jason Bourne passport, leads him to 104 Rue du Jardin, Paris. Soon after a light breakfast within the breezy promenade of the Seine River, a red Mini Cooper of Marie is led to a location, which happens to be distanced from the given address. In contrast with the indeed ‘104 Rue du Jardin’, located within walking distance from the Seine River, the magic of cinematic geography takes us to ‘104 Avenue Kleber.

Jason misrecognizes his Parisian apartment, yet the ‘Jason Bourne’ on the nameplate proves the fact that what is happening is something frightening, more than a nightmare. A welcoming woman within a lobby area identifies Monsieur Borne and talks to him in French. Before 1860, Avenue Kleber had been a part of the Passy suburb of Paris until the merger with the well-known neighbor. In modern days, the street is appreciated as one of the most expensive in Paris, being once named after the well-known French general, and it runs towards the Arch of Triomphe. Moments after the encounter with a professional assassin and a glimpse of the corpse of the murdered concierge, Jason and Marie abandon the building. The body of the failed CIA agent lies on the pavement next to a vegetable store, which still exists today.

 

JASON AT GARE DU NORD

The emotionally depleted Marie spinelessly agrees to wait for Jason in a car, all while he settles the place for the red bag, full of money and identities. The camera makes its motion to reveal GARE DU NORD, one of the busiest and most crowded railway stations in Europe. Bourne parks Mini Cooper within cozy ‘Boulevard de Denain’ street, only 110 meters long and once named after a city in the north of France, along one of the routes that originate from Gare du Nord. ‘Rue de Dunkerque’ in front of the station was therefore named after another Northern city, which has been well-known due to the evacuation of the Allied forces back in 1940. In the two decades since the public baggage lockers became a part of history, the very facade of ‘Gare Du Nord’ has slightly changed since being one of the Bourne Identity Paris locations, becoming a home for new cafeterias and shops. 

 

JASON BOURNE PARIS HOTEL: HOTEL DE LA PAIX

Moments after the split car chase across the streets of Paris, Jason makes a promise to find shelter and to have time to think. The story takes us to a Belleville district, at one time a separate commune before the mid-19th century and a merger with Paris, which now pulls the area into four city districts. Headless the fact that the depicted ‘HOTEL DE LA PAIX’ was not preserved until the present day, it has given way to ‘HOTEL DE L’EUROPE’. All while we see the street plate number 4, the location is now 10 rue Louis Bonnet. The ‘HOTEL’ letters above the entrance still remind me of the cinematic version of ‘The Bourne Identity’. The street gained its name after a French journalist, Louis Bonnet, as far back in history as 1927.

 

THE WOMBOSI’S MANSION

In parallel with Jason Bourne, who gives his best shot in revealing his history and indeed identity, the African dictator Nykwana Wombosi carries out his investigation to prosecute an assassination attempt. In this vein, he set the stage for several locations, which would be later visited by Bourne itself, including the Parisian mortuary and, of course, the Wombosi residence. By the time Jason and Marie are frustrated in front of the given address, we have already seen the inside of the buildings and even witnessed the murder of the unwanted politician.

If we tend to play the cinematic universe and its geography, the Wombosi mansion turned out to be located close to Bourne’s residence at 11, Place des États-Unis. The open space in front of the actual building is accompanied by a garden park named after Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. As for the magnificent palace itself, it serves as a home for the ‘Baccarat Museum’ and is also the headquarters of the company with a three-century history. Everyone wishing to attend could enjoy thousands of pieces from the exhibition made of glass, once mastered by wealthy Europeans and prestige collections.

 

REGINA HOTEL IN PARIS

One of Jason’s identities, John Michael Kane, leads him and Marie to a Parisian HOTEL REGINA. One of the most recognized and prestigious hotels in France opened its five-star doors as far back as 1900 with 99 apartments of different styles. On top of the praised luxury and service, the owners of the business have always been open to the chance to turn their property into a movie set. More than one hundred movies, French-upmost, were staged within ‘Hotel Regina’. The recent gigantic restoration was finished as late as 2015 and is worth 17 million euros.

In contrast with a highly detailed and exhaustively discussed plan, Maris takes advantage of the situation, sends a smile to a manager, and gets vital information on Mr. Kane without breaking a sweat. In the early seconds of the scene, we notice the facade of ‘Hotel Regina’ and the gold-plated statue of the iconic Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans. It is worth mentioning that the phone box was intentionally added to the location strictly for the needs of the film and could be found today at the crossroad next to a cozy green alley. One of the scenes in’ The Tourist‘ with Angelina Jolie having breakfast in a Paris cafe was filmed just a few hundred meters from the Regina Hotel. 

 

A CALL FROM PLACE DE L’HÔTEL-DE-VILLE

The phone records of John Michael Kane play the role of another fraction of a puzzle in the pursuit of recalling his own identity and past. A short scene of only 10 seconds pursues the camera over Paris with a close glimpse at the Arc of Triomphe. Jason and Marie use another phone box at ‘Place d l’Hôtel de Ville’ square, named as  ‘Place de Grève’ prior to 1803. The area made its place in history not only as a large pier but also as a public execution site. This square witnessed the first usage of the guillotine, the sadly remembered symbol of the Revolution, which was later placed at ‘Place de la Concorde’.

 

JASON BOURNE VISITS A SECURITY FIRM

Jason puts his mind into the phone records of his alter-ego to reveal the notion of ‘Alliance Securite Maritime’, a string that would finally lead the protagonist to a scandalous dictator. After a voyage across the historical center, the story takes us to a modern business district of skyscrapers of glass, steel, and concrete. Once leaving the metro station, Jason finds himself within the large open area just in front of  ‘La Grande Arche de la Défense’, an architectural colossus, which impresses even more in real life than in the movie. The modern Gargantua arc was opened in 1989 to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution and occasionally for the G7 summit in Paris. The giant, 110 meters in height and 112 in width, was erected here to hold onto the famous Parisian axis, thus virtually connecting the original Arc of Triumph, Champs-Élysées, ‘Place de la Concorde’, the Arc of Triumph at the Carrusel square, and the magnificent Louvre.

 

THE PARIS MORTUARY

Making no initial reckoning of the photo of Nykwana Wombosi amid the documents, Jason and Marie hit upon another hidden clue within the Parisian mortuary. The ‘locker’ is to be empty with no trace of the body of John Michael Kane. The two turn their back on the building and walk through the imposing gates. Scratching the geographical surface of Paris, the mortuary falls out as one of the most prestigious educational institutions in France. ‘Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers’ (National Arts and Crafts Conservatory) was founded back in the days of the French Revolution to preserve the crafts and valuable exhibition units. A newborn institution quickly grew to a home of some private collections, which had been expropriated at the height of the Revolutionary blaze. It was later destined to become one of the largest museums of its kind in Europe. Jason and Marie make their way to Rue Saint-Martin, slightly to the North of the city center.

 

TREADSTONE HEADQUARTERS IN PARIS

Days before Jason Bourne would make a devastating visit to his former chief and actually put an end to the Parisian office for the CIA coverups, a cozy location next to ‘Place de la Bastille’ had appeared before the audience. It is here where Nicky Parsons used to receive her operative instructions from Langley before the arrival of the Treadstone chief himself (Conklin). The filming crew chose 2 Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine as a location for the hidden headquarters. An inviting square has been encircled by his residential building for the last two centuries and used to be appreciated as a leisure place for Parisians with all its restaurants and trees.

 

LET’S MEET AT THE BRIDGE

Pursued by a will to face his villain chaser, Jason schedules a meeting in the middle of Pont Neuf bridge at 5.30 p.m. At the beginning of the scene, we get a glimpse of the protagonist, leading his way lengthwise along the Quai du Louvre riverwalk, historically peopled by the merchants next to the Seine River. After a while, the former CIA agent accommodates the observation point on the roof of the Quai du Louvre 2 building. All while the ‘New Bridge’s’ nomination, Pont Neuf, should be praised as the oldest among the preserved bridges over the Seine. At the time of its erection four centuries ago, the width of 20 meters, free of customary merchants’ spots, was superior not only to the other bridges but to a majority of streets in Paris. Pont Neuf bridge is located close to the Place Dauphine square on Cite Island, known for the scenes from ‘Midnight in Paris’ and ‘Me Before You‘. 

 

CONKLIN’S LAST MINUTE

In the aftermath of the latest in a series of failed attempts to eliminate the former agent, the Treadstone chief has no other alternative but to leave Paris with his tail between his legs. In parallel with that, the mighty powers have made the mind leave the failed program behind and overcome the main witness. The growing suspense of the scene disturbs us with a preoccupation with the fate of Jason Bourne as the parallel montage reveals another professional executor, who waits beyond the former headquarters. As the ‘Place Sainte-Marie’ is to be a pedestrian zone, the wounded CIA official walks with a limp towards his car, parked at ‘Rue de Jarente’. A street was laid back in 1784 on the spot of the demolished monastery.

 

JASON WALKS INTO THE NIGHT

Flipping off the light in the former CIA hidden HQ symbolizes the end of the first chapter of Jason Bourne’s adventures. The protagonist finalizes his last shot in the film by stretching off into the distance beside the Pont des Arts bridge. The first iron bridge over the Seine was once erected at the behest of Napoleon and visited by 60,000 on the very day of its inauguration. The Parisian authorities used to charge a fee for using the bridge for decades. The ‘Pont des Arts’ river crossing was named after the famous Louvre, known as the ‘Palace of Arts’ at the time. It is this very side of the bridge that Jason uses to enter the passage with the ‘Institut de France’ in the distant background. The bridge survived several collisions with the ships and was damaged during the Great War (WWI), and was later renovated close to new. With the picturesque views over both banks of the Seine River, the bridge is appreciated as an inviting place for walking, photo sessions, and artists.