The Tourist Paris locations

THE TOURIST FILMING LOCATIONS IN PARIS

In the course of the past eleven years since the movie premiere, it is Venice, the pearl of the Mediterranean coast, and Northern Italy in particular, that has received all the credit of admiration on the part of ‘The Tourist’ audience. February Paris, another iconic European city, favored the story with the opening scenes with less than ten minutes of screen time. This initial shooting milestone, way more modest in time and invested in production efforts, granted the movie enthusiasts a few remarkable, not to say breathtaking movie locations on the map of Paris. Elise Clifton-Ward, played by Angelina Jolie, acts as the premier violinist within this French sequence, and each of the four Tourist Paris locations is easily accessible for a visit. To my regret as the author of this project and a movie enthusiast, my Paris journey did not include the ‘Place des Victoires,’ the starting point of the story; an omission is to be revised.

THE TOURIST OPENING SCENE: ANGELINA JOLIE AT THE PARISIAN CAFE

The early-bird free time of Elise Clifton-Ward is slightly different from the sun-up of Parisians and guests of the city. Being aware of the presence of French police, the former agent of Scotland Yard chooses to hide in the frame. Elise leaves her highly selected (based on the location) apartment at ‘Place des Victoires’ with a view over the statue of King Louis XIV and takes a paced walk toward a fancy restaurant. All while crossing the unseen border of the 2nd and 1st ‘arrondissement municipal’ (municipal arrondissements), the female lead of Angelina Jolie steps into the historical heart of Paris, which has historically been appreciated as the arrondissement du Louvre or Louvre district. The dewy shoulders and legs, as well as her between-season lady coating of cream color, decisively accent the elegance of women’s beauty. Relatedly, the opening scenes were shot in Paris on the last days of February 2010 in mild, still winter weather. 

Following a fleeting heading, Elise turns onto ‘Place Colette,’ a cozy square named after a famous French woman writer, actress, and novelist of the 20th century. Having accommodated herself in ‘Le Nemours’ cafe, the leading character has all the means to delight in a modest-sized open space in the heart of Paris. Apart from the overzealous surveillance van, the panorama takes advantage of ‘Le Kiosque des noctambules,’ a fanciful formation of aluminum and Murano glass above the exit from the underground. The architectural novelty accompanied the square as far back as the year 2000 as a mark of the centennial of the Parisian underground. The police commentaries on the breakfast within a favored cafe are proven with Elise’s early refreshment. The skilled waiter in a classic black-and-white uniform of a shirt, a jacket, pants, and a long apron memorizes the preference of a madam: tea with milk, orange juice, and a croissant. Elise luxuriates in the classic rattan (an Asian reed) chair designed by ‘Maison Gatti,’ which has been producing craft furniture since 1920. The leading character takes her time with the ‘Le Monde’ newspaper, an established daily periodical, once established with the help of Charles de Gaulle shortly after the liberation of Paris back in 1944. 

With all the ease of Elise Clifton-Ward’s morning aperitif, the sequence at ‘Place Colette’ demanded relevance to array a scene backed by seventy background extras, including the walking gentlemen and the visitors of ‘Le Nemours.’ The shooting imminently drew the attention of both Parisian citizens and tourists, notably piqued by the presence of Brad Pitt, at that time the husband of Angelina Jolie, as well as Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Minister of Culture. Given the fact that Elise would later take an 8:22 train from Gare de Lyon, her choice of a fancier cafe seems fully justified, as ‘Le Nemours’ welcomes guests from 7 a.m. on weekdays. 

The black van is not the only source of spying on Elise, as two French policemen proved themselves not much good at vanishing in the crowd of cafe visitors. ‘Le Nemours’ is generally appreciated as a venue for a breakfast meeting, the celebration of the successful performances in the neighboring ‘Comédie Française’ national theatre, and a resting resort for thousands of city guests on their way from the Louvre. In fact, ‘Le Nemours’ is located in the way or above the so-called ‘Parisian Meridian’ to the extent that Professor Robert Langdon from ‘The Da Vinci Code’ has previously revealed the ‘ARAGO’ sign a short walk from the cafe. Elise appreciates a tea saucer and commits the letter to flames, leaving Scotland’s yard boss next to helpless. The leading character leaves 20 euros for tea with milk, a croissant, and orange juice—a highly lavish consideration even for a cafe in the heart of Paris. The place is also close to the Regina Hotel from ‘The Bourne Identity.’ 

LOSING THE TAIL: QUATRE-SEPTEMBRE

Elise Clifton-Ward leaves the French, both the convoy men and her Scotland Yard superior, high and dry. All while the uninformed courier guy is being put on the hot seat and the dust of the letter is being doused, Elise takes her paced yet sure step to leave Place Colette. In the frame with Elise being followed by a stranger, a street sign unmistakably names the principal location. Angelina Jolie’s character slips into a myriad of covered walkways and commercial galleries, leaving the agents with no better alternative than going around the block to meet her at Rue de Choisel. Taking into consideration the upcoming destination in a scene to follow, the improvised route brought Elise once again to the second arrondissement of Paris in the north direction, with a distance twice as much as her previous promenade toward ‘Le Nemours’ cafe. The actual topography of the area granted the agents plenty of time to follow Elise step by step, at least at the same pace.

The cinematic magic of cutting the topography of the Parisian streets provides Elise Clifton-Ward with the temporary means to lose her tail while taking her way apparently into ‘Passage Choiseul,’ the far end of which neighbors the third filming location. The spying van makes a stop at Rue du 4 September, a street within the 2nd arrondissement. The erection of this particular transport artery was once approved by King Napoleon III, by another name (the street, not the monarch), yet it was renamed two years after the inauguration. Starting from those days of 1870, Rue du 4 September commemorated the fall of the French monarchy and the enunciation of the ‘Troisième République’ (French Third Republic), which later ceased to exist in 1940. ‘Rue de Choiseul,’ the one Elise stops at, bears the name of the French statesman of the 18th century.

Angelina Jolie keeps one character by ignoring the February weather, passing the newspaper stand, and coming to a standstill next to the ‘Quatre-Septembre’ metro station. In the same manner as the neighboring street, the station (opened as far back as 1904) commemorates September 4, 1870, and the proclamation of a new era in French history, to no small degree dictated by a series of military setbacks against Prussia. Quatre-Septembre, one of the oldest underground stations in Paris, witnessed three periods of restoration, with the last one in 2003. Elise takes a look at her stylish ladies’ watch, being aware that half an hour is left until the 8:22 train. Moments later, the French agents rush into the underground, but the crowd is upset about the plans to follow Elise. 

GARE DE LYON

All while the French agents and Paul Bettany’s character all face the reincarnation of the ashed letter, to make matters worth quenching, Elise takes a direction toward ‘Gare de Lyon.’ It is worth noting that Quatre-Septembre and Gare de Lyon are located within two different metro lines: 3rd and 14th, respectively. It notably took Elise three stops in the direction of ‘Gare Saint-Lazare,’ an interchange into Line 14, and another four stops—admittedly a route that may be mastered in half an hour. As the letter from Alexander Pierce included, Elise has to reach the Gare de Lyon train station in the twelfth arrondissement of Paris. One of six railway terminals in Paris, the ‘Lyon’ has historically been appreciated as one of the busiest depots in Europe. The primary direction of long-distance trains is south, particularly in Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, and Germany. 

Getting out of the underground station of the same name as the depot, Angelina Jolie’s character takes advantage of the traveling stairs to find herself within one of the two main halls of ‘Gare de Lyon.’ She fixates her attention on a large information display, and Elise’s wisp of a smile hints at the fact that she is delighted with the destination: Venice. Train number 891007 is operated by Trenitalia, a key Italian railway operator. In the course of the ten years since the shooting, the schedule in this direction has been altered numerous times, with the preservation of the morning train from Parisian Gare de Lyon and the arrival at Venetian SANTA LUCIA after a ten-hour journey across France and Northern Italy. The price for such a high-speed journey varies from 100 to 250 euros based on class and dates.