Before Sunset (2004)

dir. Richard Linklater

A sequel to Before Sunrise (1995), this film takes place nine years later as Jesse (Ethan Hawke) travels to Paris giving readings from a book he wrote about the brief encounter with Céline (Julie Delpy) in Vienna, Austria.
My friend Lois took these pictures at my request in 2015. I'm finally posting them with my sincere apologies to her.

Jesse meets with readers in a bookstore – Shakespeare and Company, 37 Rue de la Bûcherie, Paris, France. This popular popular store opened in 1951 and received its current name in 1964, on the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. The original 'Shakespeare and Company' was located on Rue de l’Odéon and existed only briefly, from 1919 to 1941, but was a favorite gathering place for English-speaking writers.
'Shakespeare and Company' has appeared many times in films, for example in Nora Ephron’s Julie and Julia and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris. It has also been featured on television (Season 4 of Highlander, and the Hong Kong series Triumph in the Skies II).

Jesse and Céline (Julie Delpy) begin discussing why they were unable to meet again in Vienna nine years earlier, as they had promised. The characters turn from Rue de la Bûcherie onto Rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre and walk southwest, away from the Seine.

Jesse confesses that he did come to Vienna. The characters are standing at the corner of Rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre and Rue Saint-Séverin. In the background is the Gothic Church of Saint-Séverin dating from 13th–15th centuries.

The characters continue talking about their missed meeting and walk southeast along Rue Galande. The film is supposed to be a continous walk. This scene is where that continuity ends. After the cut, the first “leap” occurs.

Céline shares her impressions of Jesse’s novel. The characters suddenly turn up on the other side of the Seine in the Marais district, approximately 1.5 km (0.9 miles) from the previous location. They are walking northeast along Rue du Jardin Saint-Paul. In the background is the Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, built in the 17th century by Étienne Martellange and François Derand.

The characters turn east onto Rue Charlemagne. On the left of the frame, is the fountain of the Lycée Charlemagne, which appeared here in 1840.

Céline talks about her trip to India and environmental issues – Rue Charlemagne. The camera is looking west while the characters walk east.

Céline continues talking about her work – Rue Charlemagne, now the camera is looking east.

Jesse believes that the world can become a better place, but Céline does not share his point of view. The tiny Rue Eginhard, named after the Frankish scholar Einhard. In the background is the Eginhard Fountain.

Céline says that life in the West is getting better because all the harmful production has been moved to developing countries. The characters emerge from Rue Eginhard onto Rue Saint-Paul.

The second big “leap” — now from the 4th arrondissement to the 11th. Le Pure Café is still open and located at the corner of Rue Jean-Macé and the Passage de la Franche-Montagne.

The third “leap”: immediately after leaving the café and the cut, the characters appear in the 12th arrondissement on the linear park La Promenade Plantée, planted along old railway tracks and running a couple of stories above the Paris streets. They walk along Avenue Daumesnil toward Place de la Bastille. There is only one such arch there, near the western end of the park and the descent to Avenue Daumesnil.

Céline suggests that Jesse tell her what he would say if this were their last day on Earth. That's the same bench.

Céline invites Jesse to take a walk along the Seine, and they descend directly to the Seine. Promenade Plantée does not reach the river, and while analyzing the film, I suspected that a different location had been added to the descent scene. Only later did I realize that the film uses a special effect. The characters descend the real staircase of Promenade Plantée near Place de la Bastille, but a glimpse of the Seine has been added to the frame — in reality, it opens onto a parking lot!

The fourth “leap”: the characters appear on the Quai de la Tournelle near Notre-Dame and go for a boat ride on the Seine aboard a bateau-mouche.

Jesse’s driver brings him and Céline to her residence. The first shot is from the montage of Parisian streets shown at the beginning of the film. In this scene at the end of the film, the car just drives through the archway.

Céline lives in La Cour de l’Étoile-d’Or on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine.

See also...

Rendezvous in Paris

Before Sunrise

To Catch a Thief (1955)

dir. Alfred Hitchcock

At the beginning of 1954, the executives at Paramount suggested to Hitchcock that he make a film of David Dodge's novel To Catch a Thief, to which the studio purchased the rights several years before. The story was set on the Riviera, and since Hitchcock liked to combine pleasure with business, he accepted the project and contacted screenwriter John Michael Hayes. "When he found I'd never been to the south of France," said Hayes, "he arranged for me and my wife to go, at studio expense, so that I could research the locales. The trip was, of course, very welcome, and by the time I returned I had a good idea of what to do with the novel."
Hitchcock wanted to cast Grace Kelly but she was committed to three other films first. The director had to wait—but not for long—she had completed those three films by early May 1954.
To expedite the location shooting of the film in the south of France, in May Hitchcock dispatched a second unit headed by Herbert Coleman to shoot the car chases and several background scenes that could be filmed without the stars. The leading quartet—Kelly and Cary Grant, joined by Jessie Royce Landis and the dependable John Williams—arrived in late May, and everyone stayed happily at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
The company returned to Hollywood in early July for the studio shooting, and Hitchcock, not entirely satisfied with what remained a rambling, rather formless comic thriller, tried to tighten up the final scenes through August.
Soon after, the film was concluded and Grace Kelly rushed to her next assignment. Neither she nor Hitchcock was sure whether they would work together again; after two more films directed by others, in fact, she relocated permanently to the Riviera in 1956, as Princess of Monaco.

A Series of Cat Burglaries on the Riviera

A woman finds out that her jewelry is gone - Savoy Palace, 3 Promenade des Anglais, Nice, France

The second jewelry theft - Hotel Martinez, 73 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, France. For some reason, this shot was flipped in the film.

If we flip the frame so the camera is looking west along the Croisette...

This was probably filmed from 74 Boulevard de la Croisette where Côte d'Azur Sotheby's International Realty is located now (seen on the extreme right here.)

The third jewelry theft - Hotel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, Square Beaumarchais, Monte Carlo, Monaco

The police station - 2 Avenue du Marechal Foch, Nice, France. This is the real office of the Police Nationale.

Robie's Villa

The police officers arrive to question John Robie (Cary Grant) - Villa Les Bolovens, 335 Rue de Saint-Jeannet, Saint-Jeannet, France. The property was reportedly sold for four million dollars in 2023.

The Chase

The police think that Robie has escaped and they start chasing his car.
They drive past the village of Le Bar-sur-Loup...

Route De Vence at the junction with Avenue Yorktown, Le Bar-sur-Loup. In the foreground is the Viaduc des Ribas aka Pont de la Jarrerie is a former part of the historical "Central-Var" railway line. It is currently a pedestrianized structure and not in use for vehicular traffic.

The chase continues past the village of Gourdon...

And then through the village of Tourrettes-sur-Loup...

..only to discover that is the maid who's driving the car - Route de Vence at Rue des Anciens Combattants, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, France.

Monte Carlo - Bertani's Restaurant

Meanwhile Robie takes a bus to Monte Carlo...

He gets off the bus - Quai Albert 1er, Monte Carlo, Monaco. The ballustrade has since been removed, it only remains on the other side of the harbor.

He drops in on his old associates from the French Resistance, restaurant manager Bertani (Charles Vanel), and wine steward Foussard (Jean Martinelli) - Quai Antoine 1er, Monte Carlo, Monaco. The restaurant interior was a Paramount set.

As the police arrive, Robie is spirited out of the restaurant in a motorboat driven by Danielle (Brigitte Auber), Foussard's daughter. They are going past the Oceanographic Museum, Avenue Saint-Martin, Monaco City, Monaco.

Carlton Beach

Robie puts on swimming trunks on the boat and mixes with the crowds at the beach of Hotel Carlton, 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes. The white columned building in the background is the old Palais des Festivals. It hosted the Cannes Film Festival for 33 years, from 1949 to 1982. The building was demolished in 1988. The JW Marriott Cannes stands there now.

The Flower Market

Bertani arranges for Robie to meet with someone who can provide a list of The Cat's potential targets. The famous Nice Flower Market is actually located at Cours Saleya, but this sequence was filmed at Boulevard Jean Jaurès. The real flower market can be seen in René Clément's Joy House.

While Robie is waiting for his contact...

The police are watching...

Robie meets H.H. Hughson (John Williams) from Lloyd’s of London.

Hotel Carlton

Robie strikes up an acquaintance with Jessie Stevens (Jessie Royce Landis) and her daughter Francie (Grace Kelly) - Hotel Carlton, 58 Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, France. It was built by Swiss developer Henri Ruhl in 1909-1910 and on 30th January 1911. The hotel was such a big success that the owner acquired the adjoining Hotel de la Plage, on its western side, and demolished it for construction of a new wing from 1912 to 1913, which doubled the hotel's size. Later, the Carlton welcomed guests at the first Cannes Film Festival in 1946. The hotel underwent more renovations which were completed in 2023. These included the addition of two new wings, and a spectacular 215,000 square feet landscaped garden that replaces the former parking lot. The interior has since been remodelled.

While the Grand Salon in the film looks real...

It looks like the hotel lobby was actually recreated at the studio. There are too many closed spaces and the layout seen in the film doesn't match the real hotel.

It also looks like the hotel corridor is a studio set. Room 623 is actually a corner room. It has since been named the Alfred Hitchcock Suite.

The police are still watching...

Francie waiting for him to take him to the villa, home of the ‘Sandfords’.

They drive off together, closely followed by the police - Avenue des Diables Bleus, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.

The Sandford Villa

They arrive at the villa - Le Château, Boulevard Schley, Grasse, France. The entrance and the villa grounds were filmed in two different locations.

The Sandford Villa itself is the Château de la Croix-des-Gardes, 145 Boulevard Leader, Cannes, France. It's a private property and is available for exclusive private hire, including special gatherings during the Cannes Film Festival.

Escaping the Police

As they leave the villa, the police car keeps following closely behind - Pont du Diable, Èze, France. The Èze viaduct, also known as the Devil’s Bridge, is an iconic structure along the Moyenne Corniche, built in 1914 to connect Nice and Monaco. It spans an 80-meter-deep (262 feet) ravine and offers spectacular views of the Mediterranean.

As they leave the bridge the village of Èze comes into view.

They speed though the village streets - Boulevard du Maréchal Leclerc at Avenue de Verdun, Èze, France.

Avenue de Verdun, Èze

They nearly run over an old lady carrying a laundry basket - Avenue de la Victoire looking east, La Turbie, France.

The police car crashes - Moyenne Corniche, Èze, France.

The Picnic

Francie pulls up for a picnic - Avenue des Combattants en Afrique du Nord, Beausoleil, France.

The exact picnic spot is now occupied by a contruction site for an apartment complex at 1025 Avenue des Combattants en Afrique du Nord.

But the view of Monaco down below is still there.

The Lighthouse

Following the theft of Jessie Stevens’s jewellery John goes into hiding. Hughson finds him on a pier fishing - Old Lighthouse, Môle de l'Ouest, Quai du Large, Cannes, France. Built in 1950 to replace an earlier version that was destroyed by the Germans during World War II. The 53-foot tall tower is unpainted except for a yellow stripe just below the gallery. The lighthouse was deactivated when the breakwater was extended and a new lighthouse built.

A Trap for the Cat

John has been watching the ‘Silvers’ villa for some nights and seen someone else, suggesting that a robbery is imminent. With Hughson he sets a trap - Plage de Passable, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, France.

Francie reading the papers that report the death of ‘The Cat’ - Boulevard de la Croisette, Cannes, France. It's at the very beginning of the Croisette, opposite the new Palais des Festivals and the Casino. The Gare Maritime de Cannes and Le Suquet are seen in the background.

The Cemetery

John attends the funeral of Foussard, for he knows that the real ‘Cat’ will be there too - Vieux Cimetière, Avenue de Verdun, Cagnes-sur-Mer, France.

The Masquerade Ball

Robie entraps ‘The Cat’ at the masquerade ball. This was filmed at Paramount studios. According to costume designer Edith Head, Hitchcock conceived this sequence for the sole purpose to show off his leading lady in a shimmering gold gown.

The Finale

In the final scene, Robie is back to his villa, and Francie races after to convince him that he needs a woman around to help. A studio set with the village of Saint-Jeannet as the backdrop.