Guess I need to start brushing up on my French...

Because I'm going to Paris and Prague!

For almost three weeks now, I've been bursting to share the news. I wanted to be sure everything was right and my acceptance letter wasn't a fluke, but finally it's been settled -- from late May to mid-July, I'll be studying French and Czech cinema, four weeks in Paris and four weeks in Prague. FOUR WEEKS IN PARIS. I honestly don't think it's all sunk in yet. I have been trying to get to France for almost a decade now, and the fact that I get to study cinema while basking in the glory of Paris is too much to comprehend. On top of that, part of the program includes two three-day weekend trips, one to London and one to Madrid. Are you kidding me?!

Because I'll be swamped with classwork, stuffing my face with pastries, falling in love with a Frenchman, and just generally having my eyes pop out in wonder every five minutes, I'm not going to be able to update the blog during my trip. However, I wouldn't think of leaving you guys without posts, so I will be scheduling already-written posts to go up while I'm gone. I'll still make time to read comments and respond, and of course I'll try to keep up with the other fabulous blogs I read. I'm also hoping to synchronize my posts with where I'll be at that point -- so, for example, while I'm in Paris (PARIS), I'll have a post about a film that somehow has to do with the City of Lights. During my stay in London, there will be a film associated with London, and so on. If you have any suggestions for films that touch on the Czech Republic, Prague, Spain and/or Madrid, let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do. Also, if you have recommendations of things I should do or places I should visit, definitely leave me a note. I'm already making a mental list of things I've seen in my favorite films (eat ice cream by the Seine like Audrey in Charade, do a twirl by the Seine like Gene and Leslie in An American in Paris, sing "Paris Loves Lovers" at some point like Fred in Silk Stockings...).

I'm so thrilled for this opportunity and I cannot wait to share my experiences when I get back. If I ever come back... did I mention I'm going to Paris? Until May, I'll just be doing this...

Comments

  1. Virginie PronovostMarch 7, 2016 at 11:46 PM

    Omg that's so awesome! I've spend four days in Paris and it was fabulous, so imagine 4 WEEKS! :D I'm studying cinema too (in Montreal, where I live). I hope I'll have the chance to study in another country too one day!
    When will you be in Prague? Because I'm going to be there in June with one of my friends. It could be nice to meet!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MichaelaMarch 8, 2016 at 3:15 PM

      What a coincidence! I'll be in Prague June 20th-July 18th. I never considered traveling to Prague -- my brain has always been laser-focused on France -- but everything I'm reading makes it sound really cool. It'll be an interesting experience, for sure.

      Delete
    2. Virginie PronovostMarch 8, 2016 at 6:10 PM

      If you need any help for your French, it's my first language ;)

      Delete
    3. MichaelaMarch 8, 2016 at 6:33 PM

      Oh, c'est possible. I took French for close to seven years, but I stopped last year and I'm a little rusty. Studying up on it is just one of the many things left on my to-do list.

      Delete
    4. Virginie PronovostJune 21, 2016 at 6:01 PM

      Hey Michaela, I don't know if you will see this message since you're probably very busy studying cinema, but anyway, I'll give a try: me and my friend Gaby will be in Prage very soon (from July 1st to July 7) so since you'll be there too I think it would be nice to meet! We could go take a coffe or a drink or visit something together depending on your availability! We'll be staying at the Ananas Hostel. For a better way to communicate with me, you can add me on FB: Virginie Saia Pronovost, or send me an email: virginie.pronovost@gmail.com
      I'll wait for your answer! :)

      Delete
    5. MichaelaJune 22, 2016 at 3:31 PM

      Hey Virginie! I'll send you an email!

      Delete

Post a Comment

You might've missed these popular posts...

Loving and Fighting Furiously: Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz

Image
Let me preface this by saying I set myself up for failure on this one. So much as been written about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz -- books, movies, TV specials, great blog posts. I can't possibly include all of the vast information I have at my fingertips, so if you're at all intrigued by my post, good news: there is a wealth of material out there. The Ball-Arnaz relationship was messy and sometimes hurtful, but it all came from two people who loved each other more than they could say. Their marriage brought them a legacy that transformed them into icons, yet they weren't the Ricardos -- they were Lucy and Desi, fallible people who ultimately couldn't stay together. "Man, that's a hunk of woman!" That's what a handsome 23-year-old Cuban said when he saw a gorgeous 28-year-old redhead in 1940. Wearing a tight gold lamé gown with a slit down the center to show off her legs and sporting a fake black eye and loose hair, Lucy had been filming for Da
Continue »

Top Ten: Fred Astaire's Partners

Image
Every August, TCM dedicates one day to one exclusive star. It's times like these I'm thankful to the television gods for both airing TCM and for creating the DVR; Summer Under the Stars covers a vast array of different films and I can always find at least five that I've been dying to see. This August is a bit different because I'll also be contributing to the SUTS Blogathon that runs alongside the programming, hosted by Kristen at Journeys in Classic Film. I really wanted to cover a bunch of people, but things have been absolutely bonkers for me lately. I have other blogathons I already committed to that I still have to write for, I'm going back to IU shortly, and I had gallbladder surgery recently that kept me away from my blogging (but not my film viewing!). Because of all this, I just chose three wonderful stars -- sorry, my beloved Gene Tierney and Kate Hepburn! -- and today I bring you the first of those. For the complete list of entries, click here . There&#
Continue »

Announcing the 100 Years of Esther Williams Blogathon!

Image
  There have been quite a few centennials to honor this year -- Lana Turner, Donna Reed, Jane Russell, Judy Holliday, Dirk Bogarde -- but there is one I'm especially excited to celebrate: Esther Williams! To commemorate this gorgeous human being's 100th birthday, I'm bringing back my Esther blogathon from last year, which ended up being such a lovely way to honor her legacy. Because Esther's filmography isn't very large, I'll allow any topic to be claimed a maximum of two (2) times. That being said, you can cover more than her films, such as her autobiography, her history with swimsuits, her TV work, an overview of her teamings with people like Busby Berkeley, Red Skelton, Ricardo Montalbán, etc. I will say that if any of her work with Van Johnson is taken the maximum number of times, I'll still be holding my annual Van blogathon in August (which I'll be announcing very soon), so you'll have another chance to cover it. Again, because the topics are a
Continue »

Announcing the Sixth Annual Doris Day Blogathon!

Image
  Well, long time, no see! Life has made it hard to keep up with my blog, but I'm going to try my best to stick with my annual blogathons, including my Doris Day one. This year is particularly special because it's going to be Doris's centenary ! The rules are the same as they have been: you can write about anything relating to Doris -- her films, her music, her personal life, her work with animals, her role as a style icon, the list goes on! I also won't limit how many posts you want to do. Because there is so, so much you can write about, I'd prefer no duplicates . Sorry, all, it's first come, first serve. You can post on any of the three days of the blogathon, or you can post early. I only ask that you be sure to send me your link and I'll try to post it as soon as possible. Now grab a banner, spread the word, and I'll see you in April! List of Participants: The Stop Button | Young Man with a Horn (1950) Box Office Poisons | That Touch of Mink (196
Continue »

Fred Astaire tells Rita Hayworth... You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

Image
In the early 1940s, Fred Astaire was already a legend, thanks to his massively successful teaming with Ginger Rogers. Amazingly enough, although the actor had conquered vaudeville, Broadway, and Hollywood, he still had many more iconic achievements to look forward to. Rita Hayworth, on the other hand, was just beginning her rise to film stardom when she was first paired with Astaire for 1941's You'll Never Get Rich . As Fred tells it, "Gene Markey, then a producer at Columbia Pictures, asked me to discuss an idea about working with a little girl they had under contract there. She was primarily a dancer, he said, and sure to become a terrific star. She had only done a few B pictures up to that time. Her name was Rita Cansino -- recently changed to Hayworth. I had heard about this beautiful daughter of my old vaudeville-days friend Eduardo Cansino." Time passed, though, and Astaire began to wonder why he hadn't heard from Markey again until he read that the pr
Continue »

Esther Williams enthralls in... Dangerous When Wet (1953)

Image
It's a bright, beautiful morning at the Higgins' Arkansas dairy farm. Giving us what may be the sunniest opening to a film ever, the Higgins family -- comprised of Pop (William Demarest), Ma (Charlotte Greenwood), cute little pipsqueak Junior (Donna Corcoran), middle daughter Suzie (Barbara Whiting), and the eldest child, Katy (guess who?) -- leaves the house one by one as they sing "I Got Out of Bed on the Right Side" and march to their swimming hole for their daily exercise routine. When it comes time to jump in the water, though, Katy only dips her toe in and turns her attention to the book she brought, which is such a fun bait-and-switch. Esther Williams is going to read about farming instead of swim?! Finally, Pop tells Katy to do her laps before breakfast. She begrudgingly obliges, and in she goes, baseball cap and all, doing a simple but wonderful underwater swim -- until she suddenly hears some advertisement jingle that breaks her out of her peaceful rou
Continue »

Bob, Bing, and Dottie take the... Road to Rio (1947)

Image
  With the exception of 1962's Road to Hong Kong , the "Road" movies starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour are some of the funniest, weirdest comedies that ever came out of classic Hollywood. Brimming with inside jokes, delightful musical numbers, and plenty of decadent costumes and sets, the series always features Hope and Crosby as a pair of pals who find themselves in the worst situations as they travel to such places as Morocco, Bali, and Zanzibar. To be honest, not all of the films have aged well thanks to racist jokes and occasionally sexist attitudes, but one of the best entries, as I discovered this year, is Road to Rio . From the moment the opening credits started, this movie had me hook, line, and sinker. (I'm an absolute sucker for animated credits.) The plot follows musicians Hope and Crosby as they're forced to flee every gig because of one woman or another, finally winding up on a ship bound for Rio after they accidentally burn down the
Continue »

The Fifth Annual Doris Day Blogathon is here!

Image
  Who else is excited to celebrate Doris Day for three whole days?! After TCM's recent Star of the Month tribute to this illustrious triple threat, I can't think of a more fitting way to kick off April and celebrate Doris's 99th birthday. Participants, please leave me a comment below once you are ready to submit your entry. I'll try to post them as soon as I can! And if you're running a bit late, no worries -- I'll still accept it! Realweegiemidget Reviews |  Move Over, Darling  (1963) Filmland Follies |  Romance on the High Seas  (1948) Love Letters to Old Hollywood |  Lullaby of Broadway  (1951) Here's Booking at You, Kid |  April in Paris  (1952) Taking Up Room |  Calamity Jane  (1953) Cinema Cities |  Day and Rock Hudson Movies Meet Their Match |  Day's appearances on  What's My Line? Box Office Poisons |  The Glass Bottom Boat  (1966) Box Office Poisons |  Day's title tracks Whimsically Classic |  On Moonlight Bay  (1951) and  By the Light o
Continue »

Fred and Ginger's Cinematic Farewell: The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

Image
  When Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced "The Missouri Waltz" on the set of The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle in 1939, it felt like a historic moment. After six years and nine films, the partnership of Astaire and Rogers seemed to be ending with this final, impossibly beautiful waltz. People from RKO and nearby studios Columbia and Paramount gathered on the set, eager and sad to see this magical pair dance their last steps together. However, as Fred wrote in his autobiography, "Ginger and I never felt that it was any last-time thing. We expected to do another picture or so when the right time came along." Ten years later, that time came when Judy Garland was placed on suspension and forced to drop out of The Barkleys of Broadway . Resting at her Oregon ranch, Ginger received a call from an MGM executive. "Would you have any objections to doing another film with Fred Astaire?" Appalled at the insinuation that she and Fred parted on bad terms, Ginger
Continue »

Ann Sothern and Robert Young can't stop marrying each other in... Lady Be Good (1941)

Image
For years now, one of my favorite underrated films has been Lady Be Good , a remarkably fun musical starring * takes a deep breath * Ann Sothern, Eleanor Powell, Robert Young, Red Skelton, Virginia O'Brien, Lionel Barrymore, John Carroll, Tom Conway, and one of classic film's cutest dogs, a beagle-fox terrier mix named Buttons. Despite this stellar cast, Lady Be Good isn't nearly as well known as it should be, which is something that this review will hopefully fix. Nothing makes me happier than a frothy MGM musical, and this film is exactly the kind of tonic I need when I'm looking for a pick-me-up. We open on a courthouse where a divorce trial is underway. On the stand is Dixie Donegan (Sothern), a lyricist whose soon-to-be ex is also her songwriting partner. She tells Judge Murdock (Barrymore) how she and Eddie Crane (Young) met while she was waiting tables and he was very much the struggling artist. They began dating, and one night after a particularly hopeless ses
Continue »