Marvelous Time Travels at Midnight: ‘Midnight in Paris’ The Movie ‘Midnight in Paris’ is an American romantic comedy. The movie has many romantic and artistic scenes that was filmed in Paris. The movie starts with the view of places in Paris. You can time travel through this movie and realize what is important in your life. You can also travel through time visually, which is equally satisfying. The movie gives us beautiful views of Paris over several generations. The several scenes show the charming points at during different ages. While you are watching this movie, you might be surprised at Paris’s various beautiful sites. The movie’s themes can be interpreted differently according to who watches the movie. In my view, the main theme is pleasure in the present. Through the midnight travel, we will notice that the present is the present. After taking a trip, I think you could see the beautiful things in your familiar present. When you want to go somewhere getting out of the present situation and take a rest, I recommend you watch this movie. The main characters are Gil, a novelist, and his fiancee, Inez. They have different things they admire about Paris. Gil loves the romance of Paris, but Inez likes the glamour and fancy atmosphere. Gil loves the rain in Paris and admires the attractiveness of 1920’s Paris. One day, they are invited to a wine tasting event by Inez’s father. After the event, Inez wants to go dancing, but Gil refuses that suggestion and goes to the hotel. While he is going, he gets lost and sits in some calm place. The time is midnight and nobody was there. At the ring of the bell, a car is coming to him. The car stops in front of him and he gets in the car. At that moment, the marvelous time travel starts. When he gets out of the car, he is in the past. He meets famous people and falls in love with Adriana who used to be Picasso’s lover. Adriana lives in the time that Gil admires, but she also admires former ages. She wants to go to 1880’s Paris. Gil takes Adriana to the place where he got the car and they depart the former ages for the 1880’s. They also meet the people, but that age’s people also admire the past, the Renaissance age and Gil realizes that people who are living in each age miss the past. In the movie, Gill says “If you stay here, it becomes your present then pretty soon you will start imagining another time was really your golden time. That’s what the present is. It’s a little unsatisfying because life is a little unsatisfying.” People admire the past, but the past was also the present in that time. What time is the best time? There is no exact answer. There is a special atmosphere and special values during each time. If you find the golden age in your time, that is the greatest time. Our life is similar with this. We can’t be satisfied with our lives. We should look at things we have now. Sure, you can be envious of other people or other times. But remember, the treasure that people always looking for is in the present and close to us.
Yu-Jin Seo  l.l.f@hanmail.net