Cinema: 10 mythical filming locations to visit
Numerous images come to mind when evoking the Côte Fleurie and the cinema. Silhouettes of legendary actors in settings and light that are naturally attractive to the cameras: filming and vacationing "professionals of the profession" have been intertwined since the 1920s. "A Monkey in Winter", "A Man and a Woman", "The Four Hundred Blows"... We have selected for you the ten filming locations in Deauville that have marked the 7th art, where you can replay your own version of the film. Motor, action!
1. In the footsteps ofUn Singe en hiver in Villerville
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What more can be said about a film that has become a national monument through countless television reruns? .... A Monkey in Winter forever changed the modest seaside resort of Villerville when it welcomed, in the winter of 1961-1962, the film crew of Henri Verneuil with its two stars, Jean Gabin and Jean-Paul Belmondo. To be faithful to Antoine Blondin's novel, the town was renamed Tigreville. A great novel, two actors at the top, amazing dialogues, an efficient direction and an isolated town under the winter rain are the keys to the success of a film that has become part of our collective memory. The filming locations, still visible today and symbolized by totems in the center of Villervilleare to be discovered during a walking tour. The Cabaret Normand - the famous café where Jean-Paul Belmondo ordered a Picon-bière after his arrival in Tigreville - and the Hôtel Stella, held by Jean Gabin, are some of the places you can discover with this walk.
2. the cliffs Falaises des Vaches Noires
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In 1955, it is in Villers-sur-Meron the beach at the foot of the cliffs of the Vaches noiresthat François Truffaut set up his camera to film the famous final scene of the film The Four Hundred Blows, which all film lovers around the world have in mind. The young Jean-Pierre Léaud takes advantage of a soccer match to escape from a center for delinquents. The tracking shot starts in the countryside, then the kid arrives on the beach, goes down a staircase and runs towards the sea, puts his feet in the water, turns around and gives a camera look that freezes on the word "End".
See the final scene of the movie "The Four Hundred Blows" here
Forty years later, in 1995, Claude Lelouch chose the beach of Villers-sur-Mer as the setting for several sequences of his film Les Misérables. The filmed shots require the construction of a village where the Thénardier couple's inn is located. In a scene in which the inn is partially set on fire, the poorly controlled fire destroys it entirely. Claude Lelouch, frightened to see his set go up in smoke, still has the conscience to let the cameras roll and decides to integrate the fire into his film, which will give the sequence its realistic and dramatic aspect. The other piece of bravery of the shooting at Villers-sur-Mer was the beach reenactment of the June 6, 1944 D-Day landing on Omaha Beach, with hundreds of extras, amphibious tanks and paratroopers in the Norman sky. The sequence shot in one day is remembered by all Villersois.
3. The beach of Deauville and its famous boards
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In 1965, Claude Lelouch escaped from Paris and arrived on the beach of Deauville. He sees a woman and her child walking early in the morning. He has his story... A Man and a Woman, released in 1966, became one of the most famous French films in the world and contributed greatly to the international reputation of Deauville. It is in front of the big square near the Pompeian baths that Jean-Louis Trintignant and Anouk Aimée meet. He calls out to her. She runs to him. Selected at the Cannes Film Festival the same year, the film received the Palme d'Or and the Oscar for best foreign film in Hollywood. Deauville became the eternal meeting place for romance. Since 2006, the main entrance to the Boards and the beach has been named after Claude Lelouch, because the two are forever inseparable.
See the beach scene from the movie "A Man and a Woman" here
In We'll go to DeauvilleLouis de Funès shows Deauville as a vacation spot for modest people, in the early 1960s, at a time when middle-class French people were discovering the joys of vacations by the sea. The rental house was a bit old-fashioned, people travelled by bicycle or scooter, and enjoyed the beach, the racetrack and the walks on the boards. The Planches, we also see them in The Baron of the lockwhere Jean Gabin is installed on the terrace of the Bar du Soleil to listen to a concert of hunting horns. Today, it is in the program of theracecourse of Deauville-Clairefontaine every summer, during the big race weekends. In I am shy but I take care of myselfPierre Richard falls in love with a woman and follows her around France. The clumsy Tall Blond Guy visits Nice, Vichy and Deauville. One of the most hilarious scenes is shot on the boards. From the beach, the actor tries to control his sailboat and crosses the boards, passing not without difficulty in front of The Normandy***** before ending up on the road. Another famous film, Assassins and Thievesin which the famous Jean Poiret tells in the first scene how he saved Madeleine Ferrand from drowning, on the beach of Deauville in the middle of the famous parasols.
4. The beach of Blonville-sur-Mer
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Many films have their sequence on the Normandy coast, often experienced as a parenthesis of calm, fresh air and reflection in the scenario. This is the case in Je reste, a film by Diane Kurys, which is inspired by a genre very popular in the golden age of Hollywood: the comedy of remarriage. It brings together a charming trio of Sophie Marceau, Vincent Perez and Charles Berling. Nestled between Deauville and Villers-sur-Merthe beach of Blonville-sur-Mer is the scene of the famous kite scene between Sophie Marceau and Charles Berling. There is also a villa with direct access to the beach where scenes were shot inside and outside. It was Diane Kurys who wanted to shoot in this house that she had spotted during her walks between Deauville and Villers-sur-Mer. This building, with its white facade and columns, stands out from the Anglo-Norman style villas of the Côte Fleurie. It is also possible to rent the beautiful house for vacations.
5. The flying club of Saint-Gatien
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This filming location may seem surprising at first, and yet. The credits of the film The Baron of the Lock are a long overview of Deauville on board a plane piloted by Jean Gabin, a flying instructor. Still today, theflying club of Deauville Saint-Gatien offers you the opportunity to take a first flight or to get your pilot's license. If you are a big fan of Gabin, don't hesitate to pass by the Villa "La Malmaison", at the corner of rue Hunebelle and rue Victor Hugo, which he bought in 1961. He renamed it "La Grande Villa" and lived there for thirteen years, from 1961 to 1974. A plaque has been placed in front of the actor's house.
6. The Deauville-Trouville train station
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Introductory scene of the film We will go to Deauvillethe stationThe train station, crowded with cars and blurred by a multitude of horns, represents the beginning of Louis de Funès and Michel Serrault's eventful vacation. This family comedy by Francis Rigaud should be seen today as a documentary on Deauville in the early 1960s at a time when middle-class French people were discovering the joys of vacations by the sea.
Légitime Violence, a very dark political thriller starring Claude Brasseur, has its most famous scene in the hall of the Deauville-Trouville train station, where a gunfight wreaks havoc among the passengers waiting for their train. The scene ends with the front page of the next day's Figaro with the headline: Massacre in Deauville. Among the killers, we recognize Christophe Lambert in one of his first roles.
7. The Manors of Tourgéville****
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A psychological thriller that brings together Jalil Lespert, Romain Duris and Charlotte Le Bon, Iris was mostly shot in Paris but the finale takes place in Normandy. The scene that unveils the enigma was shot on the domain of Manoirs de Tourgéville**** created by Claude Lelouch. We see a man digging the basement at night. We won't say more for all those who want to discover this suspenseful film.
8. Coco Chanel's boutique
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Gabrielle Chanelknown as Coco, is a key figure who has greatly contributed to the international reputation of Deauville. She opened her first fashion boutique in the summer of 1913, on rue Gontaut-Biron, between the casino and theHôtel Barrière Le Normandy*****. The designer found her inspiration on the racetrack, at the tennis courts and on the port. The film Chanel Solitaire by Hungarian director George Kaczender recounts this episode in great detail. Hundreds of extras were hired to recreate the Belle-Epoque atmosphere in Deauville itself, with scenes shot on the seafront and on theracecourse of Deauville-La Touques. But the most impressive is the reconstruction of the rue Gontaut-Biron, whose asphalt was covered with earth over several hundred meters. Never before has Deauville's history with the cinema been so transformed for a film. Adopt the Chanel style and pass in front of the boutique (today La Villa Homme); a plaque designed by Karl Lagerfeld has been placed in memory of the woman who revolutionized fashion.
9. Saint-Pierre-Azif
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In 2009, in Saint-Pierre-sur-AzifBrad Pitt shot a commercial for a Japanese phone brand. Well, it's not really cinema, even if the commercial was shot by Wes Anderson(The Grand Budapest Hotel). The director pays homage to Jacques Tati and his film Vacances de Monsieur Hulot with a 2CV, a bicycle race and a topless young woman on a picnic, all set to France Gall's song Poupée de cire, poupée de son. For the anecdote, the young woman is Camille Cottin who later turned with Brad Pitt in Allies by Robert Zemeckis.
10. The Casino Barrière and its Italian-style theater
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The casino is a must in Deauville and many directors have used it in mythical scenes in their works. Jean-Pierre Melville devoted the hold-up scenes of his film Bob le Flambeur in 1955. The casino did not take offense, since the director at the time, François André, Lucien Barrière's uncle, played his own role. One can recognize the Place Mornythe big hall of the casino and especially the street where the main entrance of the establishment was located at the time, where the final shooting takes place.
In the film Do you like Brahms...we see Montand's young blonde mistress at the casino in Deauville wondering what number she should play. A wink to the famous story that will anchor Françoise Sagan in Normandy. On August 8, 1959, the novelist, visiting the casino, bets on 8 and collects 8 million francs, with which she buys the house she was renting in Equemauville.
More recently, in 2018, Mathieu Kassovitz became the sparring partner of a young boxing champion in the film Sparringwhere the boxing scenes take place mainly in the casino theater. Its Italian decor offers a striking contrast with the darkness of the subject matter.
Where to eat?
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In the canteen of the entertainment world
At the bistro Les 4 chatsred dominates: it is found on the armchairs - often cinema armchairs found on flea markets -, the benches, the walls and even in the evening lighting. With a musical background of rock and jazz, the decor flirts with the 30s and 50s in a brocante chic spirit. The menu changes daily, depending on the mood and the market, but always offers its traditional bistro dishes.
In the atmosphere of the American Film Festival
It can be seen as an island in the middle of the casino's slot machines. The Plaza Café is the Casino's restaurant, located just across from the Centre International de Deauville, where the American Film Festival takes place every year. To help you blend in and live the American dream, portraits of actors such as Charlize Theron, Jeff Goldblum and Salma Hayek adorn its glass walls. Amidst the slot machines, the Plaza Café has the intimacy of a real brasserie, where meats, grilled fish, original club sandwiches and gourmet salads are on the menu.
On the boards
The Ciro's is a renowned seafood and fish restaurant that appears in all the reference gastronomic guides. But the restaurant stands out just as much with its countless photos of celebrities hanging on the wall. You can enjoy platters, plates of the sea, bouillabaisses and other shellfish surrounded by the biggest movie stars.
Where to sleep?
Three places to sleep near the stars
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The Barrière hotels in Deauville have been the location of numerous films and have cultivated their history with the cinema. At theHôtel Barrière Le Normandy*****relive the love story between Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant! With the "Un Homme et une Femme" suite, enter the film's decor, where large black and white photos from the most famous scenes blend in with the famous "toile de Jouy" and its motif "the delight of the 4 seasons". 100 meters from the Normandy, Yves Montand shoots the film Aimez-vous Brahms... at theHôtel Barrière Le Royal*****.
Innovative concept, the hotel You Are Deauville breaks the codes of the traditional hotel industry. You will find modular spaces, a coworking room, a sports center and a screening room that you can even privatize! Whether you're solo or with a partner, family or friends, You Are Deauville offers five types of rooms, from the double room "Welcome" to the shared room "Together" that can accommodate up to 12 people.
Ten years after the filming ofUn homme et une femme, Claude Lelouch had a vast friends' house built a few kilometers from Deauville, complete with tennis courts and indoor swimming pool. After a few years, he transformed the property into a hotel and sold it to the Floirat Group. The hotel Les Manoirs de Tourgéville**** is composed of a main building in half-timbering and four charming round manors, offering a total of 57 rooms including 35 suites. Its 50-seat cinema is available to watch the film of your choice.
