I love this early scene in An American in Paris. If you grew up, as I did, loving dollhouses, model villages and miniaturized things, I think this scene captures a lot of the appeal of homeliness and homespun charm that those things captured. Also, if you are amongst the majority who are not millionaires and have to work hard to afford anything much more than a shoebox, then you will no doubt appreciate the ingenious use of a small living space here. I just love the almost Heath Robinson inventiveness here, and the charming Hollywood spin on chic French starving artist style. I sometimes fantasize of my own artist's garret like this, where things roll or lift away, collapse, fold out, spring up, hideaway. Some modern architects and developers building their crappy little shoe box sized apartments, squeezing as many flats as they can into the space they have, could learn from this lesson in compact living. Absolutely charming.
Enjoy!
http://youtu.be/i6cSzDV64v0
