Louis Malle: The Loire
Valley Châteaux Film Location Game – 10 Suggested Sites by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget
Introduction
Louis
Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer, who won the Palme
d’Or at Cannes for Le Monde du Silence and the Venice Golden Lion several
times. Malle’s autobiographical film Au
Revoir Les Enfants is set in a Loire Valley boarding school during World War
II.
All
of the Loire Valley châteaux housed inhabitants at one time or another who were
kings, relatives of royalty, finance ministers, or their wives and mistresses. This historical cast of characters makes for
an infinite number of intrigue-filled screenplays.
10 Suggested Châteaux
for Film Locations
All
of these châteaux have websites that list the principal inhabitants of the châteaux,
main features, and contact information.
-Azay-le-Rideau
-Villandry
-Clos
Lucé
-Langeais
-Usse
-Blois
-Chambord
-Saumur
-Angers
-Chinon
Catering Options and
Local Film Licensing Laws
If
you decide to look into shooting a film at a particular château, you might want
to consider catering a good yet inexpensive buffet at the château instead of
doing an expensive restaurant meal in town.
You
should also ask to speak to a local film bureau about production and
distribution regulations and laws at the local and national level.
I
have listed several buffet rallye parties on this Savvy Mom Ruth Paget blog
that are inexpensive yet nutritious.
Some of the ones that local businesses in the Loire Valley could provide
include:
-Parisian
Global Economy Rallye – featuring French, Moroccan, Japanese, and Vietnamese
food with French, Italian, African, and American Music.
-Parisian
Sandwich Rallye – Paul Vieneroisserie could provide these with advance warning
-Thai
Buffet – the French, who can afford it, go to Thailand on vacation now, eat
Thai food in restaurants, and have learned to cook it at home
-Vietnamese
Buffet – the Vietnamese can do lovely cold buffets and are a minority group in
France
-Neapolitan
Pizza Party – Eataly in Bologna (Italy) could even cater this type of event, if
they do not open a store locally.
-Milanese
Risotto Party – Peck of Milan (Italy) could cater this type of event, if they
do not open a store locally.
The
first Renaissance in the Loire Valley came about as a result of the “Italian
Wars” in Milan and other areas of Lombardy in Northern Italy.
-Moroccan
Buffet – sliced roast lamb, mechoui, and a variety of cold salads would be a
lovely buffet option that can be catered locally in France. It is both halal and kosher. (Paul Viennoiserie can also make kosher
salmon sandwiches, if necessary.)
Film Location Wrap-Up
Party
Learning
to waltz from a certified instructor.
Every Catholic wedding party has waltzing. It might work better than social media for
finding a husband or wife.
Learning Loire Valley wine drinking songs in French.that date from the age of Rabelais.
Learning Loire Valley wine drinking songs in French.that date from the age of Rabelais.
French etiquette and/or designer wardrobe building tips could be a good ½ talk with a question-and-answer session following it.
Glasses
of Vouvray or Montlouis, sweet white wine, served with cream puffs covered in
chocolate in carmelized sugar cages could be a nice dessert finish to the film
location visit.
If
you choose to film at the châteaux you are visiting, you might want to serve a
champagne such as Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, or Moët and Chandon.
By
Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
Click here for: Ruth Paget's Amazon Books
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