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Paris: Top 10 filming locations for The Intouchables

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With more than 50 million entries, the duo formed by François Cluzet and Omar Sy has conquered the world. Adapted from the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo, this beautiful story of friendship between a quadriplegic and his helper leaves no one indifferent. Cult replicas as a bonus.
Réalité/Fiction Intouchables

The Intouchables in Paris

The capital is the setting for The Intouchables , the eventful film starring Omar Sy and François Cluzet. Adapted in the United States by Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart, the original film remains a worldwide reference. Discover it in this top, and in the Paris guide of the 1000 cult places of films, series, music, comics and novels.

Philippe’s home

85 rue de Grenelle - Photo credit: Fantrippers
85 rue de Grenelle – Photo credit: Fantrippers

The beautiful mansion in which Philippe (François Cluzet) lives is often hidden behind its imposing wooden portal. Built between 1718 and 1723, the Hôtel d’Avaray has been home to the Dutch Embassy since 1920. The company sometimes rents it out for filming and the funds raised are reinvested in cultural projects. If in the film you can clearly see a plate with the number 143, it is indeed at number 85. It is possible for the general public to visit it once a year, in September during the European Heritage Days.

Address: 85 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris

Café Les Deux Magots

After Philippe’s panic attack, Driss (Omar Sy) takes him to the streets of Paris for an early morning stroll. They then settle down at the café Les Deux Magots and have a long discussion, especially about Philippe’s wife. This mythical café in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district was a source of inspiration for another great name in cinema. According to Vanity Fair, this is where J.J. Abrams and his co-writer Lawrence Kasdan worked for eight hours on the seventh installment of Star Wars.

Address : 6 place Saint-Germain-des-prés, 75006 Paris

Léopold-Sédar-Senghor Footbridge

Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor - The Intouchables
Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor – The Intouchables

Once Philippe’s wheelchair has been modified to reach a top speed of 12 km/h, Driss and his employer will try out this new configuration on this bridge. The effects are visible since they go beyond segways. Is this voluntary? Still, the bridge is named after the poet, writer and former president of the Republic of Senegal, the country from which Driss comes from, as well as Omar Sy’s father.

Address : 75001 Paris

Grand Foyer of the Théâtre de Chaillot

“No arms, no chocolate!” Driss’ reply when Philippe wanted him to give him an M&M’s® remained associated with the film. It is said in this space, transformed for the occasion into an art exhibition in which Philippe contemplates at length a painting that Driss criticizes openly. The Grand Foyer is open for rent for various occasions. With a surface area of 860 m2, this Art Deco room offers an exceptional view of the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadero gardens.

Address: 1 place du Trocadero et du 11-Novembre, 75016 Paris

Boucheron Jewellery

Boucheron Jewelry - The Intouchables
Boucheron Jewelry – The Intouchables

It is in this jewellery shop, the first to set up on the Place Vendôme in 1893, that Driss chose earrings for Philippe. The jeweler has counted prestigious clients over the years, including Edith Piaf and Alexander III. Anxious to be as close as possible to his character, especially for his way of moving and speaking, François Cluzet met Philippe Pozzo Di Borgo, the man whose story inspired the film. The actor came out of this meeting upset.

Address : 26 Place Vendôme, 75001 Paris

National Comic Opera Theater

Look out, culture shock! When Driss accompanies Philippe to the Opera, he finds it difficult to become familiar with the concept. It must be said that a tree that sings is not necessarily the most logical thing. This theater was founded in 1714 by fairground troupes, best known for their parodies of operas and pantomines. This made its success and gave the place the name of Opéra Comique. The particularity was to intersperse dialogues between the sung parts. This subsequently defined a genre.

Address: 1 Place Boieldieu, 75002 Paris

Le Nemours

The Nemours - Photo credit: Fantrippers
The Nemours – Photo credit: Fantrippers

First missed appointment between Philippe and Éléonore (Dorothée Brière-Meritte). Both have been in a letter relationship for several months and Driss encouraged his boss to take the steps to meet his pen pal. But this one is late and that causes Philippe to have a panic attack. He asks Yvonne (Anne Le Ny) to take him home. Located under the columns of Place Colette and as an annex to the Comédie-Française, Le Nemours is a true Parisian institution.

Address : Galerie de Nemours, 2 place Colette, 75001 Paris

Puppet bowl (closed)

Buvette des Marionnettes - Flickr photo by Jean-Yves Romanetti
Buvette des Marionnettes – Flickr photo by Jean-Yves Romanetti

While Driss is waiting outside, Philippe is warned by a friend about his caregiver, and in particular his legal history. Philippe replies that he doesn’t care and that he appreciates Driss, in particular the fact that Driss considers him as a person, without making any particular comment about his disability. The refreshment bar in which the scene takes place has since been permanently closed. It had been named so because of its proximity to the Puppet Theater, just next door. Founded in 1933, it is the largest of its kind with 275 seats.

Address : 26 rue de Vaugirard, 75006 Paris

Solferino Station

Solférino Station Paris - Wikimedia Commons photo by Alex McLeod
Solférino Station Paris – Wikimedia Commons photo by Alex McLeod

Looking for a job, Driss leaves the Solferino metro station to go to Philippe’s house. The meeting will be decisive. Together with that of the Porte de la Chapelle, this station, opened in 1910, has not been renovated once. It still has its original decoration, including its earthenware name and the North-South direction inscribed above the tunnels used by the metro trains.

Address : 229 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75007 Paris

Museum of the Legion of Honour

The film opens at night, Driss drives Philippe’s Maserati Quattroporte V. This one is on the passenger seat. The car then takes the bus corridor, on the quai Anatole-France side, to start a crazy race in Paris. This museum has been open to the public since 1925.

Address: 2 rue de la Légion d’honneur, 75007 Paris

The Fantrippers Buying Board

The Paris guide to the 1000 cult places of films, series, music, comics and novels

The Paris guide to the 1000 cult places of films, series, music, comics and novels

The coolest guide in Paris!

The café of Amélie, the mansion of Untouchables, the jazz club of the finale of La La Land, the Hôtel du Nord of the mythical replica of Arletty “Atmosphere”, the cinema of A bout de souffle, the restaurant of Ratatouille, the quays of the Seine of Midnight in Paris, the secret places of the Da Vinci Code, the grocery store of January in La Traversée de Paris , the Bridge of Inception and Peur sur la ville, the addresses of the spectacular scenes of Mission Impossible 6, but also series Call my agent, Gears, Le Bureau des légendes, Sense8, Sex and The City, Gossip Girl…

Etienne Daho’s Café de Flore, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s hotel in Nas in Paris, Serge Gainsbourg’s Poinçonneur des Lilas metro station, Serge Reggiani and Marc Lavoine’s Mirabeau Bridge, Mc Solaar’s Lyon station…

The places evoked in the comics Adèle Blanc-Sec, Largo Winch, Blake and Mortimer, Michel Vaillant…

But also in the novels of Ernest Hemingway, Victor Hugo, Leo Malet, Daniel Pennac, Marc Levy, Guillaume Musso… you’ll find all the must-see places of Parisian Pop Culture in this new guide.

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By Damien Duarte

Thursday, September 20, 2018

Passionné par la culture pop depuis son enfance, ses références vont de Donald Duck à Batman en passant par Marty McFly. Fantripper dans l'âme, voyager sur les traces de Ghostbusters, James Bond ou des héros de romans comme Cotton Malone fait partie d'un séjour idéal et réussi !

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