Paris When It Sizzles (1964)

The sprightly young assistant of a Hollywood screenwriter helps him over his writer's block by acting out his fantasies of possible plots.

Director:

Richard Quine

Writers:

Julien Duvivier (story "La fête à Henriette"), Henri Jeanson (story "La fête à Henriette")

Stars:

William Holden, Audrey Hepburn, Grégoire Aslan

Cast

Complete credited cast:
William Holden	...	Richard Benson / Rick
Audrey Hepburn	...	Gabrielle Simpson / Gaby
Grégoire Aslan	...	Police Insp. Gilet
Raymond Bussières	...	François - 1st Gangster
Christian Duvaleix	...	Maitre d'Hotel
Michel Thomass	...	(as Michel Thomas)
Dominique Boschero
Evi Marandi
Noël Coward	...	Alexander Meyerheim (as Noel Coward)

Storyline

Hollywood producer Alexander Meyerheimer has hired drunken writer Richard Benson to write his latest movie. Benson has been holed up in a Paris apartment supposedly working on the script for months, but instead has spent the time living it up. Benson now has just two days to the deadline and thus hires a temporary secretary, Gabrielle Simpson, to help him complete it in time.

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Plot Keywords:

scriptwriter | writer's block | screenwriter | american in paris | reference to buenos aires argentina | 

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Taglines:

You can expect to see the most unexpected people as these two lead you to danger and adventure!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

8 April 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Together in Paris

Filming Locations:

Hôtel du Cap, Antibes, Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Richard Quine Productions, George Axelrod Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During one scene, Audrey Hepburn and William Holden compare Frankenstein to My Fair Lady (1964), the latter of course being the film Audrey would soon star in. Charade (1963), Hepburn's next produced film, also contains a reference to "My Fair Lady".

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Goofs

As Richard lays out the blank pages, he lays one on the chair by the stairs. It falls down onto the seat of the chair. However, in the wide shot, it is back on the back of the chair.

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Quotes

Richard: I've got it! Of course, it means we'll have to start all over again, but that's not too serious. We've only got eight pages.

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Crazy Credits

Audrey Hepburn's perfume is credited to Hubert de Givenchy.

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Connections

Spoofs Dracula (1931)

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Soundtracks

The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower
Music by Nelson Riddle
Lyrics by Richard Quine
Performed by Frank Sinatra

User Reviews

Boy meets girl...

This is a film that only screenwriters and budding screenwriters will get. You have to have more than a passing interest in the process of writing a screenplay to enjoy the witty satire, wry comedy and not have a lot of the in jokes fly over your head. In that regard the film is brilliant and contains one of William Holden's best performances. Audrey Hepburn too is perfectly cast in the role of his secretary/ultimate partner and is a performance that stands right up there alongside her more celebrated roles in "Charade" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's". One of those films that seems too smart for a general audience. I have watched it over the years too with family and friends only to have them get left behind by the plot and start saying how stupid they thought the picture was. Maybe the best movie about the madness of screen writing ever made. Period.