Hôtel du Nord

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This is the infamous Hôtel du Nord—infamous, that is, if you are familiar with French cinema. A classic French film, Hôtel du Nord, was set in and around this hotel in 1938. The film, a collection of various slice-of-life scenarios all somehow involving employees or tenants of the hotel, has achieved a status in the French-speaking world comparable to that of its English-language contemporary, Casablanca (which was filmed four years later).

Anyway, this hotel was nearly torn down a few years ago, but a vast movement to preserve it made it a historical monument instead (almost). The hotel faces the Canal St. Martin; in fact, I took this picture from a footbridge over the canal. It's a charming area of town, even today.

The weird thing is that this hotel never actually appeared in the film. In the 1930s, films were shot on sound stages and closed outdoor purpose-built sets, and this film was no exception. The entire hotel and the canal and locks across from it were recreated in the studio. So, while the film appears to take place here, it was actually filmed on a set outside Paris. Still, the hotel continues to exert a magic attraction for movie fans.

Photographed on July 19, 1999.