Hoping for a little cultural edification tonight, I watched Modern Marvels: the Eiffel Tower on Netflix instant play. Granted, it was produced in 1994, so the documentary techniques seemed a bit outdated.
But what the heck. I was enjoying seeing footage of the Tower under construction in the late 1880s, the tower during the two World Wars, and so I even swallowed some of the rosy prose. I love the Eiffel Tower, and this slightly geeky documentary was giving me some entertaining and informative background. Interviews with Eiffel's great-great-granddaughter. Shots and engineering explanations of the underpinnings of the structure as it was being built. Visits to the bowels of the tower, where the engineer showed that animal fat and leather were still used to operate the elevator machinery.
Everything was just peachy, and I bought the whole story, until they interviewed the electrical workers who spend all their days prowling the structure and repairing the lighting systems.
These guys gushed to the camera, "I love my job, working outdoors every day, on this wonderful monument."
Okay, fine, I can buy that.
But then they started waxing about les oiseaux charmants who sometimes build their nests in the framework of the Eiffel Tower. "It's so great to observe pigeons making a home here. These days, it's so unusual to see pigeons in Paris."
N'importe quoi.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
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11 comments:
Hi PVF
Very enjoyable. I love things like this. Makes me want to find out how he ended his days.
Hope you have settled well.
Those workers need to come down from their "tower" once in a while.
I'll have to check that out. The pigeon comment is hilarious.
Ha. That dry French humor, huh?
Hello my dear, just discovered your blog and it is so cool!
I am from Paris and live in the States. Come see my blog and say hi!
Gros bisous
frenchy
Thank you for your sweet comment on my blog :)
You know what this is true, it is what works for your child and i have to say, she is just fine...No big deal...She is happy to be a big girl now LOL
Gros bisous
Bon week end ma chere
Frenchy
It looks so much better than Tokyo Tower. It is quite amazing the structures man decides to build. they don't make them like they used to.
I will be visiting Paris in early June. I have started learning French.
LOVE this viedo!!!
Merci for the Netflex link!
who knew...someday I'll go up in the thing. but watching it from afar is perfection.
carolg
Bravo! On l'appelle aussi "La Dame de Fer". It is also called "The Iron Lady". On you tube you can find videos of the eiffel tower sparkling. I'm French residing in the States and hoping to move back to Paris next year with my family. I just got back from Paris on monday and it is the most beautiful city in the world...to my mind.
Magnificent ...really love to see that construction of eiffel tower thanks for posting .By the way can I share this video to my friends this would be great,thank you so much !
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