Ghost subway station in Paris where films come to life(atlasobscura.com)
atlasobscura.com
Ghost subway station in Paris where films come to life
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/paris-subway-station-movie-location
17 comments
Famed Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki shot “La Vie Boheme” in Paris using mostly Finnish actors (but in French).
He wanted to shoot a scene in a Paris metro station but the costs were exorbitant. (As the linked article says, this facility is used by big budget films; Aki is indie.)
In the directors cut he shows the solution: He shot in front of an old garage in the rough part of Paris suburbs where the film is set, and did optical tricks to make it look like a train station. For example, on the garage were cast shadows from what look like train windows (seen behind the actors as they talk in a romantic goodbye scene) but were in actuality holes cut from cardboard, Aki had people shining lights through them and others moving the cardboard so the shadows would move as the “train” left the “station.”
I found a description online, drawn from an event with the actress involved in the scene:
“In once scene, there is a departure from a train station, a long goodbye. But it was too expensive to really film at the train station! Instead, they improvised: clouds of steam were provided by the staff chef boiling water in every available pot and pan. Meanwhile, shadow heads and hats in a cut-out panel sliding across the wall signals a departing train. Bizzarely enough, it works…”
He wanted to shoot a scene in a Paris metro station but the costs were exorbitant. (As the linked article says, this facility is used by big budget films; Aki is indie.)
In the directors cut he shows the solution: He shot in front of an old garage in the rough part of Paris suburbs where the film is set, and did optical tricks to make it look like a train station. For example, on the garage were cast shadows from what look like train windows (seen behind the actors as they talk in a romantic goodbye scene) but were in actuality holes cut from cardboard, Aki had people shining lights through them and others moving the cardboard so the shadows would move as the “train” left the “station.”
I found a description online, drawn from an event with the actress involved in the scene:
“In once scene, there is a departure from a train station, a long goodbye. But it was too expensive to really film at the train station! Instead, they improvised: clouds of steam were provided by the staff chef boiling water in every available pot and pan. Meanwhile, shadow heads and hats in a cut-out panel sliding across the wall signals a departing train. Bizzarely enough, it works…”
See also Toronto's ghost station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_station#Lower_Bay
Movie credits include Johnny Mnemonic.
Movie credits include Johnny Mnemonic.
I think the interlining experiment is really interesting. No transfers needed! But ultimately it's probably best that the lines operate independently now so that delays don't cascade across the whole system and so trains always stop at the same platforms.
The London Underground rents out Aldwich for filming. About 20 films have been shot there.
Yes. The disused Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross also frequently appear in films and television.
The later were only built in the 1970s, so can be easily dressed up to look like a modern tube station.
The later were only built in the 1970s, so can be easily dressed up to look like a modern tube station.
I did a tour of those disused platforms. I thought the most interesting thing was all the posters advertising fake products - to avoid any copyright issues. They were so good that I felt like I'd seen some of the films advertised.
They also rent out the disused Jubilee line platforms at Charing Cross
Vaguely related: the movie Moebius (1996) where a ghost train disappears in the Buenos Aires underground. To find it they hire a mathematical topologist.
I’ve read this sentence 10x and laugh every time.
“…up to five trains that can move about a kilometer of half a mile through a loop of tunnel.”
Reads like the author is about 20 deciliters into their gallon of wine.
“…up to five trains that can move about a kilometer of half a mile through a loop of tunnel.”
Reads like the author is about 20 deciliters into their gallon of wine.
It's a typo. "...about a kilometer or half a mile ..."
Something about this particular typo really threw me off as well though. It looked proper but at the same time made no sense.
I've ... had practice correcting these.
Mostly by having had practice making them.
Mostly by having had practice making them.
They can also do the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs.
I have an honest question. When I saw the title of this story I thought this is about a station where movies are shown. But after going through the comments quickly I realised this station is used for shooting movies and there is a station like this in Canada as well. Plus it looks like London rents a station to make movies. But still I don't found the need to go through the article. I get there are ghost stations used for shooting movies. But do I really need to go through the whole article and need to know the details? Maybe it's twitter that made me like this. But you clearly read the article and even found a typo. What is your thinking process here? What made it interesting for you to go through this article? I am genuinely curious.
Clearly you are not interested in the articles content. The GP was. They were also amused enough by the error to share their thoughts on it. Case closed.
PS. delete twitter along with other garbage social media. It's bad for the human brain.
PS. delete twitter along with other garbage social media. It's bad for the human brain.
Nice to see a 35mm film Arriflex camera instead of something digital on the shoot. :-)
About 1km further down the line, there is another 'ghost station' "Haxo".
While Porte de Lilas sees / Saw traffic, Haxo was a planned station that never opened. It's single line only, and never had any access built (no stairs, street access). Likewise, it's in part of the system that sees no active traffic.
Today it's one of the hardest places in the system to access 'illegally', as the tunnels between Porte de Lilas and Haxo have been converted to a 'layup' or 'parking' for rolling stock, replete with cameras, IR trips and a 24/7 'maitre de chien' (guard with guard dog).
For the interested, some photos: https://ninjito.com/2008-07-27
For the metro history buffs, for many years Porte de Lilas was used to stock the 'Zebulon' ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z%C3%A9bulon_(Paris_M%C3%A9t... ) MF-67 original prototype train that never saw passenger service. What made it unique was that it had a stainless steel finish.
After years of searching for the train in the system, we realised that we'd stumbled across it years prior, parked up in Porte de Lilas: https://ninjito.com/2008-05-21
Paris has an incredible system with many, many hidden secrets, second only to perhaps the London Tube, but is much more safely explored thanks to wide clearance and a generally 'laissez faire' attitude and consequences of bumping into security staff.