* photo Paramount Pictures 1995
While most of this delightful remake takes place on Long Island, there are some magical moments of Sabrina’s transformation from plain Jane to glamorous… um, Sabrina… set against the backdrop of a postcard perfect Paris. I still to this day re-watch the Paris scenes when I’m feeling blue, not only because I love Paris but because I’m a sucker for any of these transformation/Cinderella stories.
I also like to give credit to the late great Sydney Pollack for spending the money to shoot the Paris scenes in Paris and not Toronto. And boy did he take advantage of that location…
ParisAu Soleil de la Butte – While you are exploring Amelie and French Kiss locations in Montmartre, don’t overlook this little bar-restaurant near the bottom steps of rue Maurice Utrillo. This is where Sabrina (Julia Ormond) sits in the setting sun and writes a letter home to her father. She talks about La Vie en Rose, looking through rose colored glasses, and how, only in Paris where the light is pink does that line start to make sense.
Stravinsky Fountain – The backdrop of modern sculpture, water, and music for the photoshoot scene where Louis (Patrick Bruel) asks Sabrina to have a drink with him. Next to the Georges Pompidou IRCAM Music Center.
Saint Eustache head sculpture – The large head and hand that serves as the location for Sabrina’s first disastrous photoshoot can be found in the open area between Saint Eustache and the back of Les Halles shopping center.