Economist.com Cities Guide: Paris Briefing - August 2005

News this month

The mayor's fortunes

Paris's failed Olympic bid appears not to have tarred the standing of its Socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoë. A poll in late July by Ipsos saw his approval rating increase by seven points to 65%. But the mayor's right-wing opponents were quick to exploit the bid's failure. Françoise Panafieu, mayor of Paris's 17th arrondissement (where the Olympic Village would have been) and a member of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), called Mr Delanoë a “bad loser” for his remarks about British dishonesty. Pierre Lellouche, also of the UMP, spoke of the disastrous image Paris's mayor had portrayed of France.

After the national rentrée (the mass return from holidays in September), Mr Delanoë says he will focus on several projects, including renovating the Batignolles area in the 17th arrondissement; building a swimming pool on the Seine; and transforming Les Halles, a shopping district. He will also continue to force Parisians off the roads, with help from the Greens, a party in his ruling coalition. Car traffic fell by 3% in 2004, while public-transport use rose by 6.7% and bicycle traffic by 5% over the same period.

Rivals

Relations between President Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and leader of France's ruling UMP party, remained lively in July. Both men hosted celebrations on Bastille Day, July 14th, which Mr Sarkozy used as an opportunity to lob his latest attack on the president. “I am not going to quietly repair locks at Versailles while a revolt is brewing in France,” Mr Sarkozy said to guests at his garden party, clearly likening Mr Chirac to Louis XVI before the French Revolution.

Following this strike, Mr Sarkozy seems to have simmered down, probably owing to a slap on the wrist. (Many suspect Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister, intervened on the president's behalf.) The chastened UMP leader was then quoted saying that he has always respected Mr Chirac, “and I will continue to help ensure that his five years in office are as positive as possible.” Mr Chirac has not yet declared his intention to run in the presidential race of 2007. His approval rating rose from 28% (its lowest ever) to 32% last month, according to an IFOP-Le Journal du Dimanche monthly poll.

Selling to Starwood

Rumours that PepsiCo was planning a hostile takeover of Danone, a French dairy group, led Dominique de Villepin, the prime minister, on July 27th to call for “economic patriotism”. But there was far less teeth-gnashing over the sale of another French jewel, Taittinger, a champagne and hotels group, to Starwood Capital, a property investment firm owned by Barry Sternlicht, founder of Starwood Hotels, for about €2.5 billion ($3.4 billion).

Starwood has bought a 65% share in the group, which owns the prestigious champagne label, 14 luxury hotels (including Paris's Crillon and Lutetia), and Baccarat, a luxury goods brand. But Starwood is expected to look for a French buyer for Taittinger's champagne label and vineyards (Mr Sternlicht is more interested in the group's hotels). Anne-Claire Taittinger, the group's president, insisted Taittinger champagne will remain “a French firm and a family one”.

Au revoir “La Sama”

Parisians are bemoaning the temporary closure of one of the city's oldest department stores. La Samaritaine, an art-deco landmark on rue de Rivoli, near the Louvre, has closed for a six-year renovation. Built in 1905 and now owned by the LVMH group (the luxury goods giant that also owns the Bon Marché department store), it will receive a €100m makeover, including a much-needed overhaul of its fire and safety features. Unions representing the store's 1,000-odd employees pushed unsuccessfully for a partial closure during the refurbishment—a proposal backed by the city government. Some Parisians fear that “La Sama” will be turned into a hotel or an art gallery, if it is not simply sold.

Sun, sand and Seine

It offers sun (hopefully), sand (2,000 tonnes of it) and the Seine. For the fourth year running, “Paris Plage” occupies a three-kilometre stretch of the dual carriageway that runs along the right bank of Paris's main river until August 21st. Some 60 palm trees (ten more than last year) and a host of beach-oriented activities have been designed to convince Parisians who have not joined le depart (the annual mass exodus from the capital), that they, too, are on holiday.

The beach is one of the mayor's success stories. Mr Delanoë's initiative has inspired similar projects in Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome and Milan. The mayor says it is a prime example of France's “social mode”, with free activities for all ages. Four million visitors are expected to get their toes sandy on this year’s beach, which for the first time boasts a Brazilian theme, in a nod to France's “Year of Brazil”.

Catch if you can

August 2005

“Chaplin et les images”

Until September 18th 2005

In the “How to Make Movies” section of this exhibition, Charlie Chaplin explains that he got so fed up with the way film editors cut his scenes that he learned to make his gags as he entered or exited them. This show is guaranteed to elicit chuckles. Drawing on family archives (with about 250 photographs and 20 film extracts), it illustrates just how canny and hard-working the actor was. A scene from “Modern Times”, in which Chaplin chases a woman with a spanner, is accompanied by amusing photographs from the casting session. The sound of a bell resonates throughout the exhibition, emanating from the final room where an extract from “City Lights” is screened.

Jeu de Paume Museum, 1 place de la Concorde, 1st arrondissement. Métro: Concorde. Tel: + 33 (0)1 47.03.12.50. Open: Tues noon-9pm; Wed-Sun noon-7pm; Sat-Sun 10am-7pm. Entry: €6. The museum's website publishes a full schedule (in French).

More from the Paris cultural calendar