Two Little Streets Dressed up like 1940s Montmartre
Last Updated on 19th April 2023 by Sophie Nadeau
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If there’s one Parisian district more than any other that’s chosen as the backdrop for films, and particularly those of the historical variety, it’s the 18th arrondissement of the City of Light. And for those who are wondering what it must have been like to stroll through the streets of 1940s Montmartre, there were a few streets which were recently dressed up to look like Montmartre of the past…
Most recently, cars were cleared from the area of a few little-known streets in the district, as were scooters and bicycles, bright orange cones replacing them for the duration of the filming of a new movie.
The film’s name is “Adieu M. Haffmann” and the film is set during the Nazi Occupation of Paris in WWII. Based on a popular screen play, the movie was originally set to be released in 2021. Since filming has obviously been paused, it’s unclear when the film whether this is still the case.
rue Androuet & rue Berthe
rue Androuet and rue Berthe are typically two streets in the French capital which are seldom frequented by visitors and tourists. Instead, many flock to the likes of rue Lepic (where the Citroën car is alleged to have been born) and to rue de l’Abreuvoir (one of the prettiest streets the city has to offer).
However, so as to serve as the backdrop of 1940s Paris, the cobblestone streets were dressed up in fake façades, delicately aged and pretty convincing in their authenticity.
From a sweet shop to a lingerie boutique, there was even a ‘historic postbox,’ wooden direction signs, and historic looking posters, stuck to the sides of the fake façades.
Though the little lanes are typically marked with road markings (as in the rest of Paris), the paint was burned off to better replicate for the roads would have appeared in the past.
Other period shops (complete with their own window displays) include a barber, a pharmacy, and a jewellery store. There’s even a hat shop, and the exact year that’s meant to have been recreated is 1941.
Those with particularly keen eyes may even notice that rue Androuet looks familiar, even if dressed up as 1940s Montmartre… And that’s because the ‘Fruits & Legumes’ greengrocer on the corner of the street is the one and the same shop as that featured in the ever-popular French film, Amélie.
Montmartre was used as the backdrop for the majority of Amélie and there are plenty of Amélie filming locations dotted across the 18th arrondissement of the city. For more inspiration, be sure to check out the top secret spots in Montmartre.
