Director
Woody Allen
Leading Actors/Actresses
Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Kurt Fuller, Mimi Kennedy, Michael Sheen, and Nina Arianda
Genre
Fantasy-Comedy
Language
English
Awards
Midnight in Paris was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Original Screenplay for Woody Allen (which it won), Best Picture, Best Directing for Allen, and Best Art Direction
Date of Release
May 20, 2011
Producer
Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Jaume Roures
Setting and Context
Paris, 2011 and the 1920's (during flashbacks)
Narrator and Point of View
The film is told through the point of view of Owen Wilson's character Gil Pender.
Tone and Mood
Romantic, Harsh, Historical, Mysterious, and Intriguing
Protagonist and Antagonist
Gil Pender (Protagonist) vs. Inez (Antagonist)
Major Conflict
The major conflict of Midnight in Paris involves Gil's struggle to finish his novel while trying to figure out and mend his relationship with his fiancee, Inez. The major conflict of the film also involves Gil's struggle to let go of the past (the 1920's—a period which he is obsessed with—particularly) and live in the present.
Climax
The climax occurs when Gil and Inez finally break up.
Foreshadowing
Gil and Inez's breakup is foreshadowed throughout the film. Gil realizing that he has to let go of the past and live in the present is foreshadowed often in the film.
Understatement
Just how different Gil and Inez are is consistently understated throughout much of the film.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
Midnight in Paris is an exceptionally well-made and well-shot film, but it was not innovative in filming or lighting or camera techniques.
Allusions
Allusions were made to the following films: Moulin Rouge (1952), The Exterminating Angel (1962), Tamara Drewe (2010), and Toy Story 3 (2010). Allusions were also made to history (primarily the 1920's), geography (particularly Paris), mythology, religion, and popular culture.
Paradox
Gil lives in the present, yet is obsessed with the past and refuses to be in the present.
Parallelism
Gil's story and the real story of F. Scott Fitzgerald (one of the writers that Gil loves) runs parallel throughout the whole film.
