Sunday 4 January 2009

Studios de la Victorine

Given the Riviera's connections with the film world it's hardly surprising that one of France's most prestigious studios is located in Nice just above the airport. Like the Palais de la Mediterranee, the Studios de la Victorine is a story typical of the south, of glamour and glitz combined with corruption or at the least massive mismanagement.

The studios opened in 1919 and have played host to many cinema classics through the years. Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" was shot here as was Truffaut's "Day for Night" and more recently "Mr Bean's Holiday" and the hugely popular French film "Brice de Nice," but have always been dogged by misfortune: bankruptcies and 3 major fires among them.
They have changed hands several times and since 1999 have been in the hands of Euro Media Television who've changed the name to Riviera Studios; I think I prefer Victorine though, myself. The only problem is that the city of Nice owns the site and after 2018 can sell it for development which may limit the amount of investment any company may want to make in the buildings and sets..

8 comments:

Walker said...

Lovely studio entrance.

Rob said...

Picturesque! To Catch a Thief is my favorite movie we enjoy. Always wanted to see the scenes for myself. someday, perhaps.

Anonymous said...

Nice.
Wishing peace & prosper 2009.

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humanobserver said...

Back with a bang....Nice snaps....

magiceye said...

impressive

Olivier said...

c'est en effet un monument du cinema français. les noms qui ont tournes font reves les amateurs de cinemas.

Jane Hards Photography said...

To Cathc a Thief is one of my first visula memories of Nice. So we have commomn ground with my island film studio and a pebble beach. That's it though. I hope the filming there does not go the way of the UK and just fold. Marvellous bold image.