Film: Arthur et les Minimoys (2006)
Screens: 7 Ticket price: 13.50€/11.50€
Boasting the biggest screen in Europe and some 2800 seats from which it can be viewed, Le Grand Rex isn't just a clever name -- and it's impossible not to be impressed by the scale and grandeur of this place. The auditorium is decked out in flamboyant, Art Deco style, and it's tempting to spend much of your time looking anywhere but the screen -- which might well be advisable if, as was the case when we once walked past, something of the calibre of Stealth is playing. As you'd expect, it's always a big, commercial film that plays on this screen, and it's almost always in French (originally or dubbed).
Arguably the best time to go is around Christmastime, where the big seasonal film is augmented by an incredible, elaborate, pre-film water fountain display entitled the Féerie des Eaux; apparently well over 1000 water jets are used for this show, which also involves lights/lasers and music. They seem to thematically tie in this display with the film, so when we visited there were various characters from the first Arthur film (natch) pinging around on zip wires, dangling over balconies etc. To be honest, between that and the incredible design of the building, I felt I'd just about got my money's worth even before Freddie Highmore started trying it on with Madonna -- surely that's just wrong? Maybe that's why they got someone his own age (Selena Gomez) in for the two sequels?
In case you're reading this and thinking that I've made all this up and you never saw any such smut when you viewed the film, let it be known that the Weinsteins hacked around 10 minutes out of the movie for the US and UK markets -- most of which concerned this love story. The original cut, which we saw at the Rex, is freely available on French DVD, complete with the original English audio track. Hell, I may not necessarily agree with the concept of that boy from Two Brothers making amorous overtures towards the woman behind that filthy coffee table book, but I'll merrily defend your right to see such wrongheaded fare. Although I probably wouldn't go so far as to provide a link to some backstreet trader that might supply it.
If you do plan on going at what might be a busy time (i.e. near Christmas, weekends or evenings) then you might want to book (online, in person or over the 'phone) as you can imagine how nuts this place can get when it's approaching anything like capacity. We were down that way (nearest métro is Bonne Nouvelle, by the way) on a Saturday and had to wade through a swarm of Arthur-daft kids to book tickets for the Monday. Best head to the box office that's a short way along the side street just to the left of the main entrance; they also have another half-dozen smaller, cheaper screens, but who wants to go to those?
If you've made the trip there, definitely do the behind-the-scenes tour, les Étoiles du Rex, which is thankfully self-guided and takes about 45 minutes. At one point you go in a lift that takes you up (or is it down?) behind the screen where the main film is playing, and you can look right through at the unwitting audience who appear to be watching you. Well, I suppose if they've been on the tour they won't be unwitting, as they'll know there's a lift behind the screen that's continually, silently going up and down as they're watching a dub of Transformers 2. Bet this knowledge drives some of them mad.
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