Paris When It Sizzles | |
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original film poster
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Directed by | Richard Quine |
Produced by |
George Axelrod Richard Quine |
Written by | Story & previous screenplay: Julien Duvivier Henri Jeanson Adaptation: George Axelrod |
Starring |
William Holden Audrey Hepburn |
Music by | Nelson Riddle |
Cinematography |
Charles Lang Claude Renoir |
Edited by | Archie Marshek |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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108/110 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4 million USD (est.) |
Paris When It Sizzles is a 1964 romantic comedy film directed by Richard Quine and produced by Quine and George Axelrod. The screenplay is by George Axelrod based on the story and film Holiday for Henrietta by Julien Duvivier and Henri Jeanson. The music score is by Nelson Riddle, the cinematography by Charles Lang and Claude Renoir. The film stars William Holden and Audrey Hepburn, and features Grégoire Aslan, Raymond Bussières, Noël Coward and Tony Curtis.
The story concerns a veteran playboy screenwriter named Richard Benson (William Holden) who has been paid to write a screenplay for his boss, Mr. Alexander Myerheim (Noël Coward). Overly set in his playboy and carousing ways, he procrastinates the writing of the screenplay until just two days before it is due. Gabrielle Simpson (Audrey Hepburn), a temp secretary hired by Benson to type the script, comes to Richard's hotel room where they are to work on the script, only then finding out about their tight deadline and that not one page or line of script had yet been written. The desperate and self-loathing writer, Richard, begins to be awakened and inspired by the beautiful Gabrielle, and starts to come up with various scenarios for his screenplay, called The Girl Who Stole the Eiffel Tower, which is based on their unfolding romance. The screenplay, with small but inspired and comedic roles for Noël Coward, Tony Curtis, and other famous stars of the day, makes fun of the movie business, actors, studio heads and itself, and is rife with allusions to the iconic earlier roles of the two main stars.