Sign up for our free travel updates to stay informed about the latest travel news.
Porte des Lilas, a charming name used by Clive James in his poem about Marcel Proust, was once a gate in the Thiers Wall surrounding Paris. Today, it refers to a dull suburb in north-east Paris and a Métro station that serves quiet lines 11 and 3 bis. The Art Deco style station is modestly attractive, with a scalloped roof reminiscent of a seaside pavilion. However, its main feature is its two secret platforms that are closed to the public and repurposed as a film set.
I had the opportunity to visit the Porte des Lilas cinema platforms as a press guest. I accompanied a team of Métro technicians who were testing some photographic technology that was beyond my understanding. We met at a bistro across the road from the station, where the technicians were enjoying a quick French lunch break. The head of the team explained the origins of the cinema platforms, drawing on a menu to illustrate. The platforms were originally part of a shuttle service that connected Porte des Lilas with Pré-Saint-Gervais station in the 1920s. The shuttle was discontinued in 1939 and the platforms were closed to the public. It wasn’t until the 1970s that they found a new life as a film set. In the movie “Amélie,” the station is portrayed as Abbesses in Montmartre, where the main character supposedly lives.
After lunch, we crossed the road and entered the station. We descended an escalator, passing a few regular passengers, until we reached a door that I would have easily missed if I were on my own. The head of the team unlocked the door, and we entered a corridor filled with poster frames displaying blank green paper. We descended some dusty steps and found ourselves on the cinema platforms, a ghostly yet familiar sight in its typical Métro elegance. The white vault and the lighting created a melancholic atmosphere reminiscent of moonlight on the sea. But the platforms were empty, ready to be transformed. The large ceramic poster frames held the same green paper. Although the station name read “PTE. DES LILAS,” it is often referred to by other names. As the technicians worked on their incomprehensible tasks, I reflected on the various cinematic representations of Porte des Lilas.
In “Amélie,” the station stands in for Abbesses in picturesque Montmartre, with the poster frames displaying advertisements in orange and green, reflecting the color scheme of the film. In the Coen brothers’ “Tuileries,” part of the film “Paris Je t’Aime,” Lilas represents Tuileries station and becomes the backdrop for a story about a tourist getting involved in a row between a Parisian couple. In “Julie & Julia,” Lilas retains its name and represents the home station of the American cookery writer Julia Child, played by Meryl Streep. However, Child actually lived in a different part of Paris, nowhere near Porte des Lilas. In the upcoming film “John Wick 4,” Lilas will keep its real name and serve as a ghost station, displaying tattered remnants of posters like the genuine ghost stations of Saint-Martin.
The cinema platforms of Porte des Lilas retain the features of most Métro stations up until the 1970s. This includes long wooden benches that were phased out due to tramps sleeping on them. There are also two old station masters’ kiosks, resembling half sawn greenhouses attached to the platform walls. One of these kiosks was given a 1940s makeover in the film “Female Agents,” where it stood in for Concorde.
Another unique feature that still survives at Lilas are the collapsible stools that the ticket punchers, known as poinçonneurs or poinçonneuses, sat on. In 1959, a short film was made to accompany Serge Gainsbourg’s song “Le Poinçonneur des Lilas,” showing scenes of Gainsbourg punching tickets and eerie Métro scenes, possibly filmed at Porte des Lilas before the cinema platforms were open to the public. This song and film seem to recognize the hidden allure of this subtly poetic spot.
For those interested in visiting the Porte des Lilas cinema platforms, they will be accessible as part of a guided Métro tour during the annual Paris Journées du Patrimoine. Details will be available on ratp.fr later this month, and early booking is recommended.
Stay updated with our latest stories by following @ftweekend on Twitter.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
