1947 Paris France

About this footage

This 1947 Paris film is black and white with a sepia cast, and much of it was shot in winter, with bare trees along the river quays and people walking in heavy coats. The camera keeps returning to the river: stone bridges with carved figures and lions on their piers, a motorboat cutting across choppy water, men in long coats fishing from the stone embankments, and a trolley crossing an arched bridge.

From a high window the Eiffel Tower rises over the rooftops. Close shots study the sculpted reliefs of the Arc de Triomphe and an equestrian statue. At street level, cars of the 1940s and cyclists pass along wide boulevards and shop-lined streets. Two clips show an American flag over a balcony, a large eagle statue and a military jeep parked at an iron gate. Several reels follow soccer matches in a packed stadium, with players in light and dark shirts.

The footage fits productions about Paris after the war, river life on the quays, or European football in 1947.