Movie Monday: The French Village of “Chocolat”

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on MAY 10, 2009

Welcome to another Movie Monday, when I show you photos from a film that has plenty of eye candy. Today I’m treating you to the romantic drama “Chocolat.” Consider this my day-after-Mother’s-Day gift to all you moms out there. Even if charming French villages aren’t your thing, and the sight of Juliette Binoche as chocolatier Vianne whipping up her heavenly concoctions doesn’t thrill you, there’s always Johnny Depp to look at. In other words, this movie has something for everyone!

It’s 1959 in a small village in the South of France when Vianne and her daughter Anouk arrive in their bright red capes and start stirring things up.

Vianne buys the old patisserie in the town square for her new chocolate shop. The fact that she does so during Lent, when most villagers have given up sweets, doesn’t go over well. The Comte de Reynaud (Alfred Molina), especially, takes umbrage, and comes to the shop to confront Vianne:

Undeterred by the town’s chilly reception, Vianne sets to work on the shop, painting everything turquoise:

Open for business:

This hot chocolate she makes looks like hot fudge. You’d have to eat it with a spoon!

Working in the kitchen with her new friend and coworker (Lena Olin):

Totally gratuitous Johnny Depp photo, as the Irish “River Rat” Roux:

When Roux comes to town, Vianne is the only shopkeeper who will serve him. He shows his appreciation for her friendship by fixing her front door:

Vianne throws a party in the backyard for her landlady Armande’s birthday (Judi Dench):

I enjoyed all of the sets in this movie. On the DVD there is an interview with the production designer who explains that they used a stone-walled French village from the 10th city for the exteriors.

Here are some shots of the local beauty shop and cafe:

Alfred Molina plays the local “baddie”–the Comte de Reynaud, who rules the village with an iron fist. The sets for his house and mayoral office, created on a soundstage in England, were beautiful, too:

Love the fireplace in his kitchen:

In the end, Vianne wins the village over, of course–and Roux, too.

Visit my TV/Movie Houses page for links to all the others I’ve featured, from Sabrina to Brideshead Revisited.

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“Marley & Me:” The Grogans’ Charming Starter Home

The Old Stone Farmhouse in “Marley & Me”

Practical Magic: A Victorian House Fit for a Witch

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Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie’s French Chateau

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on MAY 30, 2008

It looks like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have decided to give birth in France this time around (the twins are due this summer). At the Cannes Film Festival, Jolie told reporters, “We are certainly thinking of France.”

According to French newspaper Nice Matin, the dynamic duo just signed a 3-year lease on a $70 million chateau on the French Riviera.

The pre-Roman estate sits on nearly 1,000 acres in the South of France and is called Chateau Miraval. Let’s just say it ain’t shabby. It has 35 bedrooms and boasts a vineyard, lake, moat, forest, and 20 fountains. There are both indoor and outdoor pools, his-and-hers gyms, and an enormous banquet hall. The driveway alone is three miles long.

You know it’s big when they need to take aerial views to show it all. Take a look!

Chateau Miraval is located in a tiny village called Brignol in the Var. A source close to the deal told Britain’s Daily Mail:

“There’s a lake and a swimming pool and fountains and fields with ponies, and it’s surrounded by a huge forest, so no one will be able to take pictures of them or the kids. They’re both thrilled, as they’ve been hunting for a place on the Riviera for over a year.

“Last year, Brad and Angelina took a helicopter along the Riviera, and they were literally landing in people’s gardens of houses that they liked and were running in to ask if their properties were for sale,” said the source. “They found this one the same way a few weeks ago.”

Some of their neighbors will include Bono, the Beckhams, and Johnny Depp. It’s good to know who you can go to if you need to borrow sugar. (If those were my neighbors, I might be running low on sugar a LOT.)

A source told E! News about the chateau:

“It’s absolutely unbelievable. Brad and Angelina are thrilled, they love the place and have already been furniture shopping to fill the place as it’s massive…The whole family can’t wait to move in.

“The house is surrounded by a forest so they’ll have total privacy, which is exactly what they’re after. No one will ever be able to get pictures of them relaxing at home, it’s just impossible.”

They are raising their children (Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 2) to speak French as a second language. Jolie said at Cannes, “My children are starting to speak French, so being here is very good for them and their language.”

Pitt and Jolie have been living with their kids in France since late April, bunking at Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Jolie and Allen became friends while filming Shark Tale together in 2004.

The Daily Mail‘s source said: ‘Last year Brad and Angelina took a helicopter along the Riviera and they were literally landing in people’s gardens of houses that they liked and were running in to ask if their properties were for sale. They found this one the same way a few weeks ago, and told the owner to name his price.’

The Pitt-Jolies already own multimillion-dollar homes in Cambodia, Berlin, Malibu, New Orleans, and L.A., and rent a $100,000-a-month 5-bedroom suite at the Waldorf. Some have speculated that they were the anonymous bidders behind the modernist Kaufmann House, as I reported last week (click here to read about it).

Note: the reporting on this is sort of all over the place. People magazine reported that the chateau has 35 rooms, not bedrooms. Other sites reported 20 bedrooms, all depending on their sources. I’ve got calls in to both Brad and Angie and I’m sure they’ll confirm the details for us as soon as they get settled in.

These photos were found at Us Magazine, Huffington Post, and NY Post.

UPDATE: Brad & Angelina Move Into $60 Million Rental on Long Island.

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Tagged as: Angelina Jolie, Bono, Brad Pitt, Brangelina, celebrities, Chateau Miraval, entertainment,Famous Houses, fountains, France, French Chateau, French Riviera, Johnny Depp, moat, Real Estate, U2

Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie’s French Chateau

by HOOKEDONHOUSES on MAY 30, 2008

It looks like Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have decided to give birth in France this time around (the twins are due this summer). At the Cannes Film Festival, Jolie told reporters, “We are certainly thinking of France.”

According to French newspaper Nice Matin, the dynamic duo just signed a 3-year lease on a $70 million chateau on the French Riviera.

The pre-Roman estate sits on nearly 1,000 acres in the South of France and is called Chateau Miraval. Let’s just say it ain’t shabby. It has 35 bedrooms and boasts a vineyard, lake, moat, forest, and 20 fountains. There are both indoor and outdoor pools, his-and-hers gyms, and an enormous banquet hall. The driveway alone is three miles long.

You know it’s big when they need to take aerial views to show it all. Take a look!

Chateau Miraval is located in a tiny village called Brignol in the Var. A source close to the deal told Britain’s Daily Mail:

“There’s a lake and a swimming pool and fountains and fields with ponies, and it’s surrounded by a huge forest, so no one will be able to take pictures of them or the kids. They’re both thrilled, as they’ve been hunting for a place on the Riviera for over a year.

“Last year, Brad and Angelina took a helicopter along the Riviera, and they were literally landing in people’s gardens of houses that they liked and were running in to ask if their properties were for sale,” said the source. “They found this one the same way a few weeks ago.”

Some of their neighbors will include Bono, the Beckhams, and Johnny Depp. It’s good to know who you can go to if you need to borrow sugar. (If those were my neighbors, I might be running low on sugar a LOT.)

A source told E! News about the chateau:

“It’s absolutely unbelievable. Brad and Angelina are thrilled, they love the place and have already been furniture shopping to fill the place as it’s massive…The whole family can’t wait to move in.

“The house is surrounded by a forest so they’ll have total privacy, which is exactly what they’re after. No one will ever be able to get pictures of them relaxing at home, it’s just impossible.”

They are raising their children (Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, and Shiloh, 2) to speak French as a second language. Jolie said at Cannes, “My children are starting to speak French, so being here is very good for them and their language.”

Pitt and Jolie have been living with their kids in France since late April, bunking at Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen’s villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat. Jolie and Allen became friends while filming Shark Tale together in 2004.

The Daily Mail‘s source said: ‘Last year Brad and Angelina took a helicopter along the Riviera and they were literally landing in people’s gardens of houses that they liked and were running in to ask if their properties were for sale. They found this one the same way a few weeks ago, and told the owner to name his price.’

The Pitt-Jolies already own multimillion-dollar homes in Cambodia, Berlin, Malibu, New Orleans, and L.A., and rent a $100,000-a-month 5-bedroom suite at the Waldorf. Some have speculated that they were the anonymous bidders behind the modernist Kaufmann House, as I reported last week (click here to read about it).

Note: the reporting on this is sort of all over the place. People magazine reported that the chateau has 35 rooms, not bedrooms. Other sites reported 20 bedrooms, all depending on their sources. I’ve got calls in to both Brad and Angie and I’m sure they’ll confirm the details for us as soon as they get settled in.

These photos were found at Us Magazine, Huffington Post, and NY Post.

UPDATE: Brad & Angelina Move Into $60 Million Rental on Long Island.

You might also like:

Hang a Chair on Your Wall, Why Don’t You?

“Gilmore Girls:” Dragonfly Inn and Scenes from Stars Hollow

For Sale: The Lautner House from “A Single Man”

LinkWithin

Tagged as: Angelina Jolie, Bono, Brad Pitt, Brangelina, celebrities, Chateau Miraval, entertainment,Famous Houses, fountains, France, French Chateau, French Riviera, Johnny Depp, moat, Real Estate, U2