Ah, time. Some say it flows, others, that it is fleeting. (It fleets? Flits?) Some say nothing changes. Others, that change is the only constant.

What about some empirical evidence? Like, say, a video of Paris in 1920? One hundred years ago, here they are. Many of the same buildings and streets. Some of the same food, perhaps. And look: is that Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog? A lot looks familiar.

But a lot doesn't. Those hats. The moustaches. The uniforms. The fashions, generally. And the cars….

I fished this public domain film out of archive.org (thanks!), and added some music, most of which is thanks to Youtube's freebie archive. The last song is played by me from an ancient piece of sheet music.

For more information on what is the same and what different, why not ask our Superfrenchie? She knows this city, we'll bet.

Click here for the video, or watch the embedded version in your Pliny-skin page.

Dmitri Gheorgheni

23.03.20 Front Page

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