This is the 18 minute film that has been shown at the France Pavilion at Epcot since opening day in 1982. It is shown every half hour until park closing in the Palais du Cinema. The movie is projected onto five adjacent screens, giving 200° coverage.
In my opinion, even after 36 years 'Impressions De France' is still one of the highlights at Epcot as it is a perfect marriage of images and music.
Although certain aspects are dated this does not matter. Does one dismiss a work of art simply because it does not reflect current styles or fashions? No, of course not.
This is a classic film which I hope will play at the French Pavilion forever, it is a wonderful snapshot of what France once was and I doubt whether it could or would be made today. For me it is now the only thing at Epcot that is guaranteed to bring joy to my heart and I know that many others have a love for it that is unmatched by anything else at Walt Disney World's second park.
I tried to keep the camera as steady as I could without using a tripod, the video is shot in 4k at 24fps to match the film. I was sat in the back row of the cinema during the last showing, whilst it was fairly empty unfortunately a couple of heads do intrude into the frame somewhat. I hope that this does not interfere too much with the enjoyment of the film.
I do not pan the camera at all but keep it locked onto the middle screen with part of each of the screens either side. With this wide angle view I manage to capture just under half of what a person in the Palais du Cinema can see.
Here is the list of the scenes from an official list, one day I would like to visit them all:
1 The cliffs at Étretat in Normandy. 2 Gliding through the Marais Poitevin, a swamp area near La Rochelle. 3 Château de Chenonceau; in the Loire Valley, then from the gardens. 4 Horsemen and hunting dogs cross the Cheverny Forest. 5 Aerial shot of Château de Chambord. 6 We fly over the red rooftops up to the bell tower of the church in the Vézelay village. 7 Vezelay Church interior, with church bells in the background. 8 In the horse cart we ride through Riquewihr Village near Germany. 9 Moving through the market place in Beuvron-en-Auge, Normandy. 10 French pastries. 11 Wine harvest at the Monbazillac Vineyard. 12 Interior of a Cognac cave. 13 The Fountain of Apollo at Versailles. 14 The Palace of Versailles Garden. 15 The Versailles building and the Hall of Mirrors. 16 Flying over Castle Beynac in the Dordogne Valley. 17 Man chopping wood with Chateau Montpoupon. 18 La Roque - Gageac in the Dordogne Valley (bicyclists). 19 Chateau Montpoupon, bicyclists racing toward us. 20 Bugatti race cars in Cannes. 21 Hot air balloons take off near Chaumont Castle on the Loire river. 22 Hot air balloons in front of the cliff city of Rocamadour. 23 French Alps in the spring. 24 Mountain climbers on rocky peaks in Chamonix. (French Alps) 25 Skiers in Chamonix. 26 La Rochelle Harbor. 27 On board a Brittany fishing boat at sea. 28 A rocky beach in Normandy. 29 Mont Saint-Michel. 30 Interior of Notre-Dame-de-Penhors church in Pouldreuzic, Brittany. 31 Wedding reception in full swing at a Brittany farm to traditional Brittany folk music. 32 Couple walks along the cliffs of Normandy in Étretat. 33 The cliff city of Bonifacio, Corsica. 34 Villefranche near Nice. 35 Calanque cliffs near Cassis. 36 Pier in front of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. 37 Cannes Harbor at twilight. 38 Racing along railway tracks in the small Lozère town of Chapeauroux next to the Allier River. 39 Gare du Nord (North rail station) in Paris. 40 Champs-Élysées at twilight featuring the Arc de Triomphe. 41 Seine River in Paris. 42 Notre Dame de Paris. 43 Through the archways at the Louvre, the Republican Guard 44 Eiffel Tower. 45 Aerial shot of Étretat Cliffs. 46 Aerial shot of the Pyrenées of Cirque de Gavarnie 47 Aerial shot of Château de Chambord. 48 Aerial shot of French Alps near Mont Blanc. 49 Finale - Eiffel Tower.
A list of the music can be found on the Wikipedia page at .
Enjoy!
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