Random observations, trivia, locations etc.

-Just for the record, the real title is Un Indien Dans La Ville. The movie Little Indian, Big City is the english-dubbed version.

-Disney, as Touchstone, was involved somehow, not sure how much. That's probably why the Disney Store on the Champs Elysees is featured more prominently than any other business.

-Thierry Lhermitte wanted to expand his recognition to the US, but I think a dubbed movie was not the right way; his voice and personality would be misrepresented. But I think he should be discovered by the US.

-The tribal chief is wearing a souvenir plate with an Eiffel Tower emblem, probably from Patricia. I'm guessing Mimi-Siku climbed the Eiffel Tower so he could tell the chief he did that.

-Someone sent in a trivia item to IMDb claiming that:
Ludwig Briand claims that: he actually climbed the Eiffel Tower without net, harness or wires.
I can't find any other verification that LB either made that claim or did that deed, but the climbing scene looks real, and for the 1993-94 time frame, it would have been unusually effective as an FX product.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111543/trivia
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm104369664/tt0111543

-Mimi-Siku was a total work of art, not just a cute kid. There was a collaboration between the costume person and makeup person, and probably the art director. The accessories -- bow, quiver, feathers, beads, etc., all worked pretty well, especially with his long hair and head band.

-Maybe I missed the reason why. but the other male natives were not given the same adornments or beauty styling as Mimi-Siku They did not have long hair, beads, feathers or paint, and their loincloths weren't as neatly arranged for "sculptural" purposes.

-I've long suspected that the fashion industry had a problem with this movie, because of Mini-Siku's appeailng non-commercial attire. A barefoot boy wearing a simple cloth became an iconic image framed by the Arc de Triomphe, and upstages the well-dressed types on the Champs Elysees. And later he gives up his consumer clothes for the primitive outfit, followed by a petty girl embracing him and going off with him, which is way off-message for the fashion industry.
Addendum: After watching Jungle 2 Jungle (the later americanized version) some changes were noticeable. In the city, in his tribal attire, he seems to look more out-of-place than artistically iconic (like the French boy). Also, he does not dispense with his commercial clothes in favor of the primitive for a romantic meeting. He keeps his commercial clothes from early on (after going on the climbing venture), as though he prefers them to his tribal attire. Seems like a tamer message for the fashion industry, like lessons had been learned, perhaps? Just wondering.
Here's some context on the possible issue: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/trivia?tab=tr&item=tr0727377

-There was some special effect for the spider. I'm guessing it was a mechanical one that chased Stephen on the river bank.

-There is some really good steadicam work in this movie. There is a little bit more finesse in the camera movements than I usually notice in steadicam shots.

Locations:======================
-The location on the Champs Elysees where Mimi-Siku awards the pigeon to the beggar is across from Avenue George V. The Lido cabaret would be close by behind them. The Church visible is the "American Cathedral of the Holy Trinity". It was built for the American Episcopalians of Paris around 1886.

-The location of the grate scene on the Champs Elysees is just beyond Rue Galilée, just beyond the Hugo Boss store (that side of the street), and possibly directly in front of, what is today, Nespresso.

-The Disney store may have moved on the Champs Elysees since the movie. I vaguely recall that, years ago, on a subsequent trip to Paris it had moved since my previous trip--can't be sure.

-He was not walking towards the Eiffel Tower from where he lived. He was walking toward the Louvre (where he truly belonged, IMO).

-The rooftop phone call scene, with breathtaking view of Seine with bridges, 1:03:35, was very probably from this location on Google Earth:
48°51'45.18" N 2°17'37.04" E
which is either building number 48 or building number 44 Avenue de New York. Other scenes may have been filmed from there.

-The edifice in this pic http://www.imdb.com/media/rm87592448/tt0111543 is called "Les Invalides", which is short for “Hôpital des Invalides” which means “The Hospital for Invalids”. The runaway from car scene was in that area but this specific view with the actors is not in the final film.
More about dome: http://www.worldsiteguides.com/europe/france/paris/les-invalides-dome/

-I think the part filmed in Miami was the home and backyard of the co-worker, Richard. There was what looked like a palm plant.
=============================

-I thought Richard's wife was very pretty.

-The boy and girl had good chemistry. Their romance worked.

-Mr. Bean, in Mr. Bean's Holiday (2007), also walks down the middle of the street with the Arc de Triomphe in the background, but he is walking towards it and would be on the Avenue de la Grande Armée, just north of the Champs-Elysees. this implies he would continue to be walking down the middle of the Champs-Elysees, just like Mimi-Siku.

-Currently (May, 2012) IMDb rated 5.3, and specifically 53% of voters give it a 6 or above. I'd say that's respectable for a badly dubbed film. How much effect has badly-dubbed on the score? One point at least, I'd guess.

-The DVD that I have (TF1, 1998, PAL/Region 2) has poor visual quality, as though it were just the VHS version recorded directly over to an MPEG2 DVD. It is also misstates the format as 4/3 (1.33); it was closer to 16/9 (1.78), and had the black borders top & bottom rather than on the sides.
There is a 2007 issue DVD available from TF1.

-Looks from this pic and caption that this camera being used for UIDLV was an Arriflex 35mm BL3:
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm238587392/tt0111543

-The song from the soundtrack, "Chacun Sa Route" (during the Champs Elysees walk) was subsequently a big hit in 1995 for Tonton David, French Reggae singer. By my translation, I think it could be thematically summed up as being about common people and their aspirations, in spite of everyday lives. That reminds me thematically of the movie True Stories (1986), a rock musical by David Byrne.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MDHEGS/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=i mdb-amazonvideo-20

-I found Un Indien dans la Ville disturbing in places but entertaining.






____________________