Perched Villages Of Southern France

Just outside the hustle and bustle of Monte Carlo lies a series of "perched villages," medieval towns which grew up in the mountains and have retained their historical flavor over the years. Filmmakers Lou and Tim Thompson visit a few of these rustic villages which are literally built upon a "network of stones." As marauding tribes conquered and reshaped the land surrounding these areas, they were wise enough to live these remote, and quite impenetrable, enclaves alone (even the Super Mario Brothers would think twice about tackling some of these cliffs). Cut off from the mainland, towns like Peillon and Saorge continued their existence out-of-time. Today, these villages have a few shops, a number of fountains, many churches, and more than a few interesting characters. One elderly man uses his hands like he's directing the Daytona 500 as he talks about his dog, his life as a truck driver, his dream of going to America, and his ineffectual attempts to quit smoking. The filmmakers have captured the visual elegance of the unusual architecture, and also managed to impart an idea of the lives of its inhabitants. Lives which nonchalantly co-exist in the past and the present, where a common image might be that of a young girl bouncing a tennis ball off a 14th century churchyard wall. Highly recommended. (See LA MUSICA DE LOS VIEJOS for availability.)