France-Amérique Magazine – September 2023– The issue features ‘The Little Prince in America’ – Did you know the Little Prince was born in New York? Antoine de Saint-Exupéry had found refuge in the United States during World War II when he published his best-selling novella, 80 years ago. Also, an interview with fashion queen Diane von Fürstenberg, whose iconic take on the wrap dress is turning 50; and meet Jean-Christophe Bouvet, the French actor who plays the extravagant designer Pierre Cadault in Emily in Paris!
NEW YORK CITY – The Little Prince’s Other Planet
By Clément Thiery
The Little Prince is from Asteroid B 612, but it was in New York City that he sprang from the imagination of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French author and aviator who lived in the U.S. during World War II. To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the tiny hero’s creation, a statue will be unveiled opposite Central Park in mid-September.
SWAINE – Hollywood’s Temple of Luxury Accessories
By Clément Thiery
What do Harrison Ford’s hat in the latest Indiana Jones and Gene Kelly’s umbrella in Singin’ in the Rain have in common? Swaine London! This brand has specialized in luxury goods for more than 270 years and was recently acquired by the French group Chargeurs.
Table of contents
FROM THE NEWSDESK
Anger at Plans to Relocate les Bouquinistes During the 2024 Paris Olympics. By Anthony Bulger
EDITORIAL
Tocqueville and Illiberalism. By Guy Sorman
INTERVIEW
Olivier Coste: Why There Is No French Google. By Guy Sorman
ICON
Jean-Christophe Bouvet: “There Is Something of Myself in Pierre Cadault.” By Jérôme Kagan
CAMPUS
Sciences Po, the Parisian School Teaching Future American Leaders. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
ANNIVERSARY
New York City, the Little Prince’s Other Planet. By Clément Thiery
THE BRIEF
Diane von Fürstenberg: “The Wrap Dress Made Me an Independent Woman.” By Kyra Alessandrini
EDUCATION
Gladys Francis: Connecting the Caribbean and America. By Hélène Vissière
HISTORY
New York Fashion Week’s Transatlantic Heritage. By Diane de Vignemont
It is believed that Tibetans are derived from the ancient Qiang People, the nomads of ancient China. It is the intermarriage between the Qiang People and local tribes on the edges of the plateau that led to the beginning of the modern Tibetan people. Due to the severe environment, the extreme altitude and the lack of convenient transportation, Tibetans have long relied on pastoralism for survival.
LADmob Films (August 30, 2023) – Canterbury is an historic town in the county of Kent, southeastern England. Its cathedral has been the primary ecclesiastical centre of England since the early 7th century CE.
The site of the town of Canterbury, which has been occupied since pre-Roman times, was in ancient times the mouth of the River Stour, which broadened into an estuary extending to the Wantsum Channel, the strait that once separated the Isle of Thanet from the mainland.
Lvfree Adventures Films (August 30, 2023) – Bow Lake is a lake in Banff National Park along Highway 93 Icefield Parkway Alberta Canada. It is located on the Bow River in the Canadian Rockies, at an altitude of 1920 m.
In this video I will show you most incredible bow lake viewpoint from The Lodge at Bow Lake known as Simpson’s Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.Nestled amidst the natural beauty of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, the Lodge at Bow Lake offers a serene escape for travelers seeking outdoor adventure and relaxation.
Surrounded by towering Rocky Mountains, emerald waters, gin-clear mountain streams, alpine glaciers and abundant wildlife, the lodge offers views that are simply breathtaking. You can even see Bow Lake falls on west side of the lake.
BicycleDutch Films (August 29, 2023) – A bicycle tour in Rovaniemi at the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Finland, after an 11-hour night train from Helsinki to Rovaniemi, also known as the Santa Claus Express.
Rovaniemi is the capital of Lapland, in northern Finland. Almost totally destroyed during World War II, today it’s a modern city known for being the “official” home town of Santa Claus, and for viewing the Northern Lights. It’s home to Arktikum, a museum and science center exploring the Arctic region and the history of Finnish Lapland. The Science Centre Pilke features interactive exhibits on northern forests.
Little Big World (August 29, 2023) – Qatar is a small country in the Middle East and received a lot of international attention by hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
“I was invited by Visit Qatar to explore what Qatar has to offer beyond football. After two amazing and very hot weeks of shooting, I have condensed hours of footage into a bite sized film with less than 3 minutes that you might hopefully enjoy. Check out stunning desert landscapes, breathtaking art installations, amazing beaches, oriental markets and a vibrant and futuristic urban capital.”
A time-lapse & tilt-shift & aerial video by Joerg Daiber
Nature on PBS (August 29, 2023) – NATURE returns for its 42nd Season, featuring a brand-new Spy in the Ocean miniseries, alongside documentaries on grizzlies, whales, shorebirds and ancient sea monsters.
THE PLATYPUS GUARDIAN | Wednesday, October 18
Witness the story of an extraordinary man and a mysterious animal living on an island at the end of the world…Tasmania. Pete Walsh is a Tasmanian with no background in natural history, yet he’s become obsessed with one of nature’s least understood creatures, the platypus. Before it is too late, Pete is on a mission to observe and understand these animals and save them from urban development in the capital city of Hobart. Pete befriends one particular female platypus he names Zoom. She lets him into her secretive world and Pete learns more about the life of this enigmatic species, capturing unique footage of their behavior.
SPY IN THE OCEAN (4-part special) | Wednesdays, October 25 – November 15
The latest installment of the popular Spy in the Wild series takes place in the ocean, the largest ecosystem on Earth. This four-part Nature miniseries deploys animatronic spy cameras disguised as marine animals to secretly record behavior in the wild. These uncanny robotic look-alikes take us to places where no spy has gone before. They will swim, float, paddle, waddle, drift and fly into every nook and cranny to film rarely seen behavior that reveals how ocean animals possess emotions and behavior similar to humans – including the capacity to love, grieve, deceive and invent.
BIG LITTLE JOURNEYS (3-part special) | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
Small animals, even tiny ones, must sometimes make epic journeys to find a home or a mate. While the distances may not seem monumental to us, to these little creatures the journey is monumental. Grasses appear like skyscrapers, mounds become mountains and raindrops fall as big as cars. Meet six heroic, tiny travelers risking it all to complete big journeys against the odds.
The most famous bear in Yellowstone is responsible for 22 descendants. Grizzly 399 has become a symbol of the clash between humans and the wild, as well as a measure of success for her species as it creeps back from the brink of extinction. Now, the stakes are higher than ever as the State of Wyoming petitions the federal government to remove grizzlies from the endangered species list—which would make it legal to hunt bears for recreation. But 399 is far more than just a symbol, she’s the protagonist of a riveting story full of twists and turns, hope and heartbreak.
ATTENBOROUGH AND THE JURASSIC SEA MONSTER | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
Sir David Attenborough unearths a once in a lifetime discovery: the fossil of a giant Pliosaur, the largest Jurassic predator ever known. Follow a team of forensic experts on a perilous expedition to excavate the skull, uncover the predatory secrets lying deep inside the fossil, and unlock clues about the life of this giant sea beast.
PATRICK AND THE WHALE | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
For years, Patrick Dykstra has traveled the globe following and diving with whales, learning how whales see, hear and perceive other creatures in the water. In Dominica, Patrick has a life changing experience – a close encounter with a sperm whale he names “Delores.” Witness Patrick and the whale attempt to communicate with each other in extraordinary footage never before seen.
RAPTORS: A FISTFUL OF DAGGERS (two-part series; working title) | Premieres Winter/Spring 2024
The planet’s most successful large predators are a group of birds known as raptors. United by a hooked beak, a taste for flesh and a set of razor-sharp talons, these birds of prey have conquered the globe. Raptors dominate every habitat in which they live. Learn more about eagles, hawks, and falcons as well as the lesser-known hunters like the secretary bird, the caracara, kites and more.
Ukrainian YouTuber Anton Ptushkin documents the work that Ukrainian citizens have done to rescue and care for the pets and zoo animals abandoned during the war. Before the invasion in February 2022, Ukraine had the second-highest population of pets per capita in the world. In the face of violence, pets and their owners became symbols of resistance, heroes and frontline volunteers. See how a national tragedy transformed into a global story of incredible devotion and love.
Shorebirds fly thousands of miles each year along ancient and largely unknown migratory routes called Flyways. Species travel from feeding grounds in the southern hemisphere to breeding grounds in the Arctic regions and back again, flying up to nine days non-stop without food or water. But their populations are crashing. Follow a conservation movement of bird-loving experts and citizen scientists as they mobilize to the challenge of understanding and saving shorebirds.
Gabon’s Loango National Park is home to a group of western lowland gorillas that have become accustomed to biologists who have studied them for almost 20 years. This documentary presents an intimate look at a silverback and his family, and features a newborn baby gorilla, brave researchers, forest elephants, buffalos and the last remaining wild coastline in the African tropics.
TOPJAW Films (August 27, 2023) – A tour of the best, non-touristy spots in BARCELONA including 7 new restaurants & bars, a locally-loved bakery, an intimate dining experience and a one-of-a-kind cocktail bar.
CBS Mornings (August 26, 2023) – The Carlsbad Caverns are a sprawling underground site with over a hundred caves. A century ago this year, it was named a national monument. Seven years later, it became a national park. As the decades have gone on, more and more people have visited the site to see the underground wonders we know about – and explore the ones we don’t yet.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. The Natural Entrance is a path into the namesake Carlsbad Cavern. Stalactites cling to the roof of the Big Room, a huge underground chamber in the cavern. Walnut Canyon Desert Loop is a drive with desert views. Rattlesnake Springs, a desert wetland, attracts reptiles and hundreds of bird species.
Clairmont Films (August 26, 2023) – Cameroon, on the Gulf of Guinea, is a Central African country of varied terrain and wildlife. Its inland capital, Yaoundé, and its biggest city, the seaport Douala, are transit points to ecotourism sites as well as beach resorts like Kribi – near the Chutes de la Lobé waterfalls, which plunge directly into the sea – and Limbe, where the Limbe Wildlife Centre houses rescued primates.
News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious