It must be said that with its castle, its period houses, its lakes and especially its gateway to the legendary Brocéliande forest, Paimpont has everything to please directors. In 1976, the series “Le loup blanc” had already immortalized the mysterious surroundings of the pond. “I was six years old,” continues Valérie from Paimpont. Our bistro, run by my mother before me, had also served as HQ for the team. I remember that we missed school to go to the filming.” Three years later, the castle had also hosted a few scenes from “Tess” by Roman Polanski.
In the meantime, not much has changed on the cinema side. “Lately, we have mainly managed requests for sets or drone flights over our beautiful heritage for television,” recalls municipal councilor and vice-president of Brocéliande community Fabienne Savatier, referring to the TV shows Le meilleur pâtissier or Secrets d’histoire, by Stéphane Bern. “This 2023 sequence is frankly unprecedented,” adds deputy for culture Julien Dessa. “We have made a lot of staff available, issued orders, blocked streets. It is also a cost (billed €35,000 by the municipality for the two projects) and concerns, given our limited means. But such a spotlight, of course, you can’t refuse it!”
We have made a lot of staff available, taken orders, blocked streets. It is also a cost and fears. But such a spotlight, of course, cannot be refused!
Surprised “by the anthill”
At Le Brécilien, Sarah the real estate agent, Val the temp worker, Sylvie the retired civil servant and Louanne the waitress share their anecdotes from the shoot. “Eight hours of takes on a fake market to get 30 seconds of film. That’s a long time! But we had a good laugh and were pampered like never before,” assures Val. “I was surprised by the crowd and the anthill around the actors. We didn’t have to do thirty takes with the same dialogue,” laughs Sarah. Louanne remembers the fake glasses of white wine, the fake bottle (made of sugar), and the tea “that we pretended to drink.”
Sylvie, the neighbour on Rue du Général de Gaulle, admits that she hesitated to participate. “Living in the heart of the town, I already feel assailed sometimes”. She finally agreed to make her family home available for Les Barbares. “I slept elsewhere but I was there every day. We had some great times with the real refugees, who play in the film”. As for the adjoining garden, “it was also one of the sets for Brocéliande. I was able to watch at my leisure how Nolwenn Leroy worked!”
Just like Val, Sarah or even the coffee maker Valérie, Sylvie was a little apprehensive about the result. The preview, offered last week, reassured her: “Julie Delpy cut the most excessive scenes in the editing. The teaser citing Paimpont is a little heavy. But in the end, this comedy speaks with finesse about living well together.”
“Grandiose” plans
The images from the Brocéliande series are unanimously appreciated. “The shots of the forest, the moor and the lake are magnificent. In terms of promotion, we couldn’t have dreamed of anything better!” praises the general director of services Thomas Jaffré.
Even before the broadcast, Paimpont smashed a tourist record this summer, with 4,000 visitors per day around August 15. Should we expect other benefits tomorrow? “The Game of Thrones or Harry Potter series have created a dynamic on the filming locations,” concludes Fabienne Savatier. So why not us?”
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