Impressions de France

Impressions de France
Epcot
Land World Showcase France Pavilion
Designer WED Enterprises
Attraction type Movie Theater
Theme Tour of France
Opening date October 1, 1982
Music arranged by Buddy Baker; includes works by Boieldieu, Debussy, Offenbach and Saint-Saëns
Ride duration 18 minutes
Wheelchair accessible
Assistive Listening Available
Closed Captioning Available

Impressions de France (Impressions of France) is a movie about France, the featured attraction in the France Pavilion of Epcot's World Showcase at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The movie is projected onto five adjacent screens, giving 220° coverage, resembling Circle-Vision 360°.

Contents

Synopsis

Impressions de France is a travelogue of the French countryside, major cities, various regions, and important structures. Many aerial views are shown, mixed with closer views. It includes, among other things, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, the French Alps, Versailles, scenes from Cannes, Notre Dame de Paris, and scenes from Normandy. The movie is presented with a lively classical soundtrack. The narrator's name is Claude Gobet.

Scene list

Here is the list of the scenes from an official list:

  1. The cliffs at Etretat in Normandy.
  2. Gliding through the Marais Poitevin, a swamp area near La Rochelle.
  3. Chateau Chenonceau; in the Loire Valley, then from the gardens.
  4. Horsemen and hunting dogs cross the Cheverny Forest.
  5. Aerial shot of Chateau de Chambord.
  6. We fly over the red rooftops up to the Bell Tower of the Church in the Vezelay Village.
  7. Vezelay Church interior, with church bells in the background.
  8. In the horsecart 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 St. Michel.
  30. Interior of a small church in 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 Etretat.
  33. The cliff city of Bonifacio, Corsica.
  34. Villefranche near Nice.
  35. Calanque Cliffs near Cassis.
  36. Pier out in front of the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.
  37. Cannes Harbor at twilight.
  38. Racing along railway tracks in the hills of Chaporoux.
  39. Gare du Nord (North rail station) in Paris.
  40. Champs Elysees at twilight, we see the Arc de Triomphe.
  41. Seine River in Paris.
  42. Notre Dame de Paris.
  43. Through the Archways at the Louvre, the Garde Republicaine.
  44. Eiffel Tower.
  45. Aerial shot of Etretat Cliffs.
  46. Aerial shot of the Alps near Chamonix
  47. Aerial shot of Chateau Chambord.
  48. Aerial shot of French Alps near Mt. Blanc.
  49. Finale - Eiffel Tower.

Soundtrack

Buddy Baker arranged the film score and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in the recording of the score.

Here is a listing of the movie's score from official and unofficial sources:[1]

Scene 1
"Syrinx" * (0:00-0:33)
by Claude Debussy
Solo for Flute by Eddie Beckett of the London Symphony Orchestra
Scenes 2 - 4
"Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals * (0:33-1:52)
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Scenes 5 - 6
"Rondeau (Allegro agitato)" from Concerto in C for Harp and Orchestra * (1:52-2:52)
by François-Adrien Boïeldieu
Scenes 8 - 9
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 10
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 11 & 12
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 13 - 15
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 16
"Nuages" from Nocturnes
by Claude Debussy
Scene 17
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 18 - 20
"Ouverture" from Gaîté Parisienne * (2:52-3:38)
by Jacques Offenbach
original 6 second introduction by Buddy Baker
Scenes 21 - 22
"Lever du jour" from Part 3 of Daphnis et Chloé Suite #2
by Maurice Ravel
Scenes 23 & 24
"Claire de Lune" from Suite bergamasque (Orchestral Arrangement) * (3:38-4:51)
by Claude Debussy
Scene 25
"Trois Gymnopedies #1" * (4:51-5:25)
by Erik Satie
orchestrated by Debussy
Scene 26
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 27 & 28
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 29
"Aquarium" from Carnival of the Animals
by Camille Saint-Saëns
flute arrangement by Buddy Baker
Scene 30
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 31
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scene 32
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 33 - 35
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 36 & 37
original music
by Buddy Baker
Scenes 38 - 40
"Finale" from Carnival of the Animals * (5:25-6:25)
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Scenes 41 & 42
original music * (6:25-7:07)
by Buddy Baker
Scene 42
"Allegro moderato" from Gaite Parisienne * (7:07-7:22)
by Jacques Offenbach
Scene 43
"Fanfare" from La Peri * (7:22-7:59)
by Paul A. Dukas
Scene 44 - 49
"Maestoso - Allegro" from the 2nd movement of Symphony no. 3 (Organ Symphony) * (7:59-9:51) [2]
by Camille Saint-Saëns

The selections marked with * can be found on these albums:

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.themeparkinsider.com/reviews/epcot/impressions_de_france/
  2. ^ http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/aef8378/index.html

External links

Future World
World Showcase
Closed