Paris pays homage to Belmondo by naming the promenade under the Bir-Hakeim elevated metro
In a scene from Peur sur la ville, by Henri Verneuil, Jean-Paul Belmondo finds himself on the roof of the metro as he crosses the Bir-Hakeim bridge. Vincent Rossell/Bridgeman I
A meeting place for lovers, tourists and advertisers, the alley framed by the arcades will bear the name of the actor who died in 2021.
In fear over the cityfrom the roofs of Galeries Lafayette to the roof of the metro which crosses the Seine before reaching Bir-Hakeim station, John Paul Belmondo, like a devil out of his box, uses Paris and its monuments to perform some of his most memorable stunts. In tribute to the cinematographic exploits of the outfielder of French cinema who died in 2021, and whom we affectionately liked to call Bébel, the City of Paris has decided to call “promenade Jean-Paul-Belmondo”, the embankment located under the tracks of the Bir-Hakeim bridge, between the 15th and 16th arrondis*****ts of the capital.
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This place of homage was not chosen at random by the Parisian city councilors. In the thriller directed by Henri Verneuil, fear over the city therefore, Belmondo had insisted on filming “in real» the pursuit in the metro of the dangerous thug Marcucci. Here, as often, he accomplishes feats.
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fear over the city by Henri Verneuil in 1975, with Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Denner, Rosy Varte, Lea Massari… The extract from the pursuit in and on the metro
He jumped on the moving train. Then he climbed onto the roof. Perched up there, tossed about by the wind, he will have to throw himself flat on his stomach at the last moment to avoid hitting an antenna. To satisfy Henri Verneuil, he will also agree to replay (the term is weak) part of the scene. Although the speed has been slightly slowed down from 60 to 40 km/h, the director will not hide his relief at the end of the metropolitan stunt. His hero came out safe and sound. It must be said that throughout the film Belmondo multiplied the prowess. He did aerobatics on the roof of Galeries Lafayette. The decorators had the difficult task of building a fake zinc roof covering some 400m2. He abseiled from a GIGN helicopter. Playing the cop as muscular as he is intrepid Jean Letellier Bébel also gave a good number of fluff-pifs.
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All this risk-taking ended up, of course, by bruising our French Daredevil a bit. He was injured three times during the filming of Verneuil’s film: first very slightly by hitting an object under the roof of the Bir-Hakeim station; then he will tear his hand hanging from a gutter; and finally he will be the victim of a few cuts while crossing a glass roof… “Routinewould have written for him Michel Audiard.
