>> male narrator: ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST BELOVED MONUMENTS,
A MAGNET FOR TOURISTS, ARTISTS, POETS, AND LOVERS, A GREAT
SYMBOL OF NATIONAL PRIDE. BUT IN THE BEGINNING, IT WAS
CALLED "A FACTORY CHIMNEY," USELESS, MONSTROUS,
AND MERCANTILE, AND IT WAS ONLY DESIGNED TO LAST 20 YEARS.
NOW, THETOUR EIFFEL, THE EIFFEL TOWER,
MAY 1940:
THE WORLD WATCHES HOPELESSLY AS NAZI INVADERS MOUNT
A BLITZKRIEG ATTACK AGAINST FRANCE--
AND MARCH TRIUMPHANTLY THROUGH THE STREETS OF PARIS.
BUT BEHIND THE TEARS OF A DEFEATED PEOPLE COMES
THE RUMBLING OF REBELLION. ENRAGED FRENCH CITIZENS ANSWER
GENERAL DE GAULLE'S COMMAND AND FIGHT FOR FREEDOM WITH
AN UNDERGROUND ORGANIZATION COMMITTED TO SABOTAGE
AND OTHER ACTS OF DEFIANCE. >> male translator: THIS
RESISTANCE GREW BIT BY BIT, COMPRISED OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN
REGARDLESS OF POLITICAL, MORAL, OR RELIGIOUS PERSUASION.
I BECAME A FOUNDER OF THE PARISIAN LIBERATION COMMITTEE
AND THE ORGANIZATION THAT DIRECTED THE RESISTANCE
AND THE NATIONAL INSURRECTION. >> narrator: HITLER HIMSELF
VISITED FRANCE DURING THE OCCUPATION.
HE MARVELED AT THE GREAT MONUMENTS.
HE REVELED IN HIS CONQUEST. EVEN THE EIFFEL TOWER,
51 YEARS OLD AND OVER 1,000 FEET TALL,
BECAME A HOSTAGE AS GERMANS EXPLOITED ITS GREAT HEIGHT,
USING THE TOWER AS AN ANTENNA TO SEND CODED RADIO SIGNALS
TO THEIR ARMIES. IRONICALLY, THE SILHOUETTE OF
THE TOWER AGAINST THE PARIS SKYLINE OFFERED HOPE
TO THE FREE FRENCH UNDERGROUND. >> [speaking French]
>> translator: IT WAS A SYMBOL OF LIBERTY,
A SYMBOL OF FRANCE. UNDER THE OCCUPATION, THE IDEA
PREDOMINATED AMONG ALL THE FRENCH TO KNOW THAT ONE DAY
ONE WOULD BE FREE TO CLIMB UP THE EIFFEL TOWER.
>> narrator: WHEN ALLIED TROOPS FINALLY LIBERATED PARIS,
THE HANDFUL OF FREE FRENCHMEN CELEBRATED BY CLIMBING
THE EIFFEL TOWER AND UNFURLING THE FRENCH TRICOLOR FLAG.
DOWN BELOW, CITIZENS SPAT AND CURSED AT THE FLEEING GERMANS.
BUT FROM THE PINNACLE OF THE TOWER, LIBERTY, EQUALITY,
AND FRATERNITY RECLAIMED ITS MANTLE OF GLORY.
FOR MOST OF THE WORLD, THE EIFFEL TOWER IS FRANCE.
IT IS LIGHT AND HOPE, POETRY AND MAGIC.
HER COMPLEX GEOMETRY HOLDS THE DREAMS OF LOVERS.
THE FRENCH MAY ENJOY THE DISTINCT HONOR OF HAVING
CREATED AND NURTURED THIS INTERNATIONAL MONUMENT,
BUT HER HOME IS IN THE HEARTS OF FREE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.
THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT GREAT HEIGHT THAT SUGGESTS
A SPIRIT OF TRIUMPH TO THE SOUL. IT FORCES PEOPLE'S VISION
TO HEAVEN, WHILE IT OFFERS A CALMING PERSPECTIVE
TO THE CHAOS OF THE WORLD BELOW. THROUGHOUT THE AGES, PEOPLE HAVE
CHALLENGED ARCHITECTURAL AND ENGINEERING LIMITS TO
ACHIEVE GREAT STRUCTURAL HEIGHT, SOMETIMES TO SPY ON ENEMIES
APPROACHING FROM THE DISTANCE AND, AT OTHER TIMES, IN AN
ATTEMPT TO GET CLOSER TO GOD. THERE ARE THOSE WHO INSIST ON
FINDING PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FOR TOWERS.
THEY MAKE GOOD BROADCAST ANTENNAS, OR THEY'RE
A FINE PLACE FOR A REVOLVING RESTAURANT.
BUT THE REAL APPEAL OF TOWERS COMES FROM A PURER NOTION.
TOWERS ARE A CELEBRATION OF WILL.
THEY SPEAK TO OUR AMBITIONS. THEY ARE THE JOYOUS DECLARATION
THAT WE EXIST. THE WORLD'S BEST-LOVED TOWER
IS THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS. ITS SOARING HEIGHT, ITS DELICATE
LINES, ITS AIRY VOLUME ALL REFLECT THE BEST PART
OF THE FRENCH SPIRIT. DESIGNED AND BUILT IN 1880,
IT WAS THE CENTERPIECE IN A CELEBRATION OF THE BLOODY FRENCH
REVOLUTION 100 YEARS EARLIER. ON JULY 14, 1789, IN A FLOOD
OF REVOLUTIONARY PASSION, PARISIAN ARTISANS LED AN ATTACK
AGAINST FRENCH ARISTOCRACY AND STORMED THE BASTILLE,
THE INFAMOUS PRISON WHERE THE POOR AND POLITICALLY INCORRECT
WERE LOCKED AWAY. THE INSURRECTION SPREAD ACROSS
FRANCE, AND PATRIOTS RALLIED TO THE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM,
THE MARSEILLAISE. "LET US GO,
CHILDREN OF THE FATHERLAND. OUR DAY OF GLORY HAS ARRIVED.
AGAINST US STANDS TYRANNY. THE BLOODY FLAG IS RAISED.
COME TOGETHER IN THE COUNTRYSIDE TO LOWER THESE SAVAGE SOLDIERS.
THEY COME RIGHT INTO OUR ARMS TO CUT THE THROATS OF
YOUR SONS, YOUR COUNTRY. TO ARMS, CITIZENS.
FORM YOUR BATTALIONS. LET US MARCH
THAT THEIR IMPURE BLOOD SHOULD WATER OUR FIELDS."
THIS NATIONALISTIC ERUPTION REVERBERATED ACROSS EUROPE
AND SET THE STAGE FOR MODERN DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENTS.
AND THE FRENCH PEOPLE WERE JUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF
THE POSITIVE CONTRIBUTIONS THAT THEIR REVOLUTION HAD MADE.
BUT A CENTURY LATER, THE FRENCH EGO WAS BRUISED AFTER
A DEVASTATING MILITARY DEFEAT TO GERMANY.
THE IDEA OF MOUNTING A SPECTACULAR INTERNATIONAL
EXPOSITION SEEMED LIKE A GRAND WAY TO REMEMBER
PAST GLORY AND FORGET ABOUT CONTEMPORARY SETBACKS.
>> THEY WERE STILL SAD BECAUSE THERE WAS, IN 1870,
A TERRIBLE WAR WITH GERMANY, AND WE HAD LOST TWO PROVINCES,
ALSACE AND LORRAINE. AFTER THAT, FRENCH PEOPLE
WERE VERY PLEASED TO HAVE THIS EXHIBITION TO SHOW
THEY WERE VERY GREAT. THE COUNTRY WAS QUITE RICHER.
>> narrator: IT WAS DECIDED THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A CENTERPIECE
TO THE CELEBRATION, AN ARTISTIC STATEMENT WHICH WOULD LOOM
OVER THE CROWDS. THE BRAVADO OF THE INDUSTRIAL
AGE SUGGESTED AN ENGINEERING ACCOMPLISHMENT, A TOWER.
>> THE TOWER WAS IMPORTANT AS SOMETHING VERY CLEVER
IN TECHNOLOGY, YOU SEE. NOBODY IN THE WORLD WAS ABLE
TO BUILD A TOWER OF 1,000 FEET. LOTS OF PEOPLE TRIED IN AMERICA.
THERE WERE LOTS OF PLANS OF TOWERS, BUT THEY NEVER
BUILT THEM. >> narrator: A COMPETITION
WAS HELD FOR A DESIGN. ARCHITECTS FROM ALL OVER FRANCE
SUBMITTED ELABORATE PLANS. >> THE FIRST ONE WAS DONE BY
A MAN CALLED MAURICE KOECHLIN. HE WAS ONE OF
THE FIRST ENGINEERS IN GUSTAVE EIFFEL'S STAFF.
>> narrator: GUSTAVE EIFFEL WAS FRANCE'S PREMIERE
ARCHITECT-ENGINEER. HIS REPUTATION SPRANG FROM
HIS VISIONARY WORK ON BRIDGES. HE EXPLORED THE REVOLUTIONARY
CONCEPT OF METAL-FRAME CONSTRUCTION.
HIS GENIUS ATTRACTED THE FINEST ARCHITECTS IN FRANCE
TO HIS STUDIO. AND EIFFEL'S ASSOCIATION
WITH A PROJECT VIRTUALLY GUARANTEED ITS FUNDING
AND COMPLETION. TWO YOUNG ENGINEERS ON EIFFEL'S
STAFF, MAURICE KOECHLIN AND EMILE NOUGUIER, ACTUALLY CREATED
THE CONCEPT OF THE 300-METER TOWER FOR THE 1890 EXHIBITION
IN PARIS. THEY SKETCHED THE FIRST CRUDE
DESIGNS FOR A FRAME STRUCTURE, THEN CALLED ON ARCHITECT
STEPHEN SAUVESTRE TO ADD ORNAMENTAL FLOURISHES,
THE ARCHING FLORAL ELEMENTS AND SCULPTURAL NUANCES.
THEIR ROMANTIC INSPIRATION WAS AN 1887 FRENCH ARCHITECTURAL
NOTION THAT ONE COULD TOUCH THE SKY FROM A STRUCTURE IF IT
REACHED THE IMPOSSIBLE HEIGHT OF 1,000 FEET.
EIFFEL SAW THEIR PLANS AND SHARED THEIR DREAM.
THEIR WORK WAS SOON ADOPTED BY MR. EIFFEL.
AT FIRST, EIFFEL AGREED TO ADD HIS NAME TO THE CONTEST
SUBMISSION TO IMPROVE ITS CHANCES OF WINNING,
BUT HE QUICKLY BECAME INTERESTED IN THE TOWER CONCEPT
AND BEGAN TO ADD HIS OWN UNIQUE FLOURISHES.
ONCE EIFFEL'S NAME WAS ON A PROJECT, EVERYONE KNEW THE
OUTCOME OF THE COMPETITION. WITH HIS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
CONNECTIONS, EIFFEL WAS WELL EQUIPPED TO PUSH THE PROJECT
THROUGH THE PARISIAN BUREAUCRACY, AND HE HAD THE
TECHNICAL ABILITY TO TRANSFORM THE PROJECT FROM A PAPER DESIGN
TO A THREE-DIMENSIONAL REALITY. THE TOWER WAS DESIGNED TO
REPRESENT FRANCE'S PARTICIPATION IN THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION.
AS A SYMBOL AND AS AN ENGINEERING CHALLENGE,
THERE WAS A LOT RIDING ON THE SUCCESS OF THE TOWER.
BUT EIFFEL WAS DETERMINED TO EXHIBIT THE SAME INNOVATIVE
SPIRIT AND CONSTRUCTION THAT HE HAD EMPLOYED IN THE DESIGN.
>> narrator: IT IS AIR AND LIGHT,
FORM AND MOTION, AS STURDY AS MAN'S RESOLVE AND AS ETHEREAL
AS HIS THOUGHTS. THE EIFFEL TOWER IS AS MUCH
AN IDEA OF STRUCTURE AS IT IS AN EXTRAORDINARY PHYSICAL MONUMENT.
AND THE PROCESS OF ITS CONSTRUCTION REFLECTS BOTH
THE CONCEPT OF PREFABRICATION FROM THE INDUSTRIAL AGE AND
THE ADVANCED BUILDING THEORIES OF THE DAWNING 20th CENTURY.
FEBRUARY 28, 1887, GUSTAVE EIFFEL GATHERED A CROWD
OF DIGNITARIES TO WITNESS THE COMMENCEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION.
HE WAS 53 YEARS OLD, AND THIS TOWER WAS TO BE
HIS CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT. AS THE CEREMONIES PROCEEDED,
50 ENGINEERS WERE STILL DRAFTING OVER 5,300 DETAILED BLUEPRINTS
FOR THE 132 WORKMEN AT THE SITE.
IT WOULD TAKE FOUR MONTHS TO LAY THE FOUNDATION FOR THE LEGS.
TWO PILLARS WERE SET ON 6 1/2 FOOT-THICK CONCRETE SLABS
SET 23 FEET BELOW GROUND. THE REMAINING TWO LEGS
WERE POSITIONED SO CLOSE TO THE SEINE RIVER THAT WATERTIGHT
METAL DAMS WERE LOWERED INTO THE DAMPER SO THE CONCRETE COULD SET
BENEATH THE SEEPING WATERLINE. THE SQUARE ENCOMPASSED BY
THE FOUR LEGS WAS 426 FEET ON EACH SIDE, BROAD ENOUGH
TO EVENLY DISTRIBUTE THE STRUCTURE'S 7,000 TONS OF IRON.
ONTO THESE FOUNDATIONS AROSE MASONRY BASES EMBEDDED
WITH TWO ANCHORING BOLTS FOR EACH OF THE FOUR FEET.
FROM HERE, THE LEGS WOULD RISE AT A SHARP 60-DEGREE ANGLE
AS HOLLOW FRAMEWORK BEAMS. THE BEAMS WERE MADE OF ANGLE
BRACKETS AND FLAT BARS RIVETED TOGETHER WITH STIFFENERS
ATTACHED TO THE SIDES. FOUR OF THESE ASSEMBLIES
COMBINED TO FORM THE ENTIRE BEAM.
THE BEAM HAD THE SAME STRUCTURAL DYNAMIC AS A SERIES
OF INTERLOCKING CUBES. AND THIS IS THE GENIUS OF
EIFFEL'S DESIGN; THE FRAMEWORK SUPPORT IS AS STURDY AS SOLID
STONE, AT ONLY A FRACTION OF THE WEIGHT.
IT WAS ALSO EASILY ERECTED WITH STANDARDIZED, INEXPENSIVE,
PREFABRICATED MATERIALS. EVENTUALLY, 18,000 METAL PARTS
AND 2.5 MILLION RIVETS WOULD COMPRISE THE TOWER.
YET ALL OF THE PIECES ARE EITHER FLAT BARS,
ANGLE BRACKETS, OR PLATES. THE FIRST STAGE OF THE
CONSTRUCTION WAS ALSO THE MOST CRITICAL.
ALL FOUR LEGS NEEDED TO RISE SIMULTANEOUSLY AND MEET ON AN
EXACT HORIZONTAL PLANE AT THE TOWER'S FIRST FLOOR.
THE RADICAL ANGLE DEMANDED SCAFFOLDING SUPPORT FOR EACH OF
THE LEGS AND A CENTER SCAFFOLD TO SUPPORT THE CENTER RING
GIRDER WHICH HELD THE STRUCTURE TOGETHER.
800-TON THRUST JACKS OPERATED BY MANUAL HYDRAULIC PUMPS
INSTALLED UNDER EACH LEG HELPED TO RAISE AND LOWER THE FOUR
SIDES INDEPENDENTLY IN ORDER TO REACH THE REQUIRED PRECISION.
WHEN THIS WAS ACHIEVED, GUSTAVE EIFFEL KNEW THERE WAS
NOTHING THAT COULD STOP THE COMPLETION OF HIS DREAM.
ALTHOUGH THERE WERE THOSE WHO WOULD TRY.
>> EIFFEL WAS ANNOYED BY PEOPLE WHO LIVED NEAR THE TOWER
WHO SAID THAT IT WILL FALL ON THEIR HOUSES.
AND NOBODY WOULD COVER THE RISK. HE COVERED IT BY HIMSELF.
>> narrator: LIKEWISE, MANY PEOPLE FEARED THAT THE TOWER
WOULD DESTROY THE PARIS SKYLINE. >> WHEN IT WAS STARTED TO BE
CONSTRUCTED, SOME PEOPLE TRIED TO STOP IT, YOU SEE.
AND SOME PAINTERS OR WRITERS, ARCHITECTS WROTE A LETTER SAYING
IT WAS A SCANDAL. >> narrator: THE PARIS ARTS
COMMUNITY SAW THE TOWER AS A RUDE INDUSTRIAL IMPOSITION
ON THE CITY'S BEAUTY. DOZENS OF FRENCH WRITERS AND
PAINTERS ATTACKED THE TOWER IN A PUBLIC DECLARATION.
"I FEEL PARIS IS THREATENED," CLAIMED ONE ARTIST, "BY THIS
POSITIVELY TRAGIC LAMPSTAND ISSUING FROM HER STOMACH."
EIFFEL RESPONDED WITH EQUAL PASSION.
"THE TOWER WILL BE THE HIGHEST BUILDING EVER RAISED BY MAN,"
HE EXCLAIMED. "WILL IT NOT HAVE A MAJESTY
OF ITS OWN?" BY APRIL 1, 1888,
THE 300-METER TOWER OF PARIS WAS AN ERUPTION OF IRON LIFTING
SKYWARD AND CARRYING WITH IT THE SPIRIT OF FRANCE.
AND FINALLY, THE GENERAL PUBLIC, IT SEEMED, WAS FALLING IN LOVE.
>> THE PEOPLE IN PARIS, GENERAL PUBLIC, REALLY FELT
A VERY STRONG FEELING OF ADMIRATION TOWARD THIS TOWER.
>> narrator: WHAT HAD BEGUN AS THE SKELETAL SUGGESTION OF FORM
WAS NOW EXHIBITING GRAND, FLOWING DESIGN.
THE GRACEFUL RISE OF THE LEGS, THE ARCING, DECORATIVE
ADDITIONS CONTRASTING WITH THE STERN REGIMEN OF EXPOSED BOLTS.
HERE WAS A WORK OF ART THAT SPOKE TO AN AGGRESSIVE WORLD
PREPARING FOR DRAMATIC CHANGE. THE WORK PROGRESSED
WITH LIGHTNING SPEED. EIFFEL WAS MOUNTING
THE OPERATION AS IF HE WERE CONDUCTING A WAR WITH
CRISP MILITARY PRECISION. >> Lemoine: THE STRUCTURE WAS,
IN FACT, PREFABRICATED IN THE EIFFEL FACTORY.
WHILE THE TOWER WAS ASSEMBLED, AT THE MOST YOU HAD SOMETHING
LIKE 300 PEOPLE WORKING ON THE SITE.
>> narrator: BITS OF THE STRUCTURE LITTERED THE SITE
LIKE SCATTERED PIECES OF A CHILD'S ERECTOR SET.
RIVETING TEAMS WORKED IN GROUPS OF FOUR TO KEEP UP
WITH THE FRANTIC PACE. AS SOON AS ONE LOAD OF IRON WAS
ATTACHED, FOUR 12-TON CRANES WOULD DELIVER MORE, CRAWLING UP
THE GUIDE SHAFTS WHERE FUTURE ELEVATORS WOULD SOAR.
THE SECOND FLOOR WAS FINISHED A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AFTER
THE START OF CONSTRUCTION. AND LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THAT,
ON MARCH 31, 1889, THE ENTIRE TOWER WAS COMPLETE.
IT HAD TAKEN ONLY TWO YEARS, TWO MONTHS, AND FIVE DAYS
TO BUILD WHAT WOULD BE THE WORLD'S TALLEST STRUCTURE
FOR THE NEXT 40 YEARS. AND REMARKABLY, THERE WAS NOT
A SINGLE DEATH AS A RESULT OF THE CHALLENGING
AND DANGEROUS WORK. EIFFEL, HIMSELF, WAS THE FIRST
TO CLIMB THE 1,710 STEPS TO THE SUMMIT AND UNFURL
THE FRENCH TRICOLOR FLAG. BENEATH HIM WAS THE CITY
OF PARIS. IT SEEMED AS IF ITS SOUL
WAS BEING FUNNELED UP THE MIGHTY LEGS OF THE TOWER
AND SPRAYED ACROSS THE SKY IN A CELESTIAL CELEBRATION.
WHEN THE 1889 UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION OF PARIS WAS
OFFICIALLY OPENED, THE GLITTERING CENTERPIECE WAS
THE 300-METER TOWER. OFFICIALS CALLED IT THE GREATEST
CROWD-FLABBERGASTING MACHINE EVER BUILT.
BUT SOON, IT WAS SIMPLY KNOWN AS THE EIFFEL TOWER.
>> [speaking French] >> female translator: THE TOWER
WAS CALLED, AT FIRST, THETOWER OF 320 METERS,
EVEN IN THE BEGINNING, THEPYLON OF 320 METERS
THEN THE320-METER TOWER. I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHEN IT
BECAME THE TOWER OF MR. EIFFEL, AND LATER, THE EIFFEL TOWER.
I THINK IT ESCAPED HIM THAT IT WOULD GO ANY FURTHER THAN A
VERY HIGH FUNCTIONAL TOWER OF GREAT DIMENSION.
>> narrator: THE EIFFEL TOWER IS ROOTED IN BOTH THE MAJESTIC
AND THE MUNDANE. IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE TALLEST
STRUCTURE ON THE PLANET, BUT IT WAS EQUALLY CHERISHED
BY MR. EIFFEL BECAUSE OF THE TREMENDOUS PERSONAL INCOME
IT GENERATED. >> [speaking French]
>> male translator: YOU KNOW, MR. EIFFEL PRACTICALLY FUNDED
THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TOWER. IN FACT, HE PAID FOR MOST OF IT,
AND HE MADE A DEAL. HE SAID, IF YOU GIVE ME
THE RIGHT TO WORK ON IT FOR 20 YEARS, I'LL AGREE
TO FINANCE IT 80%. IF HE HAD NOT BELIEVED IN THE
SUCCESS OF HIS TOWER, HE WOULD NOT HAVE JUMPED INTO THIS
VENTURE IN WHICH HE SUCCEEDED SO MAGNIFICENTLY.
>> narrator: EIFFEL HAD A PRIVATE APARTMENT ON THE TOWER
FROM WHICH HE CONDUCTED SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS AND MET
WITH IMPORTANT DIGNITARIES. ALL THE WHILE, HE COULD WATCH
THE ELEVATORS LIFTING NEARLY TWO MILLION TOURISTS TO THE TOP
IN THE FIRST YEAR, REPRESENTING OVER $1 MILLION
INCOME TO EIFFEL AS HE PERSONALLY GARNERED THE RECEIPTS
FROM TICKET SALES. >> EIFFEL COULD EARN MONEY WITH
THE PEOPLE GOING UP, AND HE MADE AN INCREDIBLE LOT OF MONEY.
HE WAS VERY RICH AFTER. >> EIFFEL WAS NOT AT ALL
AN ARTIST. HE WAS AN ENTREPRENEUR.
>> narrator: CONTRASTING OPINIONS OF MR. EIFFEL
SPRING FROM THE MULTIFACETED AND CONFLICTING
NATURE OF HIS CHARACTER. HE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AN ARTIST,
BUT HIS APPROACH TO METAL-FRAME CONSTRUCTION ESTABLISHED
A STRUCTURAL AESTHETIC WHICH IS STILL ADMIRED TODAY.
HE MAY HAVE BEEN A NATIONAL HERO AFTER BUILDING THE TOWER IN
1889, BUT THE NEXT YEAR HE WAS CONVICTED OF PROFITEERING
IN THE FAILED FRENCH EFFORT TO CONSTRUCT A PANAMA CANAL.
THE CANAL WAS THE DREAM OF FRENCH ENGINEER
FERDINAND DE LESSEPS, WHO HAD TRIUMPHED WITH HIS SUEZ CANAL
AND WAS DETERMINED TO DUPLICATE THE FEAT IN PANAMA.
DE LESSEPS INVITED EIFFEL TO SUGGEST AN ENGINEERING APPROACH
TO ACCOMPLISH THE JUNGLE WATERWAY, AND EIFFEL PROPOSED
AN INNOVATIVE SYSTEM OF LOCKS. THAT IDEA WAS REJECTED BY
DE LESSEPS, AND THE RESULT WAS DISASTROUS.
CANALS CANNOT BE CARVED THROUGH SWAMPS AND JUNGLE.
THE ATTEMPT PROVED SO EXPENSIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE, THE FRENCH
GOVERNMENT WAS NEARLY THROWN INTO BANKRUPTCY.
THE POLITICAL FALLOUT WAS SEVERE.
ANYONE EVEN REMOTELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE FAILED EFFORT WAS
VILIFIED, AND EIFFEL WAS SENTENCED TO 24 MONTHS
IN PRISON. THAT JUDGMENT WAS LATER
OVERTURNED. BUT BY THEN, EIFFEL HAD LOST
HIS APPETITE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS.
>> EIFFEL WAS CONSIDERED BY ALL ENGINEERS LIKE A GOD, YOU SEE.
AND HE WAS VERY--HE WAS ALSO A MAN OF SCIENCE.
HE LOVED SCIENCE. AND AFTER THE TOWER,
HE STOPPED BUILDING THINGS. >> narrator: INSTEAD, EIFFEL,
NOW 73 YEARS OLD, DEDICATED HIMSELF TO PURE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY, SPECIFICALLY THE EXPLORATION OF AERODYNAMICS.
OTHER FRENCH VISIONARIES, LIKE AUTHOR JULES VERNE, HAD APPLIED
CRUDE 19th-CENTURY NOTIONS TO THE CONCEPT OF FLIGHT, AS
ILLUSTRATED IN THIS EARLY FILM PROPOSING A TRIP TO THE MOON.
EIFFEL REALIZED THAT ADVANCEMENT IN AVIATION WOULD NEED TO
BE BASED ON THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF THE NATURAL ELEMENTS.
BUT WHILE SOME WELL-MEANING RESEARCHERS WERE MIRED IN THE
IDEA OF OUTLANDISH MECHANICAL CONTRAPTIONS, AND OTHERS WERE
ATTACHING FEATHERED WINGS TO THEIR ARMS AND TOSSING
THEMSELVES OFF THE TOWER LIKE BIRDS, EIFFEL RETURNED
TO HIS ANALYTICAL ROOTS AND BUILT A WORKSHOP THAT STILL
OPERATES TODAY. >> [speaking French]
>> translator: MR. EIFFEL, WELL, HE MADE THE FIRST
WIND RESISTANCE TESTS. BECAUSE ALL OF HIS LIFE
HE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE WIND. THAT WAS HIS ENEMY, NUMBER ONE.
AND IN 1906 TO 1909, HE BEGAN TO QUESTION AERODYNAMIC
RESISTANCE, AND THAT'S WHY HE MADE THIS FIRST WIND TUNNEL.
ONE CAN SAY THAT IN THIS WIND TUNNEL, WHERE YOU'RE
STANDING RIGHT NOW, FRENCH AVIATIONARY STUDIES BEGAN.
I MUST SPECIFY THAT THE TUNNEL, THE VENTILATOR, THE MOTOR,
AND ALL OF THESE ARE ORIGINALS. WE DON'T TOUCH THEM.
WE LEAVE THEM IN THEIR ORIGINAL STATE.
AS FOR MEASURING DEVICES, OF COURSE, WE ADAPTED THEM
FOR MODERN FUNCTIONS. MR. EIFFEL WAS
AN EXTRAORDINARY ENGINEER. WE'VE EXAMINED ALL HE DID DURING
HIS LIFETIME AND ALL THAT HE ENVISIONED.
AND TODAY, WE ARE DOING THINGS THAT MR. EIFFEL ALREADY DID
IN 1917. >> narrator: EIFFEL'S BIGGEST
VISION, THE 300-METER TOWER, WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO STAND
FOR 20 YEARS. BUT EIFFEL HAD GROWN ACCUSTOMED
TO USING THE STRUCTURE AS HIS PERSONAL RECEPTION AREA,
A WAY TO MAINTAIN HIS HIGH PROFILE OVER PARISIAN SOCIETY.
EIFFEL LAUNCHED AN AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN TO KEEP HIS TOWER
FROM THE WRECKING BALL. HE CONDUCTED OVER 5,000
EXPERIMENTS IN HIS LOFTY LABORATORY,
BUT IT WAS RADIO THAT SAVED THE DAY AND THE TOWER.
THE GIANT METAL STRUCTURE WAS THE PERFECT ANTENNA.
AND FROM THE TOP, SIGNALS COULD BE TRANSMITTED AS FAR AWAY
AS NORTH AMERICA. ALTHOUGH DESTINED FOR DEMOLITION
IN 1909, EIFFEL'S TOWER WON A REPRIEVE AS RADIO HELPED
FRANCE MONITOR THE DARK CLOUDS OF WAR LOOMING OVER GERMANY.
IN 1914, WORLD WAR SWEPT OVER THE EUROPEAN CONTINENT.
FOR PARIS, THE CONFLICT CAME SO CLOSE THAT SOLDIERS OFTEN
TOOK TAXIS TO TRAVEL TO THE FRONT LINES.
BUT WITH THE HELP OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, GENERALS COULD LISTEN IN
ON THE MOVEMENTS OF THE ENEMY AND DECLARE ZEPPELIN ALERTS
FROM THEIR ELEVATED PERCH. IN 1923, FIVE YEARS AFTER
THE LAST ECHOES OF WAR, GUSTAVE EIFFEL DIED.
THROUGHOUT HIS 91 YEARS, HIS VISION PROPELLED FRANCE
TO THE FOREFRONT OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, AND HIS SYSTEM OF
SIMPLE INTERLOCKING ELEMENTS ANTICIPATED THE BASIC PRINCIPLES
OF 20th CENTURY ARCHITECTURE. >> narrator: AFTER
THE DEVASTATION OF A WORLD WAR, PARIS WAS ANXIOUS
TO LIFT ITS BATTERED SPIRITS AND EMBRACE A BRIGHTER DAY.
YET, SOME SENSED A SUBTLE DESPERATE UNDERCURRENT
TO THE CELEBRATORY ESPRIT. IT WAS IF THE FRANTIC GOOD TIMES
WERE MASKING THE MANY ISSUES THAT THE WAR HAD LEFT UNSETTLED.
PARIS IN THE '20s ATTRACTED A LOST GENERATION, DISILLUSIONED
WITH TRADITIONAL VALUES AND PHILOSOPHIES.
SOME OF THESE POST-WAR PARISIANS WERE ACTUALLY AMERICAN ARTISTS
AND INTELLECTUALS SEARCHING FOR MEANING IN A SEEMINGLY
CHAOTIC WORLD. F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND HIS
WIFE, ZELDA, CHARLIE CHAPLIN, MOVIE STARS, PAINTERS, AND
A MIXED ASSORTMENT OF CREATIVE INDIVIDUALS BECAME ATTRACTED TO
A FRENCH REVOLUTION IN THINKING CALLED EXISTENTIALISM.
IS WHAT WE ARE THE SUM OF OUR EXISTENCE?
ARE TIME AND POETRY NOTHING MORE THAN ABSURDIST FANTASY?
DARKER THEMES OF ALIENATION STARTED TO EMERGE IN THE ARTS,
AND IRONICALLY, THE TOWER PROVIDED A VISUAL AND SYMBOLIC
LINK TO A LIGHTER AND MORE STABLE TIME.
AFTER ALL, EIFFEL HAD CREATED WEIGHTLESS BEAUTY
FROM DENSE, HEAVY METAL, VERY REASSURING CONCEPT.
THE EIFFEL TOWER IS NOT ONLY THE IRON COMPOSING IT, BUT ALSO
WHAT'S INSIDE, AIR CAPTURED IN A LATTICEWORK OF METAL.
SOME VISITORS FEEL THAT THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.
THE SENSATION SUGGESTS THAT IT'S NOT ONLY THE STRUCTURE,
BUT ALSO ITS VOID WHICH IS THE ESSENTIAL MATERIAL
OF THE EIFFEL TOWER. THE TOWER'S BOLD COMPOSITION
SEEMED A POETIC LINK BETWEEN THE 19th AND 20th CENTURIES,
A LINK WHICH WOULD BE BRUTALLY SEVERED WHEN FASCISM, RACISM,
AND SYSTEMATIC MURDER ERUPTED FROM THE ASHES OF GERMANY'S
DEFEAT IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR. MAY 1940: IN THE TERRIFYING
PANIC OF A NAZI BLITZKRIEG, PARIS AND THE EIFFEL TOWER
WERE TAKEN HOSTAGE. BUT GERMAN TROOPS FOUND IT
DIFFICULT TO FULLY UTILIZE THE MONUMENT.
FRENCHMEN HAD DAMAGED THE ELEVATORS.
THIS SABOTAGE KEPT EVEN HITLER FROM SAVORING HIS CONQUEST.
>> THERE'S A VERY FAMOUS PHOTO WHERE HE'S ON THE TROCADERO.
HE LOOKS AT THE TOWER, BUT HE HASN'T BEEN ON IT.
THERE WERE NO LIFTS; HE COULDN'T GO.
>> narrator: SEEING THE TOWER OCCUPIED BY NAZIS ENRAGED
FRENCH CITIZENS. PARISIANS JOINED TOGETHER
IN FUTILE COUNTERATTACKS. THE FREE FRENCH SECRETLY
CONSPIRED IN THE ANCIENT ROMAN CATACOMBS WHICH WEAVE BENEATH
THE STREETS OF PARIS. TUNNELS HIDING THE BONES OF
FORGOTTEN AND VANQUISHED FRENCHMEN THROUGHOUT THE
CENTURIES WERE NOW ALSO HOME TO THE RESISTANCE.
>> [speaking French] >> translator: THERE ARE
SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGES THAT GO UNDERNEATH THE FRENCH CAPITAL.
THE CATACOMBS PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE
IN THE RESISTANCE. IT WAS A MEANS FOR US TO TRAVEL
ACROSS PARIS WITHOUT BEING SEEN, IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO
LEAD THE PARISIAN INSURRECTION ON THE OFFENSE.
WE DERAILED TRAINS, BECAUSE THOSE TRAINS THAT WENT TO THE
FRONT LINES OF THE ATLANTIC ALL WENT BEHIND PARIS.
I PARTICIPATED IN THE SABOTAGE OF RAILROAD TRACKS,
TRACKS THAT WERE OBVIOUSLY MEANT FOR TRAINS THAT
TRANSPORTED SOLDIERS. BUT ONE DAY, WE FOUND OUT
ABOUT A LARGE TRAIN THAT CIRCLED PARIS.
WE MADE ARRANGEMENTS. WE DERAILED THE TRAIN,
AND IT WAS JUST AWFUL, BECAUSE THE TRAIN WAS PACKED
WITH SAUERKRAUT. THERE WERE PARTICLES OF
SAUERKRAUT FOR MILES AROUND. >> narrator: HITLER DESPISED
THE FREE FRENCH AND PLANNED TO DESTROY THEIR
MOST TREASURED MONUMENT OUT OF SPITE.
AT THE WAR'S END, HITLER GAVE ORDERS TO HAVE THE TOWER BOMBED.
BUT GENERAL VON CHOLTITZ, WHO HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE
CITY OF PARIS, GAVE EIFFEL'S TOWER AN UNAUTHORIZED REPRIEVE.
[gunfire] >> radio announcer: PEOPLE OF
WESTERN EUROPE: A LANDING WAS MADE THIS MORNING ON
THE COAST OF FRANCE BY TROOPS OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.
THE HOUR OF YOUR LIBERATION IS APPROACHING.
>> narrator: AMERICAN TANKS FINALLY DROVE THE NAZIS
FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER. BUT WHEN LIBERATION FINALLY CAME
TO PARIS, THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WAS IN A SHAMBLES.
THE OLD LEADERS WERE GONE. THE NEXT GENERATION WAS
ILL EQUIPPED TO RAISE THE COUNTRY TO ITS FORMER GLORY.
FROM 1945 THROUGH 1960, THE PEOPLE OF FRANCE VOTED
20 DIFFERENT PROVISIONAL GOVERNMENTS INTO POWER.
IT WAS POLITICAL CHAOS UNTIL GENERAL CHARLES DE GAULLE WAS
FINALLY PERSUADED TO LEAD THE COUNTRY OUT OF
POST-WAR CALAMITY. ONLY A MAN OF HIS STRENGTH
AND BROAD APPEAL COULD HAVE SAVED THE REPUBLIC.
DE GAULLE RALLIED THE DISHEARTENED COUNTRY AND GAVE
FRANCE BACK ITS SPIRIT. ITS SOUL, HOWEVER, HAD ALWAYS
BEEN PROTECTED IN THE GIANT, GILDED CAGE OF THE EIFFEL TOWER.
BUT JUST AS FRANCE NEEDED A NEW VISION FOR THE SECOND HALF
OF THE 20th CENTURY, THE EIFFEL TOWER NEEDED A NEW
COMMITMENT TO ITS CARE AND MAINTENANCE IF IT WERE
TO STAND AT ALL. IT WAS DESIGNED AS THE
CENTERPIECE OF AN INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION IN 1889.
BUT TODAY, MORE THAN A CENTURY LATER, THE CELEBRATION
CONTINUES AS WELL OVER 1,000 PEOPLE VISIT THE EIFFEL TOWER
EVERY HOUR. THERE ARE FOUR ELEVATORS TO
CARRY THEM TO THE TOP, ONE IN EACH OF THE TOWER LEGS, RISING
AT A STEEP 60-DEGREE ANGLE. THE HEART OF THE HOISTING IS
ACTUALLY HIDDEN BENEATH THE LEGS IN A CENTURY-OLD CATACOMB.
HERE, COMPLEX CONTRAPTIONS RIVAL JULES VERNE'S MOST
ELABORATE FANTASIES. >> THE ORIGINAL PRINCIPLE
WAS TO HAVE WATER UNDER PRESSURE PUSHING A PISTON,
THAT WAS PUSHING A DOLLY. THE DOLLY WAS PULLING THE CABLE
TO HEAVE THE CAR UP. >> narrator: THE 100-YEAR-OLD
TECHNOLOGY FORMS AN ANIMATED MOSAIC, GIVING THE IMPRESSION
THAT THE LIFTING IS DONE BY A GIANT MECHANICAL TOY.
>> THESE PISTON RINGS, WHICH ARE INSIDE HERE, A SQUARE COTTON
WREATH ABOUT THAT BIG, COMPRESSING, AND THEY ARE
GREASED WITH MUTTON FAT, SUET. SEE, VERY WHITE.
VERY NICE FORM. TWICE A WEEK HERE, IT SMELLS
LIKE HAVING A MESHOUI, YOU KNOW, THOSE NORTH AFRICAN
ROASTED LAMB. THAT'S IT.
OLD TECHNOLOGY WORKS BEAUTIFULLY.
THAT'S LEATHER. THAT'S LEATHER, SAME MATERIAL,
BUT IT'S COMPRESSED. IT'S SHAPED TO VARIOUS SHAPES.
IT'S TRUE LEATHER, AND IT'S IMPREGNATED WITH OIL WHICH IS
MADE FROM THE HOOVES OF OXEN. >> narrator: IN 1980, OFFICIALS
DECIDED TO UPGRADE THE SYSTEM BY BLENDING THE OLD TECHNOLOGY WITH
THE LATEST HIGH-TECH EQUIPMENT. >> IT'S LIKE MIXING THE ENGINE
OF A FERRARI AND THE ENGINE OF A MACK TRUCK.
>> narrator: AT THE THIRD LEVEL, A SECOND BANK OF ELEVATORS CARRY
PASSENGERS VERTICALLY TO THE SUMMIT.
ATOP THE STRUCTURE, MAINTENANCE IS NONSTOP.
EVERY DAY A SMALL BUT DETERMINED TEAM OF 25 WORKERS WALK THE
NARROW IRON SUPPORTS FOR THE 18-MONTH JOB OF PAINTING
THE TOWER. THE PROCESS IS THE SAME TODAY
AS WHEN THE TOWER WAS ORIGINALLY PAINTED.
OVER 50 TONS OF PAINT IS REQUIRED TO COMPLETE THE TASK,
A TASK THAT'S REPEATED EVERY SEVEN YEARS.
>> [speaking French] >> translator: I WAS
18 YEARS OLD WHEN I BEGAN THIS JOB IN THE AIR AS AN
INDUSTRIAL PAINTER. TO WORK ON THE EIFFEL TOWER,
SUCH AN IMPORTANT MONUMENT, I FEEL PRIVILEGED AND HAPPY.
>> narrator: BUT PAINTERS AREN'T ALONE ON THE ELEVATED WEB
OF IRON. ELECTRICIANS ALSO COMB
THE TOWER. >> [speaking French]
>> translator: PERSONALLY, I'D MUCH RATHER WORK UP HERE
THAN IN AN OFFICE, AND I THINK MY FRIEND AGREES.
>> translator: ABSOLUTELY. WE GET TO BE OUTDOORS.
WE LIKE WHAT WE DO. TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON A
MONUMENT LIKE THE EIFFEL TOWER IS A PRIVILEGE, I'D SAY.
>> narrator: THE EXPOSED NATURE OF THE STRUCTURE OCCASIONALLY
ALLOWS THE ELEMENTS TO INFLICT DAMAGE.
WATER PIPES CAN FREEZE AND BURST IF NOT PROTECTED BY
THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. >> translator: THERE ARE
HEATING BANDS WITH THERMOSTATS. AS SOON AS THE TEMPERATURE FALLS
BELOW 40 DEGREES, THE HEATING BANDS KICK IN.
THE PIPING IS HEATED. >> narrator: BUT THE MAIN JOB OF
THE ELECTRICIANS IS TO MAINTAIN THE ILLUMINATED BEAUTY.
360 LIGHT BULBS ARE CONSTANTLY INSPECTED AND CHANGED.
EARLY EVENING, THE SUN CASTS ITS LAST GOLD AND PINK RAYS
OVER THE CITY OF PARIS, THE HOMES, THE MUSEUMS, THE
MONUMENTS AND CATHEDRALS AND THE COUPLES WHO GATHER ON THE TOWER.
THE TOWER RESPONDS AS IF ITS OWN GLORIOUS WASH OF COLOR IS
THE REFLECTED GLOW OF LOVERS. THE LIGHTING DESIGN IS
CALCULATED TO ENHANCE THE ROMANTIC AMBIENCE.
>> [speaking French] >> translator: THE PAINT ON
THE EIFFEL TOWER CONTAINS A YELLOW PIGMENT,
LIGHTING IT WITH YELLOW LIGHT BRINGS OUT THE YELLOW PIGMENT.
THAT'S BEEN THE MAJOR SOURCE OF SUCCESS IN THIS OPERATION.
THE APPROACH IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BECAUSE NIGHT
LIGHTING MUST INTERPRET THE FEELING, EVEN THE EXPRESSION,
OF THE MONUMENT. THE EIFFEL TOWER LIGHTING SEEKS
TO VALIDATE THE ARCHITECTURE OF THIS STAR ATTRACTION
IN PARIS. IT'S THE STAR OF PARIS AT NIGHT.
>> narrator: THERE IS A SENSE OF OWNERSHIP
WHICH IS SHARED AMONG THOSE WHO WORK THE TOWER, ESPECIALLY
THE EMPLOYEES WHOSE TASK IS TO GREET VISITORS.
>> [speaking French] >> female translator: MY JOB,
IN FACT, IS TO ORGANIZE THE TOUR GUIDES.
I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE GROUP. WE'RE NOW IN THE NORTH PILLAR.
EACH OF THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE EIFFEL TOWER IS REPRESENTED
BY PILLARS IN WHICH YOU WILL FIND THE ELEVATORS.
THEN THERE IS THE BEAUTIFUL FRANCE RESTAURANT AND ABOVE IT
THE PARISIAN RESTAURANTS, THE TWO RESTAURANTS
OF THE FIRST LEVEL. AND OVER THERE IS THE CINEMAX
GALLERY, WHERE YOU'LL FIND A POST OFFICE, SOUVENIR SHOPS,
BUFFETS, ICE CREAM VENDORS. THERE ARE LOTS OF INTERESTING
THINGS IN THE GALLERY. >> narrator: THE TOWER WAS
ORIGINALLY DESIGNED AS A TOURIST MECCA, AND IT STILL SERVES THAT
LIGHTHEARTED FUNCTION TODAY. YET IT'S MAGNIFICENT VISTAS
AND STAGGERING HEIGHT SOMETIMES ATTRACTS A DARKER ELEMENT.
>> translator: PEOPLE PERIODICALLY TRY TO JUMP OFF
THE EIFFEL TOWER. ALREADY, 380 PEOPLE HAVE
COMMITTED SUICIDE. THAT'S AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT
THREE OR FOUR A YEAR. SO WE REGULARLY TRY
TO CONTROL THE SITUATION. WE TRY TO REASON WITH THEM.
WE TRY TO FIND OUT THEIR MOTIVE. WE DISCUSS IT WITH THEM.
WE TRY TO TALK WITH THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE UNTIL SECURITY
COMES, AND FROM THEN ON, IT'S THE FIREMEN'S RESPONSIBILITY.
>> narrator: MORE OFTEN, A TOUR GUIDE HAS THE OPPORTUNITY
TO SEE PEOPLE IN A MORE FESTIVE AND ROMANTIC MOOD.
>> translator: I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF COUPLES WALKING ARM IN ARM.
THEY OFTEN COME TO CELEBRATE AN EVENT OR AN ANNIVERSARY.
OUR JOB ALSO INCLUDES DISCOURAGING THESE PEOPLE FROM
WRITING ON THE EIFFEL TOWER. MOST OF THE TIME WE CHASE THEM,
AND WE TRY TO CATCH THEM. AND SOMETIMES IT'S A LITTLE
GAME BETWEEN THE TOURISTS AND OURSELVES.
WE ARE ON THE THIRD FLOOR OF THE EIFFEL TOWER, IN FRONT OF
THE JULES VERNE RESTAURANT. THIS RESTAURANT IS ONE OF THE
SYMBOLS OF PARIS PRECISELY BECAUSE IT'S LOCATED WAY UP
ON THE THIRD FLOOR. THERE IS ONLY ONE EIFFEL TOWER,
ONLY ONE THIRD FLOOR. IT'S CERTAINLY THE BEST LOCATION
IN THE WORLD, UNLESS THERE'S A RESTAURANT ON TOP
OF MOUNT EVEREST. >> narrator: THE CEREMONY
AND CELEBRATION OF HAUTE CUISINE IS A TRADITION ON THE TOWER
EXTENDING BACK TO ITS EARLIEST DAYS, AND FOOD IS MORE THAN
NOURISHMENT FOR THE FRENCH; IT IS A PASSION.
>> [speaking French] >> male translator: IT HAPPENED
ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER I ARRIVED IN PARIS.
I INFORMED MY WIFE THAT I HAD A MISTRESS.
SHE JUST STARED AT ME, AND I SAID, "SHE'S AN OLD MISTRESS."
SHE LOOKED EVEN MORE SURPRISED. AFTER ABOUT FIVE MINUTES,
I TOLD HER MY MISTRESS IS THE EIFFEL TOWER.
>> narrator: SOME ARTISTS PAINT, OTHERS WORK IN STONE,
BUT MASTER CHEF ALAINE REX PREFERS PATE, PRACTICING HIS
CULINARY MAGIC AT THE JULES VERNE, AN EXCLUSIVE
FOUR-STAR RESTAURANT MIDWAY UP THE LOFTY HEIGHT OF THE TOWER.
>> translator: THE VIEW OF PARIS REALLY INSPIRES ME.
IT INSPIRES ME TO CREATE NEW DISHES EVERY DAY.
WE HAVE 115 PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN THE JULES VERNE
RESTAURANT ALONE. THERE'S A LOT OF HUSTLE
AND BUSTLE, A LOT OF PEOPLE. I LOVE THAT.
>> narrator: ARMED WITH SPATULAS, WHISKS, PARING KNIVES,
AND SOUFFLE CUPS, CHEF REX AND HIS MEN FIGHT
FOR THE HONOR OF FRANCE. >> [speaking French]
>> translator: TODAY'S SPECIAL, A LOBSTER SALAD IN CORAL SAUCE.
IT'S FRENCH LOBSTER. >> narrator: THE TOWER WAS
DESIGNED TO INSPIRE THE COMMON PERSON TO NEW VISIONS.
IT ALSO ENCOURAGES THE IMAGINATIONS OF ARTISTS TO SOAR.
AT THE JULES VERNE RESTAURANT, THESE TWO DYNAMICS
TAKE FLIGHT. IT IS AN APPETIZING BLEND
THAT COULD ONLY HAPPEN IN THE CITY OF LIGHT.
THE CITY OF PARIS, THE CITY OF PARIS IS OFTEN
CALLED THE CITY OF LIGHT. BUT TO WHAT QUALITY OF LIGHT
DOES THAT TITLE REFER? DOES IT SUGGEST THE LIGHTNESS
OF THE FRENCH SPIRIT? THE ENLIGHTENMENT
OF THE FRENCH CULTURE? OR PERHAPS, THE BRILLIANT LIGHT
OF THE FRENCH SKY BLEACHING MARBLE FACADES BY DAY, AND BY
NIGHT, CRADLING LOVERS IN ITS ROSE-COLORED EVENING MIST.
MAYBE IT'S THE MAGIC LIGHT OF A CABARET WHERE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC
PAINTED AND PLAYED... OR THE GLITTERING SPARKLE OF
A MERRY-GO-ROUND REFLECTED IN THE EYES OF THE YOUNG AT HEART.
THE LIGHT OF PARIS IS ALL THESE IMAGES AND EXPERIENCES.
YET IT FINDS ITS MOST VIBRANT VOICE IN THE SILENT EXALTATION
OF EIFFEL'S TOWER. >> [speaking French]
>> translator: I BELIEVE THAT THE EIFFEL TOWER HAS TAKEN AN
ENTIRELY UNIQUE PLACE IN THE WORLD.
IT'S ALMOST BECOME A MYTH. IT SORT OF GLORIFIES SCIENCE.
IT WAS BUILT DURING AN ERA WHEN IT WAS THOUGHT THAT SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY WOULD MAKE MANKIND HAPPY.
I BELIEVE, ALSO, BECAUSE OF ITS SHAPE, IT IS VERY, VERY
SPECIAL AND CAN BE EASILY DRAWN. I THINK, ALSO, THAT IT IS A
USELESS OBJECT, AND THAT A USELESS OBJECT HAS A GREAT
THERAPEUTIC VALUE. >> narrator: SO THE EIFFEL TOWER
STANDS AS A MONUMENT TO THOSE THINGS WE CANNOT GRASP,
OUR JOYS, OUR HOPES. IT STILL STANDS
AS A TECHNOLOGICAL MARVEL. BUT IN ITS SIMPLE, ELEGANT,
UPLIFTING FORM, WE HAVE FOUND A WAY TO CELEBRATE LIFE AND LOVE.
For more infomation >> Anne Le Nen parle de son amour pour Muriel Robin : 'Avant, j'aimais les garçons' - Duration: 6:14. 
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