One On Top Of The Other - Shocker in Paris
Then … Henry and Susan are on their way abroad to a rendezvous while George faces his appointment with the gas chamber in San Quentin. Below, Henry exits the terminal at the airport in Paris.
This is the South terminal at Orly airport. Other than the new control tower under construction above, it was little changed from how it looked in this early 1960s postcard image.
… and Now, the terminal has been jazzed up today with a fancy mural. In 2019 it was renamed Terminal Orly 4.
Then … He enters his destination, the Vagenende restaurant at 142 Boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris’s left bank (map). Originally a 19th century patisserie, it became a restaurant in 1904, an iconic art nouveau establishment still there today.
We see in this 2010 photo that the restaurant had still retained a similar look four decades later; along the way though the exterior patio’s streetside entrance had been opened up and it had gained art nouveau embellishments on the side panels.
… and Now, today however the exterior has been modernized. Fotunately, not so for the classic interior.
Then … He makes his way to his table.
… and Now, the restaurant’s art nouveau interior has survived untouched, but the stylish brass lamps spaced out on the filigreed partitions are no longer there. In this daytime matching view, Boulevard Saint-Germain is reflected in the mirrored walls.
Then … He takes his seat alongside another one of those fine lamps, checking his watch knowing his lover will soon join him. But, uh-oh, eagle-eyed viewers may recognize the man sitting in the background…
… and Now, Henry’s table was the one just past the pillar by the end of a banquette which has been added since the movie was filmed.
Then … Susan enters, anxiously looking around for Henry. The busy Boulevard Saint-Germain is seen behind her.
… and Now, here’s a recent photo of the entrance looking out through the exterior patio.
The star-crossed lovers meet…
Then … But their stars weren’t aligned after all; her obsessed client Benjamin Wormser who she had peremptorily dismissed from her life is there for revenge. The pain in his face says it all; he doesn’t want to do it but he must. He shoots them both dead, the scene carefully framed to capture the victims’ demise reflected in the mirrored column next to him.
… and Now, here’s that same column. (Tap or click on the arrows to see the mirror’s reflection step back in time).
Henry had planned the perfect murder. He had anticipated everything. Except this.