The China Mail - 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' sells more Paris romantic escapism

The third series of the show ranked first in 120 countries on Amazon Prime when it kicked off in July -- rivalling the success of Netflix phenomenon "Emily in Paris", which did wonders for the city's image while provoking a backlash from some Parisians.

The most recent episodes of "The Summer I Turned Pretty" took protagonist Belly (played by Lola Tung) to the "City of Light" to escape an imploding love triangle that forms the dramatic core of the series.

Belly leaves her ex-fiance Jeremiah Fisher (Gavin Casalegno) to embark on a journey of self-discovery -- following in the footsteps of numerous American on-screen heroines in search of love in France.

Jenny Han, author of the original romance novels, suggested moving the final run to Paris, having dropped clues like Belly's French classes to referencing 1960s cinema classics earlier in the series.

"Audrey Hepburn in Paris, coming into her own and becoming a young woman there, is so iconic I thought it would be so lovely if Belly could have that too," Han told the Los Angeles Times, referring to the 1950s and 60s screen icon's long association with the city.

In the last three instalments, Paris provides the picturesque background in classic style, with its stereotypically rude waitstaff, sweet pastries and photogenic streets.

Even though most fans thought that Belly's journey had come to an end with the last episode on September 17, Han has announced a film is in the works with Amazon that will be the "final chapter".

- 'Long tradition' -

Paris has provided the backdrop to numerous American classics including Vincente Minelli's 1951 "An American in Paris" -- which Belly and leading man Conrad Fisher mirror as they dance along the Seine river in the final episode.

"Paris is sort of about love beyond the ordinary world," said Waddick Doyle, global communications professor at the American University of Paris. "It's total transcendence outside of space and time."

Other commentators such as Lindsey Tramuta, a Paris-based writer whose book "New Paris" tackles stereotypes about France, says the series risks perpetuating some of the myths.

"When the foreign media lend their take on Paris, it becomes this sort of flattened caricature," Tramuta told AFP.

"It is in a long tradition that keeps Paris cast in this role, that it can't really get out of," she said.

Most scenes in "The Summer I Turned Pretty" were shot in affluent neighbourhoods in Saint Germain des Pres, the Latin Quarter, near the Canal Saint-Martin and Montmartre -- where the heroine settles into a spacious apartment with a view of the Sacre-Coeur basilica.

"There are moments where this becomes pretty problematic, when what they're showing is a very whitewashed, almost sterile version of the place that doesn't reflect reality," Tramuta added.

That is unlikely to put off foreign visitors seeking to explore Belly's path.

One of the main restaurants used in the first series of "Emily in Paris", Terra Nera, was swamped with selfie-snapping tourists and is now included in popular tours of the capital.

As a similar wave of tourists could follow Belly Conklin, some hope that future depictions of the city become more nuanced and diverse.

"Why can't we show the real Paris and have it also fulfil that fantasy?" asked Tramuta.

T.Wu--ThChM