INSPIRED BY LOVE, HE CREATED A MASTERPIECE.

What inspired Gustave Eiffel to build his great tower in the heart of Paris in the late 1800s? The answer to that question is not really what we learn in this film that claims to be a portrait of the engineer and the woman who left an indelible mark on him.

Jumping back and forth between the construction of the tower and the 1860s when Eiffel supposedly had a love affair with a businessman’s daughter in Bordeaux, the film crafts an OK romance with little basis in reality.

A handsome fantasy; worth a look if you’re willing to buy into it.

2021-France. 108 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Martin Bourboulon. Cast: Romain Duris (Gustave Eiffel), Emma Mackey (Adrienne Bourgès), Pierre Deladonchamps (Antoine de Restac), Armande Boulanger, Bruno Raffaelli, Alexandre Steiger. 

Trivia: At one point, Luc Besson reportedly considered making the film.