night pictures

“Today the Palace is your typical Parisian theater, restored with all the care due a classified monument. Nothing remains that hints of the processions of mystery and cortege of strangeness that once passed through its halls. When you’ve journeyed far away — very far — too far — it’s difficult, if not impossible to return.” So writes Karl Largerfeld in the introduction to Philippe Morillon’s book, Une dernière danse (Edition 7L, Paris). “His pictures,” he continues, “are stronger than the stories of the survivors — stories often too full of emotion and posthumous judgment. But it was really like this. I know. I was part of it!” This is certainly the most beautiful and legitimate book about Paris nightlife from the late ’60s to the early ’80s. Here we present a few of Morillon’s pictures — a testa­ment of an era which still resonates — along with our own chronicle of contemporary nightlife….