Tuesday 26 February 2019

Musée Cinéma et Miniature - Lyon

When looking for things to do in Lyon on our whistlestop tour of France I didn't have to look far for the number one, unmissable attraction; The Musée Cinéma et Miniature.

The Museum houses an incredibly impressive collection of props, prosthetics, models and minatures from a huge array of films including; Star Wars, Batman, Terminator, Flash Gordon, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Beetlejuice, Planet of the Apes, Pirates of the Caribbean, V for Vendetta, Robocop, Nightmare on Elm Street, Chucky, Gremlins, Fifth Element, Mars Attacks, various Marvel and DC films and of course, the main reason we were there; the Alien franchise.


Last thing I had heard the Alien Queen from Aliens was somewhere in America, and I know a lot of props Alien vanished after filming. Bulldozed (like the sets), taken home by crew, but not where they rightfully belong, in a museum for fans to enjoy. So as you might imagine finding out several pieces of Alien history were right here in Lyon waiting for me was a dream come true and a must see stop off. The greatest surprise was the Alien Queen who was in a darkened room with working animatronics and sound effects. The Queen needs restoring back to her former glory, but when she is she will have hundreds of movements to terrorize visitors, something I'm more than happy for my ticket money to help towards!

Having never been to a museum like this before I was very impressed with the content, atmosphere and lay out. Everyone seemed genuinely interested in the pieces of cinema history around them and the sense of nostalgia for many there seemed great (perhaps less so for children visiting as many of the films featured would be well before their time). There was excitement around every corner as you spotted another well loved character, reminisced on some of your favourite films or marveled at the technical work and time invested in the smallest of things.

One of the most impressive features within the museum were the fully reconstructed sets for the movie 'Perfume: the story of a murderer'. The complexity and intricate details were just incredible, and seeing these complete scenes laid out before you was just wonderful. I have seen the film a number of times and while quite harrowing and often hard to stomach, the film is none the less brilliant.


Everything about the museum screamed perfection, precision and detail. I imagine the founder or team who put together this incredible collection to be so dedicated and utter film fanatics! The museum is a must visit for any film fan in Lyon or nearby. I only hope that with continuing support this amazing museum continues to grow and amass an even larger collection of silver screen memorabilia for future generations to treasure. 

For more information and to plan a visit to the Museum visit: https://www.museeminiatureetcinema.fr/en/









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