Above: Mechanical eye and listening device used by cyborgs in The City of Lost Children, 1995, Musee de Cinema et Miniature
I’ve always been a fan of science fiction, of models used in cinema. But I prefer miniatures, to dream a little…. I freeze frames of moments in life, places that touch me.”
Dan Ohlmann interviewed by Ludivine Corporal, “His Miniatures Have Been Wildly Successful for Years in This Renowned Museum,” Actu France, November 17, 2024
Dan Ohlmann’s construction of realistic miniatures is more time-consuming than it even looks, yet, by 1990, he had accumulated a substantial enough collection to open his Palais de la Miniature. As his fascination with set-design continued, he expanded to the acquisition of film memorabilia, costumes and props. A lot of them.
With a museum bursting at the seams and attracting an increasing amount of international attention, a Swiss fan arose as a major beneficiary. The donor purchased an early 15th-century Renaissance inn and turned it over to house the collection in 2004 – Le Musee de Cinema et Miniature.
In addition to miniatures, the collection includes several full-size sets plus actual film costumes and props. While many movie mementos are easily identifiable, others will require true film buffs to pinpoint their origin. Test your own skills, and, sorry, no hints offered by this blogger.
It would have been a shame to see the collection go to Paris or Los Angeles.”
Julien Dumont, CNC interview, September 16, 2022
Following Ohlmann’s doctor-advised retirement in 2021, the museum was bought by devoted cinephile Julien Dumont. Dumont is a producer, director and screenwriter with Titan Films, based in Switzerland.
Dumont’s ambitious ongoing plans for the museum include expanding workshops for restoration of cinematic artifacts – workshops large enough to accommodate the 32-foot-long ship from Wes Anderson’s 1997 film, Event Horizon. Museum staff is working on film restoration and assembling an enormous database documenting cinematic artifacts.
We also have the ambition to dedicate part of the museum to stop-motion and animation, and another to film music, with original scores on display. There will also be master classes with composers…. The place will really expand, we are at the crossroads between the amusement park, the cabinet of curiosities and the heritage museum.”
Julien Dumont, CNC interview
If no films have utilized the 17th-century former Hotel de Milan in Lyon, it’s a set-in-waiting. It captivated Ohlmann’s interest enough for him to duplicate it in miniature. So, which is his construction and which is a present-day photo of the interior?
Unfortunately, the actual structure is the more dilapidated-looking version on the left. Unfortunate not only from a preservationist point of view. The cinematic look of it attracted our interest when my husband volunteered to look for a spot for our daughter and son-in-law to stay near us.
It definitely qualifies as down at the heels. Their compact apartment was miniature on the scale of tiny houses, but at least the remodeled interior was clean. Fortunately, they embraced the quirkiness of their temporary lodging with enthusiasm.
Our son-in-law took the photo above and is employing it to demonstrate an app he developed – Panoscano. The easy-to-use app enables transforming photos into your own cinematic creations.
Somehow, the pair still appears willing to trust our travel-planning.
Postcards from Barton Springs 