The urban renovation of Marseille in Luc Besson's Taxi series

Abstract

Similar to other post-industrial European cities, Marseille has been going through a process of intense urban renewal over the last 20 years. The symptoms of these changes were indicated in the action film series Taxi as early as the 1990s, when the renewal was beginning to take shape. Four films shot between 1998 and 2007, written and produced by Luc Besson, reflect the urgency felt by the government and commerce in Marseille to promote the city as the Mediterranean capital of global finance and tourism. This article first examines the process of urban renovation in Marseille. After a brief discussion on the city's representation in cinema, the article considers the film industry's interest in post-industrial urban spaces. Finally, it explores how the Taxi series prefigures the city that the urban renewal aspires to: a Marseille rendered more attractive for investments and tourists thanks to increased security measures and sanitised ethnic diversity.