Find out about the race to build Paris’ most famous landmark when two men vied to be the first to build a monument 1,000 feet tall. See how one man’s vision transformed the Paris skyline, making the Eiffel Tower a global icon. Dramatic recreations, official renderings and personal correspondence tell the story.
Film Interviewees
- Barry Bergdoll – Architectural Historian, Columbia University
- Michel Carmona – Biographer of Gustave Eiffel
- Julie Gimbal – Architectural Historian
- Bertrand Lemoine – Architect and Architectural Historian
- Claudine Philouze-Chatty – Engineer and Art Historian
- Isabelle Morin Loutrel – Curator of Historical Monuments
- Jean-Michel Leniaud – Art Historian and Biographer of Charles Garnier
Secrets of the Dead: Eiffel’s Race to the Top is a ZED production for ARTE France in association with The WNET Group, in association with FTV Prima, Movistar Plus+, TV5MONDE, RTBF Documentary Unit, TV5 Québec, and RSI. Written and directed by Mathieu Schwartz and Savin Yeatman-Eiffel. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Produced by Gaëlle Guyader. For ZED: Manuel Catteau is executive producer; Claire Bénard is general manager. For Secrets of the Dead: Benjamin Phelps is supervising producer; Stephanie Carter is executive producer; Stephen Segaller is executive in charge.
Original production funding for Eiffel’s Race to the Top was provided by the Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée (CNC) and Procirep-ANGOA, with production support provided by SOFICA Cinémage 17.
Funding for Secrets of the Dead is provided by public television viewers.