Eiffel Tower in popular culture a symbol of the real or threatened destruction of the city, or the world. In others, the tower is used as an embodiment of Paris, the symbol of the city, to set the scene for a film or other work centered on the city. In yet others, as a symbol of the city in a more peripheral way. Other uses, to establish the tower simply as a well known visual element. Eiffel Tower in popular culture The Eiffel Tower has appeared frequently in works of fiction because of its iconic nature. Movie critic Roger Ebert has noted in his online
Eiffel Tower record their impressions of the tower. Gustave Eiffel described some of the responses as "vraiment curieuse" ("truly curious"). Famous visitors to the tower included the Prince of Wales, Sarah Bernhardt, "Buffalo Bill" Cody (his Wild West show was an attraction at the exposition) and Thomas Edison. Eiffel invited Edison to his private apartment at the top of the tower, where Edison presented him with one of his phonographs, a new invention and one of the many highlights of the exposition. Edison signed the guestbook with this message: Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years. It