Sunday, August 11, 2002
Oh, I forgot! I finally saw Amélie today (on DVD), and not only did it meet my (very high) expectations, it surpassed each and every one of them. I'd figured that, with all those great reviews, there was no way this could be a bad movie, but too much hype is not always a good thing. And sometimes I disagree with the critics. Not always, but sometimes.
But Amélie turned out to be one of the most romantic films I've seen in years, worthy of every bit of the hype and the awards and the excellent reviews. It melted my (admittedly already pretty soft) heart. And I fell heads over heels in love with the star, Audrey Toutou. I mean, how could I not? She's cute, beautiful, funny, quirky, and sweet. And French. Jackpot.
Visually, the movie is striking and original. Warm and textured, with amazing attention to detail, colours are used throughout to great effect, and every shot is a work of art and a labour of love. Paris looks about as romantic as only Paris can look (with the possible exception of New York, Venice, and San Francisco). After watching this film, you just want to learn French, move to Paris, and start hanging out in cafés, hoping (against hope, probably) to meet another Amélie.
The story - and script - is wonderfully unconvential. This isn't Hollywood storytelling, and it's all the better for it. My worst nightmare would be an English-language remake starring, ack, Meg Ryan, directed by Nora Ephron. No, let's not give 'em any ideas. They have no scruples. They might just do it.
The most fun part of any Jeunet film - except Alien: Resurrection, which was a huge disappointment - is witnessing the various chains of events he creates - like a complex pattern of dominoes - be it coincidence or fate, which brings the characters together...or not apart. It's his signature, and it's part of what makes his films so unpredictable and intriguing to watch. The other part is the unbelievable Frenchness of it all - in a positive way, of course. It wouldn't work half as well as it does had the actors not been speaking French, had it not been set in Paris, and had there been no accordion music. I can't remember the last time I said that about accordion music.
I don't want to say anything more about the film, because it's something precious and beautiful, and if you haven't yet seen it, then do so now. I guarantee you - unless you're dead inside, and keep half-eaten corpses in your freezer - that you'll fall in love with the film. And the girl. Even if you're a girl. And no, that doesn't make you gay.
But Amélie turned out to be one of the most romantic films I've seen in years, worthy of every bit of the hype and the awards and the excellent reviews. It melted my (admittedly already pretty soft) heart. And I fell heads over heels in love with the star, Audrey Toutou. I mean, how could I not? She's cute, beautiful, funny, quirky, and sweet. And French. Jackpot.
Visually, the movie is striking and original. Warm and textured, with amazing attention to detail, colours are used throughout to great effect, and every shot is a work of art and a labour of love. Paris looks about as romantic as only Paris can look (with the possible exception of New York, Venice, and San Francisco). After watching this film, you just want to learn French, move to Paris, and start hanging out in cafés, hoping (against hope, probably) to meet another Amélie.
The story - and script - is wonderfully unconvential. This isn't Hollywood storytelling, and it's all the better for it. My worst nightmare would be an English-language remake starring, ack, Meg Ryan, directed by Nora Ephron. No, let's not give 'em any ideas. They have no scruples. They might just do it.
The most fun part of any Jeunet film - except Alien: Resurrection, which was a huge disappointment - is witnessing the various chains of events he creates - like a complex pattern of dominoes - be it coincidence or fate, which brings the characters together...or not apart. It's his signature, and it's part of what makes his films so unpredictable and intriguing to watch. The other part is the unbelievable Frenchness of it all - in a positive way, of course. It wouldn't work half as well as it does had the actors not been speaking French, had it not been set in Paris, and had there been no accordion music. I can't remember the last time I said that about accordion music.
I don't want to say anything more about the film, because it's something precious and beautiful, and if you haven't yet seen it, then do so now. I guarantee you - unless you're dead inside, and keep half-eaten corpses in your freezer - that you'll fall in love with the film. And the girl. Even if you're a girl. And no, that doesn't make you gay.
