|
What is it
about things to do with France at the moment. Less than a month
after Moulin
Rouge comes another visual treat for all fans of Paris.
Nigel
Bell
Take a sharp
intake of breath and don't be scared. This is a French film with
subtitles which I urge you to see.
Because of the
above there's a serious chance Amelie will not be as big
a hit on these shores as it should be.
The good news
is that as well as being shown at the Broadway the film may get
into multiplex venues as well.
Quite simply
this movie looks good, is uplifting and yet bizarre at the same
time.
It focuses on
the life of Amelie Poulain who's sheltered upbringing forces her
into a fantasy world of her own.
 |
| What do
you mean, there's something in my coffee? |
Things don't
improve when her mother dies after being squashed by a tourist who's
fallen off Notre Dame.
Amelie eventually
leaves home and finds work as a waitress in a Parisian cafe.
A chance discovery
of a tin box containing toys from a mystery childhood leads to her
reuniting the box with its now middle-aged owner.
It's at this
point that Amelie discovers her true vocation in life - to help
others find love and happiness.
The film follows
the extreme, bizarre lengths she goes to to in fulfilling this aim.
All is well
until the inevitable - Amelie meets a man and falls in love herself.
Can the woman who has helped so many help herself?
 |
| Is it just
me or is it really really cold in here? |
It's a simple
enough plot. What raises this above so many other films is the strange
mix of characters who pepper the plot. Each is introduced with a
rapid narrative giving the characters likes and dislikes. Within
twenty seconds you're fully briefed on the person, whether their
role in the movie is major or not.
There's a hypochondriac
tobacconist, grumpy grocer, ailing artist, paranoid lover. It's
an almost endless list. Eccentric is an understatement yet somehow
it all works.
The actors recruited
by director Jeunet (also responsible for Delicatessen) have
amazing faces, the beauty of Paris is outstanding. It all adds up
to a visual delight which demands to be seen.
On top of this
there are great visual techniques including one scene where a man
talks to four passport photographs of himself at the same time and
another where Amelie literally dissolves into a puddle of water.
It's already
been a big hit in France despite criticism from some pundits that
it doesn't reflect the true Paris. They say ethnic minorities aren't
represented and the movie is little more than a holiday advertisement
for the capital.
That's far too
harsh. Hundreds of thousands of French have been to see the movie,
you should to.
|
