Amelie

Amelie

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Movie Reviews of Amelie

Movie Review: The DVD features are almost a marvel in themselves. . . .
Summary: 5 Stars

Granted, that advice may hold true for the commentary, with Jeunel pointing out which beautiful images were really only special effects or how many takes were required of certain scenes that look completely natural in the context of the film. But it almost certainly does not hold true for the DVD treatment itself of "Amelie," which, even if it contained only half the features that it does, would STILL be one of the most wonderful and creative uses of the medium thus far. (And I say this because, as of right now, I've still only gotten through about half of those features myself!)

Jean-Pierre Jeunet admits to being a "control freak" here, and that may well be a large reason for including a whole other disc of material whose running time is probably as long as "Amelie" itself. But, in this case at least, the backstory is just as engrossing, and it actually serves to complement "Amelie's" themes of destiny and that sense of wonder that goes unnoticed by most people. Here's the best of what I've seen of it so far:

-- At the Q&A with Jeunet at the American Cinematheque in L.A. last January, he good-naturedly apologizes for his broken English; as with that version of the director's commentary, an interpreter prompts him periodically. (Of course, considering that he apparently didn't speak it at all when he directed "Alien: Resurrection," I didn't think his English was that bad.) He goes through a few of the true and even autobiographical elements of "Amelie" and, when asked about the influence of the French New Wave, blurts out, half-mockingly and to great applause, "FORGET THE NEW WAVE!" A "new wave" lasts for three seconds, Jeunet says -- not 50 years. Plus, he said it was better to make a French film that the audience would enjoy -- not just the filmmakers.

-- The screen tests feature Audrey Tautou, Urbain Cancelier (Collignon, the grocer) and Yolande Moreau (Madeleine Wallace, the concierge), but it's pretty obvious who's the star here. It's absolutely breathtaking to watch the lo-res video footage and see Audrey Tautou finish giving the screenmakers three-quarter shots of her face and then scrunch it up, open her eyes and just EMBODY Amelie -- and then go back to being an actress again. With Cancelier and Moreau, there's a similar sense that there's something happening, too.

-- My favorite feature so far, though, is the informal chat with Jeunet, which basically features the director sitting in (presumably) his office, facing the camera and just talking in French about some of the details that he faced while preparing and filming "Amelie." Some of them seem downright laughable now: He'd said in interviews that he'd wanted to make a small French film with universal, heartwarming appeal but didn't think that he had the stuff for it, couldn't get financing at first for it and then was rebuffed at Cannes because the president of the festival thought the film depicted a "nauseating Paris." It's also interesting to visualize Emily Watson in the role of Amelie: Jeunet initially was so dead-set on getting her that he had an English version of the screenplay written because she didn't speak French. But, just as with "Amelie" itself, it's hard not to break into a smile when Jeunet describes the sensation that the movie caused in France. In the first weekend, "Amelie" almost equals the overall admissions of his first feature, "Delicatessen." The French title of the movie becomes a pun in newspaper headlines throughout the country. And, following a private screening at the Presidential Palace, Jacques Chirac declares it one of the best nights that he's ever had (after a bad day that apparently included burning himself while making eggs over easy) and feels invigorated enough to go back to work again. My favorite part, though, is when Jeunet shows off two pieces of mail that he received from a particularly solid fan of "Amelie." There's a thank-you letter featuring Fotomat pictures of the girl dressed up as Zorro and then what appears to be a mock-up of the Garden Gnome. Neither piece of mail has Jeunet's address: They get to him because the girl has written an apparently persuasive enough letter to her mailman and included it with each package.

Anyway, you get the idea, and this is just a SMALL part of what's contained here. Of course, some of the stories are repeated a couple of times (both in English and in French), and it may be a bit extraneous to some viewers to sit through things like the Audrey Tautou blooper/out-take reel, the storyboard comparison and the multiple mentions that, YES, the color was digitally enhanced. But in a way, all these features reinforce the fact that "Amelie" really is a film much greater than the sum of its parts, and just as with the film itself, there's almost always something to catch your eye and demand your attention.

Bottom line, though: The DVD package of "Amelie" is beautifully faithful to the magic of the theatrical version, and it will definitely be something to treasure for a long, long time.

Summary of Amelie