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Sunday, August 15, 2010

Amelie

First let me say, I wasn't always a fan of this crew. I viewed City of Lost Children first, ages ago, right after it'd been released. It was twisted and dark and I didn't like it.
I saw it again a few years later, and loved it. I don't know what had changed, I suspect it was an instance of "Bad Movie experience". You know - bad company, or I was cajoled into watching the movie, I chalk it now up to general malaise. I later loved the film, bought the soundtrack and often recommend it to others. At some point between my first and second viewing my appreciation of its surrealism developed. I enjoy the camera angles, the ideas in the film especially the twins and the flea circus. But I digress.
I didn't see Delicatessen until last year.
Somewhere between the those films I saw 2 Jean-Pierre Jeunet movies - Amelie and Alien 4.
Amelie being the far better movie. The less said about Alien 4 the better.
Amelie though. What a ride!
It's hard for me to pinpoint what I love more, the camera angles and fast zippy shots or the color.
I love Jeunet's use of the colors red and green. I love the pleasant atmosphere he's placed his regulars (including, Dominique Pinon) in, The Two Windmills and Montmartre. The quips and facts and non sequiturs are great. There are brilliant little moments in the film that still, this many years after first watching it still make me stop everything and watch. Audrey Tautou is lovely and easy to watch, she does doe eyed wonder with ease. I like this film, it's an easy modern day fairy tale with gorgeous use of color and brilliant shots.
It's an easy story to watch, a young sheltered woman starts to live in the world. She meets people, helps people, meddles in other people's lives and all in all starts to get out more and risk a little. It's a film about dreams and love, what's not to love. The acting is superb, the dialogue is quiet and thought out and it's all brilliantly shot.
It's eye candy at its finest.
Enjoy!

1 comment:

  1. I was the opposite. Loved City of Lost Children hated Amelie. I haven't watched either one recently but I did watch Rusalka which is billed as an Amelie type film, and certainly does contain some quirky trappings, and I liked it. Could be just slight degrees of tone or timing.

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