Amelie is pretty much a catalog listing of every funny story
or anecdote that director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ever heard, linked together
into a delirious chain of coincidences and fate. At the center of this
is the character Amelie Poulain (Audrey Tautou), a cute-as-a-button
dreamer and do-gooder obsessed with finding happiness for others even
though she is too socially inept to find it for herself.
She is a prankster, manipulating people's lives, correcting perceived
injustices, and attempting to bring some sense of order and balance to
the universe. All the while, her efforts at exerting control backfire
when it comes to her own life and she lives a self-imposed solitary
existence, taking comfort in the simple pleasures of life, finding
sensuality in things that others takes for granted.
Jeunet is a master of painstaking formalist technique and he knows well
how to use magnificent imagery, dazzling camerawork, and flawless
special effects to actually enhance rather than distract from the
storytelling. The movie is consistently clever, frequently hilarious,
and utterly beguiling in every respect. I am convinced that lead actress
Audrey Tautou must be possessed by the spirit of Audrey Hepburn: Her
frail waif-like figure disguises a coy sex appeal and her performance
balances naivety with an almost limitless amount of charm. She can light
up the screen with a mere glance or expression like no other actress
I've seen since Hepburn's heyday in films like Roman Holiday or
Breakfast at Tiffany's. Tautou would have made a marvelous silent film
star, as we are reminded by her Louise Brooks hairdo.
Upon my first viewing of
Amelie, I found myself wishing for
some of the darker elements from Jeunet's previous films (made along
with Marc Caro), but on subsequent screenings (and there have been
several) I've realized that they are neither needed nor appropriate for
this particular story.
Amelie is a delightful fantasy, an ode
to mementos thrown away and a celebration of anything unnoticed or
misunderstood. The film is infused with a love for the power of pure
cinematic expression and there is not a single imperfect frame in its
entire running length. This is a film to be cherished and rewatched,
each new viewing revealing some small detail previously missed. At just a
fraction over two hours, I almost wish the movie would last forever
because I would certainly continue to watch it.
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