There’s a scene in the early ’90s
Cameron Crowe film Singles where
Bridget Fonda’s character Janet goes to toss a paper towel into the trash and
bases whether she should call this guy she likes on whether she sinks the shot.
It always stuck with me because I have often sought answers using the “If this
happens, then this will happen” theorem.
Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) relies on
that same less-than-scientific method to keep from giving up as she searches
for her soldier in A Very Long Engagement,
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s adaptation of French novelist Sebastian Japrisot’s
gorgeous ode to the absurdity of war and the intensity of love… as well as
the intensity of war and the absurdity of love.
Mathilde’s longtime sweetheart Manech
(Gaspard Ulleil from Brotherhood of the
Wolf, a total guilty pleasure) was court-martialed in 1917 along with four
other men for self-mutilation — they had hoped to earn a ticket home from
World War I. All were thought to have died after being sent out into No Man’s
Land in lieu of execution, but as the voiceover narration says, “If Manech were
dead, Mathilde would know.”
Three years later Mathilde decides to
launch her own investigation into what happened at the oddly named Bingo
Crepuscule trench. Despite a childhood bout with polio that left her with a
limp, her combination of luck and passion takes her from her home on the
breathtaking coast of Brittany to the military archives in Paris to the
battlefield where Manech was last seen. The answers don’t come quickly or
easily, and Mathilde is not above playing the wheelchair card when it suits her
purpose.
In true Jeunet fashion, Mathilde’s
journey finds her crossing paths with a colorful array of characters, including
a determined private eye (Ticky Holgado, from the talking photo in Amelie, in his final film), a bartender
with a multi-purpose wooden hand, a stubborn mailman, and a mysterious but
helpful German woman (Elina Lowensohn, best known for her role as the titular
vampire in Michael Almereyda’s Nadja).
One step ahead of Mathilde, however,
is Tina Lombardi (Marion Cotillard, from the Amelie ripoff Love Me If You
Dare), a prostitute who was also involved with one of the court-martialed
soldiers. But Tina’s resolution comes in the form of cleverly implemented
revenge that inadvertently thwarts Mathilde’s dogged efforts to find Manech.
It’s whimsical, it’s romantic, and
it’s gory as hell. Jeunet and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel don’t shy away
from the horrors of war as they juxtapose the bleak grays of the trenches
against the crimson innards that saturate the battlefield. The lovely warm
tones used away from the war help them re-create 1920 Paris — with scenes
showcasing the Opera Garnier, the Eiffel Tower, and the Musee d’Orsay when it
was still a train station — presumably using a blend of actual footage and computer-generated
imagery (I say “presumably” because I didn’t research it — I adore buying
into the illusions on the screen). And is there anything sexier than
Edwardian-era underthings?
Audrey Tautou, who also teamed up
with Jeunet for Amelie, has a visage
suited for silent films. She beams during the flashback scenes showing the
adorable courtship of Mathilde and Manech, but her features are perpetually
flecked with worry during her quest to find him. The cast is full of familiar
French faces, including Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon as Mathilde’s kindly
uncle who gets embroiled in her mission and Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Red Lights) as one of Manech’s fellow
court-martialed soldiers.
And in a very welcome return to the
screen, Jodie Foster gives a heartbreaking performance as a woman in love with
two best friends. Apparently a Yale education can do wonders for your language
skills.
Elle
le regarde…
Last
week I scrambled aboard the “Best Movies of 2004” bandwagon. But have other
critics highlighted for you some of the more exciting celluloid prospects of
the coming year? Nope. That’s because they don’t love you like I love you.
These are five films to watch for in 2005, along with their tentative release
dates:
Sin
City: Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez bring Miller’s graphic noir novels
to the big screen with the help of Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro, and Elijah
Wood. (4/1)
Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory: Tim Burton directs, John August (Go, Big
Fish) writes, and Johnny Depp plays Willy Wonka. (7/15)
Elizabethtown:
Written and directed by Cameron Crowe, it stars Orlando Bloom as a man who
revisits his small-town upbringing after the death of his father. (7/29)
The
New World: The proverbial bad news-good news: Colin Farrell starring (no!)
as Captain John Smith (okay… ) for writer-director Terrence Malick (yay!) in
this epic about the settlement of the Virginia colony. (11/9)
Memoirs
of a Geisha: Rob Marshall (Chicago)
helms the long-awaited screen adaptation of the bestseller with a cast that
includes Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Michele Yeoh, and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe.
(12/16)
Oh, here’s one more:
Curse
of the Wererabbit: Don’t be frightened — it’s just Wallace and Gromit!
(10/7)
A Very Long Engagement(R), starring Audrey Tautou; directed
by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Little Theatre
This article appears in Dec 29, 2004 – Jan 4, 2005.
