THE PARIS OF INNOCENCE (Amelie (DVD))

Member Name: thingywhatsit

Product:	Amelie (DVD)
Date:	25/04/06 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Wonderfully filmed to create images that are unforgettable.

Disadvantages: None at all.

The first time that I saw this film was on a boat between England and France a couple of years ago, and I watched it again yesterday because it left that kind of feel good factor that I cannot remember having felt for a film for a long time.

WHATS THE FILM ABOUT ?

It's the kind of film that you get totally wrapped up in. If you remember childhood thoughts and dreams, and the simplicity of solutions that children come up with, then this film takes those images a step further. It revolves around the life of a French girl, whose upbringing is a sad one, although here, the child in Amelie shines through far beyond the sadness and goes into a place that childhood knows so well, that of imagination.

The images of the birth and childhood of this girl are sometimes bewildering, shocking and yet remains true to the theme of the film, in that the world is seen through the eyes of a child, something that many directors and writers would find hard to achieve, although achieved beautifully in the cinematography that is stunning, and assumes sensitivity on the part of the viewer, and that feeds that sensitivity all the way through the film.

Death is dealt with in a brusque manner, and death is brusque. When Amelie's mother dies, and shocks of childhood kick in, you actually feel the depth of it, although are struck by the way in which the film deals with grief, horror, fear, fantasy, love, hope and dreams.

The film is about the young life of Amelie, from childhood to adulthood and what is so special is the way in which the girl retains that childlike innocence even though life that surrounds her in Monmartre in Paris is relatively banal in nature.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Here, this film astound me like no other. There is a mixture of atmophere through clever filming and musical ambiance. I know and love this part of Paris, and what the film does is take you into the lives of normal Parisiens, each in their own way extraordinary. You feel for the man who has an illness that means he cannot take part in outside life because his bones are too brittle, the child who has hidden treasures that are part and parcel of where he came from, the barmaid that works in the cafe with Amelie, her landlady, and in a stunning scene, where Amelie feels in a moment of triumph that she has conquered the world, the cinematography takes you down a Paris street with a blind man, and she explained everything the man cannot see, leaving him bedazzled and enlightened.

There are scenes that stay in my mind, scenes of Paris parks, market stalls, huge city stations, seasons. None of the elements that touch our everyday lives are missed and Jean-Pierre Jeunet has done a wonderful job in creating realistic atmostphere in this movie.

ROLES

Amelie is played by Audrey Tatou, and I do not believe a better choice could have been made. She gives the air of thoughtful, mischievous, fun, tragic, and above all caring, as she delves into people's lives and finds she can make a difference to them, including that of her father, (played by Rufus), after the death of his wife. The part of the father is convincingly played as he goes through the stages of grieving. The young man that takes Amelie's interest is a strange but loveable character played by Matthieu Kassovitz.

What I liked about the casting for the film is the realism of the characters. These were well chosen, and although the story delves into the incredible, each of the players were believeable given the circumstances in which they found themselves.

MY ADVICE

This is a French language film and for those who do not understand French, there is still something to be gleaned from the film by reading the subtitles. I watched this film on my computer because it made the subtitles easy to read and was totally lost in the atmosphere, comedy, drama, and wonderment of the film for the whole running time of 122 minutes.

What I loved the most was the filming, coupled with the sentiment of seeing how one simple existance can touch so many lives, seeing how this girl saw herself and her life slipping away without doing anything that made a difference, and then turning the whole thing around. I loved the atmosphere of the film which was true to life and brought back memories of Paris, and its people, but most of all I loved the humour, the innocence and the feel good factor that left me with images of wonderment. Even taking simple scenarios like the way in which people belittle each other, live with memories, and need stimulation are dealt with so caringly.

FOR THE UNROMANTIC AND UNSENTIMENTAL

This film may not be for you.

FOR PEOPLE WHO CARE

Its a must.

Available from Amazon from £8.99, I would urge anyone who grasps for a little hope or dreamtime, amusement and optimism to buy this film and watch it, uninterrupted, and take in the amazing destiny of a very unusual human being.

Summary: A super never to be missed film