Directed by:
Anne FontaineCinematography:
Christophe BeaucarneComposer:
Alexandre DesplatCast:
Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos, Bruno Abraham-Kremer, Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc, Jana Bittnerová (more)VOD (1)
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From rags to riches to Haute-Couture: the incredible story of Coco Chanel. In a remarkable tour de force portrayal, the lovely Audrey Tautou becomes the legendary style icon Coco Chanel. From her humble beginnings at a French country orphanage to the extravagant heights of Parisian society, Chanel's indomitable creative spirit was expressed as a dance hall singer, seamstress, social rebel and fashion icon. Benoit Poelvoorde and Alessandro Nivola portray the men of wealth and elegance infatuated with the multi-faceted Coco Chanel, whose vision and style - inspired by fashion and fuelled by passion - paved a daring new way for modern women to look, dress and live their lives. (Warner Bros. AU)
(more)Reviews (4)
Cultured, conservative, and horribly mannerist. That might not be a problem, but aren't these the very traits that Coco Chanel fought against with her work? From my point of view, Anne Fontaine has simply reduced the personality of the revolutionary to a middle-class spectacle for the readers of style magazines.
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Coco Before Chanel is paradoxically perfectly complementary to the film Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky because it deals with exactly the period in Gabriela's life before Igor. And Audrey Tautou her a face to the version of Coco who was still a nobody, still an independent young lady stifled by the conventions of Art Nouveau society. She wasn't somebody yet, but she knew that she could achieve success by associating with the right men. Gabriela was very smart and in retrospect it seems she was emancipated as well, but she just always wanted to be independent.
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At the outset, I must say that in terms of the music, the cinematography and especially the choice of costumes, this is a great and visually perfect film. However, what I have to say after the introduction is one sad fact, which lies in that damned and everywhere known and repeated word "cliché", and here I was served up a good portion. On the other hand, what film today is not about clichés! In short, I thought the film would be more about Coco and her design work, but for a person like me who revels in period costumes, it was a treat. So as I say give Coco a chance, it's not exactly a waste of time
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This is an example of how not all biopics are breathtaking. Yes, Audrey Tautou tackled the offered role superbly. On the other hand, this doesn't bring much innovation and essentially only presents a dry depiction of a segment of the life of a famous French fashion woman, before she became so famous and acclaimed.
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