Amelie

Amelie: I really enjoyed the film. Witty, clever and at times, surprising. Amelie actually meddles with damaged male subjects, not to mention the garden gnome. This was a sweet, charming, funny movie. You need to pay attention to the change of the colors and quirky humor. Her biggest challenge is to overcome her own shyness and apply what she is trying to do for others into her own life. Having discovered the joy of charity and creating miracles for all those around her, Amelie is at last ready for some miracles in her own life. The views are wonderful as director Jean-Pierre Jeunet moves his camera through the streets of a dream-like Paris. Everything seems perfect in Jeunet's world as the colors of clothing and the mood, the atmosphere, and the music to touch the emotional side in all of us. Interview with the Director: “iW: Compared to your earlier work, "Amélie" is much lighter and more positive. Why did you suddenly get the urge to make a romantic comedy? Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Maybe that's because I am in love (laughs). In fact I began to work on this film before I fell in love. When I worked with Marc Caro, it was impossible to put personal emotions into the films, because we are not brothers, we are not lovers, we are not very close. I kept my own ideas for myself, and after "The City of Lost Children," we wanted to make different films. For a long time I've had a kind of collection of memories, stories, anecdotes, and I wanted to make a film with this collection. I spent maybe four months [working on it], and then they called me to make "Alien." And when I came back, I worked on it again and it was very difficult. Then one day, I don't know why, I just thought, "Oh my God, this is the story: this woman helping other people." And before, that was just one small story in a collection of other stories. iW: So you didn't wake up one day and say, "I want to make a happy movie." Jeunet: That was the concept: to make a positive story. Amelie is pretty sad, pretty alone, pretty introverted, but she still has to stay positive all of the time. This was the first note. We wanted to get a smile from the audience, and this was the case, but we did not expect such success. It was just a very small film, and it was risky because I knew I was going to talk about generosity and it's a risk, because today it is more fashionable to speak about violence. iW: Why did you want to explore generosity? Jeunet: Why? Because this story is about a woman who helps people in secret. You know Paul Auster? He did a story, I think it's in "Leviathan," about a woman who sees a guy who has bad taste and she gives him a gift in secret. It's a very nice tie, and one week after, a very nice shirt, and the taste of the guy changes little by little. I love this story. And I saw another film in France, a very old film: a woman receives ten dollars each day and she doesn't know from who. And I love this kind of story. iW: In all of your films (besides "Alien"), there's this idea of people's secret lives and the crazy schemes they come up with to get what they want, like the elaborate ways Aurore tries to kill herself in "Delicatessen" and the kids in "The City of Lost Children" using a cat and a mouse to break into a safe. What's the fascination there? Jeunet: I don't know. I think this film is a little bit different. It's also talking about destiny, but not this kind of chain of events. I tried to avoid that. I remember one scene I cut a lot because I did not want to repeat myself, the scene where they make love and the objects are moving. I am not very proud about that, because it's too "Delicatessen." But I do the same thing in my own life. When I give a gift, for example, I put arrows on the floor: You have to open the refrigerator. Inside you have an artichoke. Inside you have a paper [saying] you have to turn on the TV. I am on TV. I explain that you have to open a book, etc. I love this. iW: Have you done that kind of thing since you were a child? Jeunet: I suppose. When I was a child, I was escaping from my family with imagination. And it continues, but now they pay me for it. A lot of people lose the spirit of childhood. Every child has a lot of imagination and you lose it little by little. I don't know why, but I kept it. iW: Maybe you just cultivate it in your work. I was astounded, for example, with the incredible details in the film, like the characters' likes and dislikes. You have this amazing ability to hone in on very personal and specific details. Jeunet: It's exactly the thing I do in my life. I do some lists every day: new things I hate, things I love. I know it by heart, this game. If you say, "I love peanuts," it is not interesting. You have to find the feeling. And I've wanted for a long time to use this game to present characters in a feature, and I did. But that's my own list. I distributed it [among] the characters. I chose the best one for each character, to define the characters, like I love to put my hands in the sacks of grains: Amelie. iW: How long did it take you to write the screenplay? Jeunet: It's always one year, but you don't do just a script. I did some commercials at the same time. You give the script to friends and receive their impressions, and when four or five people talk about a [particular] problem, then you know you have a problem. And at this time you begin a second draft with two or three big changes. For example, in the first draft the old man didn't exist. It was a kid. Can you believe it? I don't like in a movie when you have a sick kid. It's so easy. The old man in this film is okay, because it is not sad. It's just symbolic. iW: Why do you think it's been so successful? Jeunet: Because it's about generosity. It's a positive story, but I didn't expect a success like this. For me, after "Alien," it was just a small French film and very risky, because generosity could become tacky very quickly. But let me explain the success: It had four hundred and fifty good reviews and only six bad ones, and after awhile it became a social event. Everybody wanted to use the title, and the life of the neighborhood changed. The owner of the cafe Les Deux Moulins wanted to sell the cafe, and now he doesn't. He does interviews everyday. The train for tourists visits the café [and says]: "They shot 'Amelie'" Amazing. iW: You have turned your Amelie, Audrey Tautou, into a star. She was an interesting choice, because in your past films you have all these people with funny faces. Jeunet: She is funny. She has a funny face, but on the other hand, she's very nice. It's exactly the mix I love. I saw her in a poster and I saw the big eyes. Some people ask me if it is a special effect because she has such big pupils. They're huge. It's amazing. And she was perfect. I did some tests and she was immediately perfect. She will be a star, believe me. And I told her, "France will be too small for you very quickly. You have to learn English." And now she is hired by Stephen Frears.” (http://www.musicolog.com/jeunet_interview1.asp) Questions that remain: Will Amelie now feel like she fits into the world being she is in her new relationship? What happened to the relationship between the couple in the cafe? I found this movie very likable. I also found the whole movie visually appealing. Every scene was full of vivid color and detail, pictures that came to to life and talked, and all the characters have extremely interesting faces and personalities. The mood of the movie is very quirky and silly. It's very light-hearted, feel-good, change-your-perspective kind of movie. (Referenced in text, chapter 4.) This movie includes rich, antique-looking cinematography, as well as, its inclusion of several effects shots that help to provide the feeling of Paris as heaven on earth. Visual effects include Amelie herself collapsing to the ground as a puddle of water when she sees the man of her dreams and the garden gnome that travels the world. (Referenced in text, Chapter 5.) The film's exposure to Rufus, whose torn photos litter the floors of photo-booths, which are then taken by others in the movie to create a photo-album. This references how we can take others' personal treasures into our own hearts. Amelie takes us on a stroll down the path of lives little treasures and troubles. From the goldfish to the grocer, this film is an excellent look at an ordinary life that turns into something wonderful. The style and theme of this movie can change one's perspectives on life. The cinematography was wonderful in this movie; the angles of the camera, the colors of the costumes and the sets. The music was perfect, along with the great feel of the atmosphere, and the great storyline. Everything in this film was so inviting to watch. All the different aspects of the film came together to form a great story. Amazing use of color and lighting with the small touch of visual effects it truly completes the story. The emotional torture Amélie did to Collignon was more than entertaining! I even loved the travels of the garden gnome. These events were truly commical. We were entertained, we laughed, we smiled and by the end of the film. The movie taught us a lesson that making yourself happy in life is the next best thing when helping others appreciate the magic of life. Amelie speaks to the heart. In times of uncertainty in the world and where we are all in search of a uplifting message, this movie fits that category!