Coco Before Chanel
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)
Plots(1)
Bonheur Chanel, the orphan who would build a fashion empire and be known universally by her nickname, Coco. She journeys from a mundane seamstress job to boisterous cabarets to the opulent French countryside, possessing little more than her unwavering determination, unique style and visionary talent. (official distributor synopsis)
Reviews (3)
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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This is an example that not all biographical films are absolutely captivating. Yes, Audrey Tautou played the offered role brilliantly, on the other hand, it doesn't bring much innovation and it basically just captures a dry segment of the life of a famous French fashion woman, the segment before she became so famous and respected. Hence the French title, which is much more descriptive than the dull Czech one.
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