Un long dimanche de fiançailles (France, A very long engagegement, 2004)

I knew nothing of the movie except that it was advertised as a sequel to Amelie. However just because the actress playing the heroine and the director was the same it was a very different movie. I appreciate multi-layer movies like this one that successfully combine war movie, love story and detective story into a coherent piece of art. Let’s take each of these aspects one by one. I have never seen such a realistic looking depiction of World War I trench lines. The cruelty and reality of the war grabbed my stomach. The opening scenes showed and introduced 5 French soldiers sentenced to death mostly for self-mutilation as they walk in those dreadful trenches. Later the bombing, the deaths, the G-d-forsaken feeling of being there all came through loud and clear in a somewhat similar way that the opening of Saving Private Ryan did for World War II. The love story, true to French tradition had more pain and mystery in it than fulfillment. The sweetest part was how the couple grew up together from their childhood on. And of course Audrey Tautou’s charm can enlive any romantic flick. In this case she did most of the investigation too. Her strength to do so came from her love and the hope she never gave up to find her beau seemingly lost in the war. The recreation of 1920′s Paris was the other high point of the movie for me. The market scene, the buildings, the ambience I could have enjoyed longer. Part of the effect it had on me was due to the use of sepia tones. The colors were similar to the photographs and postcards of the era. I know that in reality they had just as many colors back then than we do now, but using this limited palette made it feel more authentic looking back in time 90 years later. I was surprised to see a familiar face. I had to check in the credits and indeed one of the minor characters was played by Jodie Foster. She was supposed to be a Polish immigrant in France. I cannot judge her French accent, because I don’t speak the language well enough (or at the moment at all), but sounded harsh enough. Overall this was a delightful period movie.

• IMDB
• DVD (@Amazon)