Coco Before Chanel Deals on Audrey Tautou

Coco Before Chanel

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Editorial Reviews

Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, Amélie) shines in this intriguing portrait of the early life of Gabrielle 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. Also starring Benoît Poelvoorde (In His Hands) and Alessandro Nivola (Junebug). Featuring lush settings and stunning costume design, Coco Before Chanel is the gripping and dramatic story of an icon who defied convention and defined the modern woman.

Before she became Coco, the world-famous fashion designer, Gabrielle Chanel (Audrey Tautou in a fiercely determined performance) struggled to make ends meet. After her mother's death, her father deposited her and her sister, Adrienne (Marie Gillain), at an orphanage, where they learned to sew (and where Chanel developed a taste for monochromatic ensembles). They went on to become cabaret singers, but when Adrienne runs off with a wealthy suitor, the newly christened Coco must go it alone until she meets gentleman farmer Étienne Balsan (Benoît Poelvoorde). She lives comfortably at his chateau, but he refuses to take her out in public, so she puts her skills as a seamstress to good use and designs outfits for his lady friends, like Emilienne (Emmanuelle Devos), an actress. Chanel's situation improves further when British investor Arthur "Boy" Capel (Alessandro Nivola with an impeccable French accent) enters the scene. Her working-class origins present less of a problem with Capel, though the couple will have other issues with which to contend. In the meantime, he gives her the money to open her own Parisian studio, and the film ends with the tweed suit-clad Chanel of the popular imagination. Until that time, writer-director Anne Fontaine (The Girl from Monaco) presents a very different character, a woman who wasn't worldly or sophisticated, but who saw no reason why fashion--or "style," as she called it--should be complicated or uncomfortable. In transforming herself, Coco Chanel transformed an entire industry and, arguably, an entire gender. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

Stills from Coco Before Chanel (Click for larger image)

Customer Reviews

Blu-ray: A magnificent biopic of the earlier life of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

Reviewed by Dennis A. Amith (kndy), 2010-03-02

Chanel, one of the most famous brands in the world. Coco Chanel, the French fashion designer who is one of the most important fashion figureheads of the 20th Century.

But before she became the popular fashion designer, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel had her own set of challenges and personal tribulations and that personal life is explored in the 2009 book by Edmonde Charles-Roux and further explored in the biopic "Coco avant Chanel" (Coco Before Chanel) directed by actress/writer Anne Fontaine ("La fille de Monaco", "Nouvelle chance", "Nathalie) in collaboration with writer Camille Fontaine ("La grande vie", "L'oeil de l'autre").

The film is from Warner Bros. Pictures but is distributed in the US by Sony Pictures Classics and on video by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The film has grossed over $43 million worldwide and for a foreign film, made around $6 million in the U.S. "Coco Before Chanel" also earned a BAFTA Award nominations in four categories including "Best Foreign Film" and "Best Actress in a Leading Role" for Audrey Tautou.

VIDEO:

"Coco Before Chanel" is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 aspect ratio). The film looks absolutely stunning on Blu-ray capturing the detail of the early 1900's from the clothing to the living area of Balsan's castle and definitely another solid release in terms of picture quality from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

You can see the detail of the woven wool clothing of the garment to the exteriors of the walls and steps of Balsan's castle. The leaves on the ground, the grass on the fields, the garment textures...as mentioned the clothing, may it be wool, silk or lace. A solid presentation when it comes to detail. As for the colors, the film is not exactly vibrant. In fact, I believe it was intentional to give the film of Gabrielle's past life this washed out look. Possibly in tuned to capturing a look for that era. While Detail is maintained, the color pallet was intentional courtesy of cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne ("Paris", "The Inner Life of Martin Frost", Mr. Nobody"). Blacks are nice and deep and there is also a fine layer of grain throughout the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Audio is presented in French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Although the film is dialogue driven, there are moments where you can hear the crowd ambiance (Balsan's parties) to the sounds that are reflected from the natural surroundings of Balsan's castle. From horses galloping to the sounds of Boy's vehicle driving on the roads. But the film is dialogue driven and dialogue is crystal clear including the musical portions of the film, especially the wonderful soundtrack and musical score by composer Alexandre Desplat ("The Ghost Writer", "The Twilight Saga: New Moon", "Julie & Julia", "Fantastic Mr. Fox").

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Coco Before Chanel" comes with the following special features in standard definition (with English and French Stereo and English subtitles):

* Commentary by Director and Writer Anne Fontaine - In this audio commentary, writer/director Anne Fontaine is joined by producer Philippe Carcassonne and editor Luc Barnier. The commentary is in French but you do get optional English subtitles. A very good commentary as the three are quite in-depth in their discussion of the making of the film, certain scenes, editing the film working with Audrey Tautou, the costumes used in the film for accuracy and more.
* Walking the Red Carpet: From Los Angeles to New York - (7:49) A look at the cast and crew promoting the film in Los Angeles and New York.
* Coco Before Chanel "La Rentcontre" (The Meeting) - (18:17) The cast and crew talk about Coco Chanel and her influence, especially in the fashion world and also about the woman featured in the film.
* The Making of Coco Before Chanel - (46:12) A seven part documentary about the making of the film and interviews with cast and crew. The documentary is broken down in the following chapters: The Project's Origins, Coco' Look, An Extraordinry Destiny, Etienne Balsan, Boy Capel, Historical Reconstruction and Anne Fontaine.
* Theatrical Trailer - (2:02) The original theatrical trailer for "Coco Before Chanel".
* BD-Live Enabled

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Coco Before Chanel" was an intriguing and enjoyable biopic of the popular designer.

I have to admit that I am quite ignorant when it comes to Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, the woman who created this fashion empire as opposed to knowing the brand and of course the Chanel no. 5 fragrance showcased in my wife's fashion magazines. But I did find the story about Chanel's life to be quite entertaining and the performance by Audrey Tautou (as always) magnificent.

Of course, there is more to the story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel that is not in this film including her relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky and also what took place during World War II which was very controversial. But this biopic is more about a woman's survival and wanting to make the best for herself and doing it her way. And "Coco Before Chanel", especially with the release of this film on Blu-ray definitely gives viewers a chance to know the woman behind the famous fashion brand.

I don't really know how different Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's real life was different in compared to what we seen in the film (or how different the original book is from the film) but it was quite intriguing to see this early portrait of the life of Coco Chanel and how her experiences, eventually became the precursor to the famous fashion empire.

"Coco Before Chanel" is definitely a film for those who are curious about the woman behind the brand and also for Audrey Tautou fans who know the quality of her acting. Definitely recommended!

Captures Coco's essence

Reviewed by Gotham*City*Nurse, 2010-02-27

I was very eager to see this film, and to see Tautou's performance of a young Coco. The musical score is something to note and it beautifully fit each aspect of tone. Tautou delivers a supurb performance as Coco, perhaps the best I've seen so far: she captures the cool, elegant essence of a young Chanel and triumphs over all others who have attempted to play this role. However, the film tone felt a bit cold, a bit removed and although Tautou's performance was stellar, it was not enough to make this a favourite or even one I would buy. After seeing Shirley McClaine as an older Chanel, I was expecting a bit more from this film. Not a disappointment and definitely worth seeing but if you enjoyed CoCo, the woman, the designer, the legend as much as I continue to, this may not be the film you expect, or hope it to be.

FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!!

Reviewed by CUBBY'S CORNER, 2010-02-27

MY SCIENCE TEACHER MR. CARLISLE TOLD ME I HAD TO SEE THIS FILM, SO I GOT ONE OF THE LADIES IN MY CHURCH TO SHOW ME HOW TO SIGN UP TO THE AMAZON AND ORDER A DVD. I HAVE TO SAY I WAS A LITTLE NERVOUS AT FIRST BECAUSE I HAVEN'T WORKED A COMPUTER FOR THAT LONG AND I DIDN'T LIKE THE IDEA OF GIVING OUT MY DEBIT CARD INFORMATION, BUT BEA TOLD ME THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT SO I TOOK THE PLUNGE. IT WAS EASY! FIRST I SIGNED ONTO TO THE AMAZON AND ENTERED THE NAME OF THE MOVIE IN THE RECTANGULAR BOX NEXT TO THE WORDS "ALL DEPARTMENTS" THAT COMES UP ON THE FIRST WEB PAGE. THEN THE SCREEN CHANGED AND THE NAME OF THE MOVIE CAME UP, ALONG WITH ITS PRICE AND THE AVAILABILITY INFORMATION. AFTER A BIT OF SEARCHING, ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SCREEN, I FOUND A BUTTON THAT SAID "ADD TO CART," SO I PRESSED THE BUTTON, AND WHEN I DID THAT, THE SCREEN CHANGED AGAIN AND A BUNCH OF OTHER ITEMS CAME UP THAT WERE RECOMMENDED TO ME BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE WHO'D BOUGHT THE SAME MOVIE BOUGHT THESE OTHER ITEMS TOO. NEAT! WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME, THE AMAZON THOUGHTFULLY SUGGESTED OTHER SELECTIONS I MIGHT HAVE AN INTEREST IN. MY BANK ACCOUNT'S A LITTLE LOW, SO I PASSED ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS (FOR NOW) AND FOUND A BUTTON TELLING ME TO "PROCEED TO CHECKOUT," JUST LIKE IN A WAL-MART! THEN WHEN I DID THAT, I HAD TO GO THROUGH A PROCESS OF SETTING UP AN ACCOUNT AND TYPING IN MY PERSONAL INFORMATION. ONCE AGAIN I HAD SOME MISGIVINGS, BUT BEA WAS RIGHT THERE BY MY SIDE AND PROMISED ME IT'D BE OKAY. AFTER I GOT THROUGH WITH THAT, ANOTHER SCREEN CAME UP ASKING ME TO PUT IN MY SHIPPING ADDRESS. SO I PUT IN THE ADDRESS TO THE HOUSE WHERE I'VE LIVED WITH MAMA FOR THE PAST SEVENTEEN AND A HALF YEARS. BUT THAT WASN'T THE END OF THE STORY. NEXT I HAD TO SPECIFY THE METHOD OF SHIPPING. AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO SEE THIS MOVIE, I WASN'T IN ENOUGH OF A HURRY TO PAY EXTRA SHIPPING, SO I WENT WITH THE STANDARD SHIPPING OPTION RATHER THAN THE TWO-DAY SHIPPING OR THE ONE-DAY SHIPPING CHOICE. THAT'S WHEN THE SCREEN CAME UP ASKING HOW I WANTED TO PAY FOR IT, AND I GOT ALL NERVOUS AGAIN. I HESITATED FOR A FEW MINUTES, BUT BEATRICE TOLD ME IT'D BE OKAY AND HELD ONE OF MY HANDS WHILE I TYPED IN MY DEBIT CARD INFORMATION WITH THE OTHER. I SAID A QUICK PRAYER AND HIT THE CONTINUE BUTTON AND THEN I CAME TO THE LAST SCREEN, WHERE I WAS ASKED TO PLEASE REVIEW AND SUBMIT MY ORDER. I READ IT OVER THREE TIMES, THEN PUT THE ARROW ON THE YELLOW "PLACE YOUR ORDER" BUTTON, CLOSED MY EYES, AND CLICKED THE MOUSE. AFTER THAT I WAS TOLD MY ORDER HAD BEEN PROCESSED.

NOW IF YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED ANYTHING FROM THE AMAZON BEFORE, YOU PROBABLY THINK THAT WAS THE END OF THE STORY, BUT IT WASN'T. WHEN I CHECKED MY GMAIL ACCOUNT THE NEXT DAY, I SAW THE AMAZON PEOPLE HAD SENT ME A FRIENDLY E-MAIL TELLING ME MY ORDER WAS BEING PROCESSED AND WOULD SOON BE SENT. IN THE MESSAGE, THEY TOLD ME I COULD GO ONLINE AND TRACK THE SHIPMENT SO I'D KNOW WHAT STAGE OF THE SHIPPING PROCESS IT WAS IN AT ANY GIVEN TIME. SO I DID THAT FOR THE NEXT FIVE DAYS. I WOULD SIGN ONTO THE AMAZON, ENTER MY PASSWORD, AND CLICK ON THE "TRACK MY SHIPMENT" OPTION. YOU GUESSED IT. THIS TOOK ME TO ANOTHER SCREEN. HERE I LEARNED IT WAS BEING SHIPPED OUT OF KENTUCKY AND WAS COMING VIA THE US POSTAL SERVICE. FOR A COUPLE DAYS I DIDN'T SEE ANY CHANGE, BUT ON THE FIFTH DAY IT TOLD ME THE SHIPMENT HAD BEEN DELIVERED!

WHEN I GOT DONE WITH SCHOOL THAT DAY, I RAN HOME AND FOUND MY PACKAGE WAITING FOR ME, JUST LIKE THE AMAZON HAD SAID! I HAD A LITTLE TROUBLE OPENING THE CARDBOARD CONTAINER THE MOVIE CAME IN, BUT THE DVD WAS SAFE AND SOUND INSIDE A BUBBLE OF PLASTIC WRAP, ALONG WITH A PACKAGING SLIP TELLING ME WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE RECEIVING. NOW, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D EVER BOUGHT A DVD, AND YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE HOW HARD IT WAS TO UNWRAP THE PACKAGING THAT SUCKER CAME IN! FIRST IT HAD THE TOUGHEST LAYER OF SHRINKWRAP I'D EVER SEEN, BUT ONCE I GOT THAT OFF, I STILL COULDN'T OPEN THE DVD CASE. ON THE TOP AND ALONG THE SIDES OF THE CASE THERE WERE LABELS AFFIXED THERE THAT KEPT THE CASE FROM OPENING. THIS WAS TOUGHER TO GET OFF THAN YOU'D THINK BECAUSE THE GLUE ATTACHING IT WAS SUPER-STRONG, AND THE LABELS THEMSELVES WERE FLIMSY, SO YOU'D START TO GET PART OF THE LABEL OFF AND THEN THE PIECE YOU WERE HOLDING ONTO WOULD BREAK OFF, AND YOU'D HAVE TO START OVER. I GOT MAMA TO HELP ME OUT, OR I'M NOT SURE I WOULD HAVE EVER GOTTEN THOSE THINGS COMPLETELY OFF. ANYWAY, ONCE THE CASE WAS OPEN, I INSPECTED THE DISK AND FOUND IT TO BE PERFECT SHAPE. NO SCRATCHES OR ANYTHING! SO IF YOU'RE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO'S ALWAYS WANTED TO ORDER SOMETHING ONLINE BUT IS AFRAID TO, TAKE IT FROM CUBBY. IT'S EASY AND SAFE!

I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO WATCHING THE MOVIE YET.

Baakwas ( Hindi for Nonsense)

Reviewed by Prabal Guha Biswas, 2010-02-27

As the name suggests it's Coco's story before she became Chanel, the world famous designer as she is known even now. It tells the story of her love affairs and how her lovers helped set up her business. It is not VERY boring but not very good either! Give it a miss and you don't miss anything. Not really impressed! Something is missing and lacks the grandeur of American movies, somewhat stilted action and acting, I guess, French need American directors( apart from their Finance) to pull their ears and show how a movie is made. Actually, it is like a very average HBO movie ( kind NOT shown on prime time).

The last scene is hilarious, I don't think they had Zero-Size 6 feet models those days.

The decline of French movies is clearly visible. Super Trash! I spit at French...

Audrey:
What kind of surname Tautou is? Have you made it up? You might as well be called Audrey Tintin or Audrey Can-Can! Dahling, just because your first name is Audrey doesn't make you any closer to Hepburn. I should like to punch your thin horsey face if you even think comparing yourself with Hepburn. Third class female. I think French Movies should be banned for being so boring and pretentious!

Beautiful!!

Reviewed by Terri J. Rice, 2010-02-24

I think I am in love with slow, subtle and very in depth movies. This is a winner!

I loved Julie and Julia for the character sketches of these two women and the men who loved them and all the wining and ding that went with it.

Coco is captivating in its subtly beautiful portrayal of a somewhat tragic yet conquering heroine.

The cinematography is gorgeous, the characters are deep, and Coco Chanel is a triumph.

Audrey Tatou does a wonderful job of portraying this cliché of "rags to riches" in a very dignified and triumphant way. And really Coco Chanel was a truly rags to riches life so is it really cliché?

This movie is in subtitles and very quickly you forget that it is. If you loved Babette's Feast you know what I mean.

See this movie and be captivated!