Coco Before Chanel (Coco Avant Chanel)
Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 | Film Reviews
Coco avant Chanel
See Audrey Tautou in one of her best roles! She has interpreted the French legend of design Coco Chanel in an absolutely amazing way! Her charming nature is flowing though out the film and everybody is a bit disappointed when the story suddenly stops at a quite interesting point – the beginning of Chanel`s career. But obviously, that was the intention of the director Anne Fontaine.
She didn`t want to present Coco`s biography just as a chain of events. In fact her focus has been more on the second phase of Coco`s life when she left the orphanage and started singing in a Varieté. The following acquaintance with Etienne (Benoît Poelvoorde) set an end to her (a little bit embarrassing) performances as singer but let her run into an ambiguous “love” relationship with him. Her strong, determined but feminine character mirrors Chanel`s typical cuts and styles. Her romantic relationship to “Boy” (Alessandro Nivola) is moving and very well interpreted by both actors. Especially their dialogue about the meaning of a marriage against the background of “Boy`s” arranged wedding with an “Englishwoman” reveals and explains Chanel`s further attitude towards men, also after “Boy`s” fatal car accident. He was her “big love” and she never married, though she had numerous love affairs.
The film gives a just small but essential insight into the roots of Chanel`s work and character. A short portrayal about her former collections and the absolutely revolutionary effect on the female world of the 30ies and 50ies still would have certainly fit very well into the film.
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