A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiançailles) (2004)
Audrey Tautou, Dominique Pinon, Gaspard Ulliel
Set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl and her relentless search to find her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been c... (read more) Set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl and her relentless search to find her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied trench into an almost-certain death in no-man's land. All an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.
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R, 2 hrs. 14 min.
Directed by:
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Release Date: Oct 27, 2004
DVD Release Date: May 24, 2005
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Flixster User Reviews
Intriguing film. Audrey Tatou's quiet determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and the lengths to which another woman goes for similar purposes, are well contrasted. The tension in the non-war sequences, in the quiet moments, is stronger than ... (read more) Intriguing film. Audrey Tatou's quiet determination in the face of overwhelming odds, and the lengths to which another woman goes for similar purposes, are well contrasted. The tension in the non-war sequences, in the quiet moments, is stronger than the shock of the battlefield scenes. The running joke with the postman pops up at just the right moments. Highly recommended.
A whodunit told mostly in flashbacks that expose the horrors and absurdities of wars, and the lengths that humans go to survive them.
Audrey ar lite stel men charmant i den har lite snurriga jakten pa hennes fo:rsvunna fastman efter fo:rsta varldskriget.
Une belle histoire bien racontée. Le seul petite problème est que Jeunet finit par se parodier parfois un peu lui même dans sa réalisation. Sinon, j'adore la voix-off de Florence Thomassin...
I loved the contrast of the whole film and I'm a huge Audrey Tautou fan but it was so depressing that I don't think I'll have the heart to watch it again, not for a while at least
What a wonderful movie! I really appreciate the historical context as it is set during WWI. Not to mention that I love French movies and this is no exception, they tell great stories on screen with just the right amount of quirkiness.
A wonderful adaptation of a very good novel... as usual, it is visually splendid, full of surprises, but also it shows the horror and cruelty of (First World) war like only a few directors managed to do it before. The characters are strongly depicted... (read more) A wonderful adaptation of a very good novel... as usual, it is visually splendid, full of surprises, but also it shows the horror and cruelty of (First World) war like only a few directors managed to do it before. The characters are strongly depicted, which makes them very memorable.
A story about faith :]
Love the yellow/sepia tone throughout the whole film and the beautiful scenic view of France
Capsule review from when I first saw it in theaters:
A Very Long Engagement, the latest from French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, is a mesmerizing, beautiful and heartwarming piece of art. Jeunet's Amelie star, Audrey Tautou, stars as polio-stricken ... (read more) Capsule review from when I first saw it in theaters:
A Very Long Engagement, the latest from French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, is a mesmerizing, beautiful and heartwarming piece of art. Jeunet's Amelie star, Audrey Tautou, stars as polio-stricken Mathilde, who is trying to find her fiance, Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), who disappeared while fighting in World War I. Even at times when Mathilde's hope is diminished, she does not give up her search for Manech. Tautou gives an incredibly strong performance as Mathilde, and is deserving of at least one nomination this awards season.
My experience with Jeunet's work goes no earlier then "Delicatessen". I was intrigued, I wanted more. "The City of Lost Children" amazed me. "Alien 4", I haven't given a chance, and "Amelie", although seeming to be his most renowned and known piec... (read more) My experience with Jeunet's work goes no earlier then "Delicatessen". I was intrigued, I wanted more. "The City of Lost Children" amazed me. "Alien 4", I haven't given a chance, and "Amelie", although seeming to be his most renowned and known piece of work, simply bored me. Now, it comes to "A Very Long Engagement", and I was quite enthused. It has style and an engaging presence on the screen. It brings to mind "The Cranes are Flying." Every last actor, some of which Jeunet has already built a relationship with, shines. Whether Jeunet's characters are small, ugly, beautiful, bad or good, he makes them important and makes us care about them, whether we want the best or worst outcome for them.
It's a natural yet over the top piece of work and although it could be considered predictable and fluffy it still holds as something quite great. I will say, with only one viewing it is difficult to keep up with so many names and so much going on. But, like many great works, sometimes you have to watch them more than once to gain a true understanding.
Critic Reviews
A Very Long Engagement works on its own terms, as a showcase for Tautou and as a reminder of the kind of beauty that movies, at their best, can show us.full review
A Very Long Engagement probably has too many elements -- and too many characters -- for its own good. But its heart, like its heroine's, is in the right place.full review
A film that is a series of pleasures stumbling over one another in their haste to delight us.full review
You probably need a score card to keep track of everybody, but that's one of the pleasures of Jeunet's film, and it's also inextricable from his larger point: that war dehumanizes but people re-humanize.full review
Both a whimsical love story featuring, "Amelié" star Audrey Tautou at her most adorable, and a nitty-gritty depiction of the horrors of trench warfare. It's a very bad mix.full review
Enjoying the film depends on how much one can stand visionary carnival barker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's brand of impatiently imaginative, aggressively artificial filmmaking.full review
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