DVDpendence . videophile
COCO
AVANT
CHANEL
(Coco
Before
Chanel)
With
Audrey
Tautou,
Benoît
Poelvoorde,
Alessandro
Nivola,
Marie
Gillain,
Emmanuelle
Devos
Written
by Anne
&
Camille
Fontaine
(based
on the
book
by Edmonde
Charles-Roux)
Directed
by Anne
Fontaine
As is
so often
the
case
with
public
figures
that
changed
the
world,
Gabrielle
Chanel
did
not
start
life
out
as a
glamorous
style
icon.
Left
at an
orphanage
as a
child
in the
1890s,
she
grew
up hard,
having
to fend
for
tips
singing
in restaurants
/ clubs,
and
working
as a
seamstress.
From
these
humble
beginnings
a legendary
figure
rose,
but
not
without
its
pains
and
disappointments.
At that
time
a woman
was
lost
unless
she
was
married
to someone
of stature.
Chanel
grabbed
the
attention
of the
wealthy
Etiene
Balsan,
inviting
herself
to his
villa
and
staying
indefinitely
- this
period
in her
life
greatly
molding
who
she'd
become
, how
she
saw
the
world
as a
whole,
and
the
world
of fashion.
Many
viewers
were
expecting
a glitzy
and
glamourous
fashion-laden
movie,
but
it looks
at what
made
her
before
she
became
the
trend
setting
fashion
designer
whose
No.5
perfume
is still
a 
sought
after
fragrance
since
the
1920s.
A second
part
depicting
the
successful
half
of her
life
will
make
for
a great
companion
piece.
Where
stories
about
prominent
South
African
figures
often
get
made
by,
and
star
foreigners
(from
Invictus
and
Stander,
to Biko
and
the
upcoming
Winnie
Mandela
movie),
here
it was
made
by the
French,
with
one
of their
biggest
stars
in the
lead
role,
Audrey
Tautou.
In addition
to the
bonus
feature
of a
commentary
track,
there
is also
a documentary
look
at bringing
the
story
to the
screen.
4
/ C
- Paul
Blom
0
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A -
B -
C
