Amelie ? Blu-ray SteelBook

"Amelie", a French film from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Delicatessen", "City of Lost Children") is a fairy tale confection that is sure to please most everyone who has the opportunity to watch it.Amelie (Audrey Tautou), a young waitress living in Montmarte, happens to find a small box of toys behind a loose tile in her bathroom. She decides to anonymously reunite the toys with their owner, now a man in his late 40s. After she tracks him down, she leaves the box in a phone booth that he passes every day. As he passes, she calls the booth causing him to stop and find the box. Amelie stops at a local bar and the man also stops there, talking about the curious events of the day. He proclaims that he will call his daughter and grandson, because he hasn't talked to his daughter in many years. Gratified, Amelie begins to do small anonymous favors for the people in her life. Her path crosses with Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz), a strange young man who collects discarded photo booth pictures. She is attracted to him, but completely unable to introduce herself.I think it would be difficult for anyone to dislike "Amelie". The story is so uplifting, the lead actress is so enormously appealing and likable, the supporting cast is so excellent, the production qualities are completely top notch.Jeunet has crafted a vision of Montmarte and Paris that is idyllic, picture book perfect, causing many intellectuals in France to denounce the film. In my opinion, these people are trying to find fault with the film because it is so good. They are jealous. This is a lovable confection for all ages. I'll address the all ages thing later.The film is washed in a sepia tint giving each frame the appearance of an old photograph. Set in 1997, the settings look like they were pulled from the 40s. With the exception of a modern video camera, pretty much the entire film is devoid of modern technology. None of the characters drive cars and only one of them uses a small motor bike to get around. This lack of technology only serves to make the film appear even more like a fairy tale.Amelie and her friends inhabit a Paris that is also extremely clean. No graffiti and little dirt appear in any frame as she travels to and fro. This helps attain and retain the idealized vision of life that in turn helps the viewer live inside this fairy tale.Amelie, as played by Audrey Tautou, is so kind, friendly and infectious that it is difficult not to like her. Tautou could pass as Audrey Hepburn's love child, the resemblance is so striking. She is a young woman that realizes she has a gift for helping people anonymously. With this realization, it becomes her reason for life. Amelie is a strange girl, quiet but pretty, unconfident with strangers but also looking for a relationship. She grew up in a strange family environment, which helps explain some of her behavior. This family history is amusingly, and quickly, presented by Jeunet at the beginning of the film. Audrey Tautou is very charming in this role and this film. I inadvertently watched a DVD of "French Beauty Institute" the same night. Tautou has a supporting role in the film, but barely makes an impact. Hopefully, she will be able to find the type of roles that will ensure a long and healthy career.The overall message of "Amelie" is so uplifting that it raised my spirits all day. Much like the disastrous American film "Pay It Forward", the film has a message that if we help strangers, our world will be a better place. The difference in the story between the two films is that "Amelie" does not rely on preachy storytelling or character martyrdom to get the message across. Amelie does her thing and the consequences happen, causing us to laugh and learn from her example.Another wonderful thing about the film is that not all of the consequences of her good deeds last for very long. Despite the fairy tale aspect of the film, this helps it seem more real and gives the message more resonance.I would think that "Amelie" would be a perfect film to take the entire family to, but there are a few things to be aware of. The film is subtitled, which will prevent the youngest kids from understanding it. Also, there are a few very brief images of nudity in a sexual situation. Two scenes are set in a sex shop and the characters price sex toys before displaying them, but they don't discuss them at all or put them into the context of what they are supposed to do. These few things will probably keep parents from taking children, but, in my view, that is a mistake. If they can read subtitles, they should see "Amelie". The film is great for everyone and should eventually be experienced by everyone. Wouldn't it be better for your child to see a film about a girl who does good deeds than some violent action film at every mutliplex?"Amelie" apparently caused quite a sensation in France. It is now the top grossing film in that country and has inspired people to do little good deeds for strangers. I have even heard that a tour company is offering a tour of the sights used in the film.Hopefully, "Amelie" will catch on here in the U.S. as well.

I love Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film, AMÉLIE. I already owned the Amélie 2-DVD set and have been in love with the movie since my friends took me to see it at a French movie theater back in the early part of 2002 (BTW it is in French with English or Spanish subtitles).If you haven't seen it, AMÉLIE is a wonderful story about two lonely people who've been dreaming about one another since they were children. Both Amélie (Audrey Tautou) and Nino (Mathieu Kassovitz) wished they had another person in their life, being such lonely children, and one day as adults, their paths cross. In the meantime, both acquire quirks and Amélie, after finding a tin box filled with a boy's childhood treasures, decides that she's going to reunite the owner (now a 40+ man) with the lost keepsake. After proving a successful and joyous reunion, she vows to become a crusader for good helping all the other lonely people around her.However, no matter how many good deeds she accomplishes, Amélie cannot escape the cold loneliness that she feels inside and around her, until she's finally forced to help herself and take that flying leap of faith and letting someone else in.Perhaps that's why I enjoy this movie so much. It isn't just a boy-meets-girl type of film; it explores the angst that comes along with meeting someone that you feel a connection with and that period in-between, especially if you've been alone for a long time, and you just don't know how to take the next step.Another great thing about this film is the use of special effects. This has to be the first movie that I've seen that uses special effects and it isn't in the science fiction/fantasy genre. The use of the effects really punctuate the story and gives it a whimsical feel. Although it does paint a romanticized view of life and of Paris, it's used to great effect throughout and I love the visual style of it.The BLU-RAY edition of AMÉLIE is gorgeous! The saturated colors really pop and the clarity makes the movie a feast for the eyes.I am however a little disappointed that there wasn't any new special features added to this BLU-RAY edition.In fact, several extras on the DVD are gone from here: the TV Spots, the French language trailer, and the cast and crew filmography. Not a big deal though since all the important specials were ported over and everything is on one disc.****** SPECIAL FEATURES ******"Audio Commentary By Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet" - in English"Look Of Amélie" - 12:48-minutes EnglishDirector Jeunet and cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel discuss the use of special effects and visual style used in the movie."Fantasies Of Audrey Tautou" - 2:07-minutesBloopers."Screen Tests" - Play All or One At A Time - French w/English subtitlesAudrey Tautou - 01:58 - interesting to note that Tautou was not Jeunet's first choice for AmélieUrbain Cancelier - :38 - the grocer, "Monsieur Colignon"Yolande Moreau - 03:52 - Amélie's downstairs neighbor, "Madeleine""Q & A With Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet" (English) - 24:37-minutesFilmed at a screening at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA, and audience get to ask questions at the end."Q & A With Director And Cast" (French W/English subs) - 05:55Another screening Q & A with the director, Tautou, Kassovitz, and Jamel Debbouze (Lucien)."Storyboard Comparison" - :58short clip of the fun house scene with the storyboards."An Intimate Chat With Jean-Pierre Jeunet" - (French W/English subs) - 20:48-minutesCharming and funny, Jeunet talks about the film, the idea etc. and how it came to be, and the controversy surrounding the Cannes Film Festival."Home Movies: Inside The Making Of Amélie" - 12:46Interesting behind-the-scenes footage of Tautou getting her hair cut and styled into the famous bob; showing the extras that took the pictures in the photo-booth for Nino's photo book; test shots for camera angles; Serge Merlin "Dufayel aka the Glass Man" rehearsing lines; Debbouze (Lucien) preparing to shoot his scene etc.Trailers - EnglishScrapbook - includes behind-the-scenes, French Poster concepts, Storyboards, and the Garden Gnome's Travels (which I swear Travelocity stole the idea for their roaming Gnome ads).Anyway, if you already own the 2-DVD set of AMÉLIE and don't really need the 1080p high definition makeover, you could probably skip this Blu-Ray edition. But if you'd like to see it in hi-def and own a high definition TV, plus you love the movie, I highly recommend AMÉLIE on BR.

We recommend this movie. A good watch for the all whole family and entertaining. IMO it’s a classic.

One of the most beloved and popular works of all modern French cinema world wide, Amélie (2001) is director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's infectiously eccentric romantic comedy that has a certain I don't know what ... perhaps it is simply its wonderful French-ness. Certainly one the most glamourous, beautiful, and beautifully glamourized portraits of the Montmartre neighborhoods of Paris, used as a showcase setting for the tale of a quirky young waitress, the undeniable charming Audrey Tautou in the iconic role as the title character. A delightful, highly stylized and energetic fantasy, with superb cinematography, editing, and direction. When this movie was first released I was not overwhelmed by its magical/poetic realist romantic storytelling- yes, sad but true- now over 20 years later I find it magnificent entertainment, and a definitive inspiration for a feeling of an ideal Parisian culture, much more so than the film Paris, je t'aime (2006) which translates as Paris I love you. Highly recommended. Also recommended: director Jeunet's wild Delicatessen (1991) and The City Of Lost Children (1995), as well as the works of Patrice Leconte, and this may also be appealing to fans of Baz Luhrmann or Wes Anderson films.