Film 51

A Very Long Engagement (2004)

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Has Fentablar seen this before?: No.

To put it simply, A Very Long Engagement is gorgeous - both in story and in style. I am not typically fond of period drama, but I cannot deny the appeal of this wonderful piece.

Going into the film, I knew it would be visually captivating - and it certainly was that. I have seen both plause and criticism for its plot, so I did not know what I would think of that. I must say that I did enjoy the plot of the film and am interested to read the Japrisot novel upon which the film is based. What impressed me was how well-rounded the tertiary/supporting characters were represented, given their relatively short screen-time.

At 133 minutes, A Very Long Engagement is really not that long at all. Yet, without having read the original novel, it seems as though the story was adapted so well that the viewer is able to appreciate the characters - all of the characters - at nearly the same level as though reading a good novel. This attention to the characters, however, does not come at the sacrifice of key metaphorical themes (e.g., French patriotism). I've seen other films attempt to do the same but fail (sometimes miserably) and take 3+ hours to do it. Jeunet and Guillame Laurant deserve credit for an astute and efficient adaptation, and the film's players - Audrey Tautou in particular (of course) - deserve credit for really bringing these characters to life on-screen.

Ratings (scale of 1 to 5):

Plot Effectiveness: 5/5. A well told story, with what I consider to be a truly cathartic finale.

Cinematography/Shot Selection: 5/5. Masterful.

Overall Acting: 5/5. As I mentioned, the characters were truly brough to life for me.

Score/Soundtrack: 5/5.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5

~Fentablar~