"Amelie" discussion - 11/10/02 - 11/16/02

[Morticia]

This is a thread to discuss the technical and/or thematic merits of "Amelie".

The purpose being to foster intelligent discussion of films without resorting to "It's a piece of crap." or "It's the greatest film ever." (And so that we all can gain a bit of a film education from everyone.)

We'll discuss a new film each week. Either slade or I will post the film in this forum in advance, and lock the topic until the first day of discussion.

Thanks everyone. We are open to any ideas about running this forum.

****SPOILER WARNING**** of course this entire thread is going to be full of spoilers.

[SilentBob]

What a great little blind buy this was for me. I had heard many great things about the movie and decided to pick it up previewed for $20 (which was better then $35 brand new)


In a way i think the movie kind of turned me into (in a way) Amelie. She does so many great things for others but wants nothing in return except their happiness. I am currently lending my copy out to management at the work place cause i think the movie is so good and expect nothing in reurn for the use of the movie. I have been told to rent them for money but i don't cause i want them to enjoy themselves with their time off.

Its a nice blend of humour and dramatic elements. I love the suicidle fish and Quebecer. Its sad in a way but also funny that these things happened for a reason. I think the fish was more likely trying to escape more then die. When she releases the fish i think in a way she becomes the fish herself. She's basically all alone trapped inside her own fish bowl after her mother is killed. Her father is the same way as he wants to venture around the world but never does.

Glass and water are key elements in the movie to go along with her fish bowl world. She wants to talk to the man she likes but never does. She's either in a telephone booth peering through the glass at the man she admires, or running up stream beside the water. In the restaurant she is seen writing the menu on the glass board as her man is on the other side, as she is too afraid to say anything to him. In a way its like the fish being feed, never getting out of the bowl but she is being feed from the outside world just by him being there trying to meet her. Plus there is also her turning into a thing of water as he leaves, i believe it happens near the end of the movie (its been awhile) But maybe it represents her being free into the big pond or the world around her. As she learns that she can be happy with soemone else.

The people of the restaurant are also another bunch of fish in a bowl. The restaurant itself is made of glass yet no one ever seems to leave it. They feed off the news in the paper, people who come in and on each other. But they seem to be ok there in a miserable kind of way as all their adventures happen inside the bowl itself. Glass is seen falling from shelves from the couple having sex in the washroom. The glasses are free from the shelf but are still left in the restaurant/bowl.

Last but not least Amelie's father is another fish who never seems to leave his home/bowl. He has great plans for adventures around the world but never does. He'd rather stay at home depressed working in his glass hut. Yet he is also feed from the outside world of his bowl, as his favourite garden gnome ventures around the world feeding postcards/pictures of his venture. The gnome does eventually return safe and sound. I think this is what makes the father leave his bowl as the world has so many things to offer and explore. There's only so much you get from a fish bowl and so much more in the wild. As all water connects to some other part of the world itself.

So overall just a great film and now have to see why this movie lost to No Man's Land for best Foreign picture

[Diggs]

loved this flick

audrey tatou is my dream girl.

[C Roberts]

After seeing this movie it quickly became one of my favorites of all time. I never would have thought that a foreign language movie could affect me on an emotional level. Not that I have anything against foreign movies (I own and like many) but typically its hard to relate to the characters subtle emotional states due to the different tone's used in speech for different languages. However since Amelie seems so "understandable", as well as many of the other characters (if not all of them), through the story it wouldn't matter if she talked at all. You just know what she is feeling or alluding to.
I've of course watched all the subtitled features on the DVD and listened to the english commentary. I like the way that the film was originally considered to be an underdog based on its premise or whatever and upon first showings began its climb to popularity. This movie also has the distinction of easily being labeled as a "chick-flick" and yet possily has as many male fans as female ones. And while Audrey Tautou is very attractive, I don't think guys watch the movie just for that reason. I think it has more to do with the depth of her character.
If you've listened to the directors commentary you'll know that many things in the movie (from the two glasses on the table to the gnome) are based on real life events witnessed or told to the director. I think this makes the movie work because while the Paris it takes place in is obviously a sort of surreal one, the odd events make it seem down-to-earth.
I moved around a lot growing up and never had lasting childhood friends so I could relate to Amelie's introvertedness on some level. I too live in a city, but rarely talk to strangers on the train or supermarket even though I see them quite often. Being alone in a crowd of people because you don't know if you can relate to them is something apparently many people can sympathize with. I too see blind people and have always wanted to walk one down the street the way she did. Or find some other small deed that could bring happiness into someone's life. I wanted Amelie to be happy the way she made others happy because I saw some of myself reflected. At the end while the two kiss I watched with my roommate once and he made some wisecrack about introvert's meeting (he is very outgoing).

I like the fish bowl comparison's above. I hadn't made that connection before and it is an interesting way to look at things. In a way every character in the movie was trapped in their own fishbowl and Amelie was trying to free them.

[Chaplin]

Yet another newbie, and for my 3rd post, I thought I'd reply to this one!

This was just a terrific movie! It's no Seven Samurai, but it certainly holds its own as a great romantic comedy.

The thing about the film is that it's more than just a girl who wants to help people--it's actually more of a coming-of-age story, as Amelie grows as a person throughout the course of the film. And she grows in all aspects--from her job, to her family, to her own personal love life. And because of this, we are drawn more into who she is, even though the narrator sometimes creates a distance between Amelie and the audience.

There's probably plenty more I could say about this movie, but I'll stop there...

[Morgan C Hoax]

something that's always sort of puzzled me about the movie, and maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but here goes anyway.

why do you suppose amelie gives the videotaped snippets of TV to her neighbor?

mch

[SilentBob]

Originally posted by Morgan C Hoax
something that's always sort of puzzled me about the movie, and maybe this is obvious to everyone else, but here goes anyway.

why do you suppose amelie gives the videotaped snippets of TV to her neighbor?

mch

Trying to remember the video snippets but i do remember him having very fragile bones and was too afraid to be hurt outside. Again i think i would have to go back to the fish bowl idea. He's more like the restaurant group of fish. He/they never leave there home(the restaurant) as they don't want to explore that big pond out there cause they fear (in a way) they will be eaten up/unable to survive out there.(the write and the critism for his stories, man spying on everyone with recorder, and the cigerette lady feeling sick all the time) There's alway a bigger fish out there for everyone. I think the video snippets is part of Amelie's feeding schedule as she constantly feeds him (and others she helps) with these new tapes from the world outside his fishbowl.

[C Roberts]

I remember some of the video; the horse entering the tour de france, the one-legged man tap dancing; the baby swimming. These images have something in common, but I'm not sure how to say it. The best I can come up with is they show the old man that just because he's a glass-man (or horse,or one-legged guy,or helpless baby) it doesn't mean he has to stay trapped in his lifestyle of never leaving his apartment. If a helpless baby can learn to swim than he should be able to go for a walk.

One thing I just noticed is nobody has really mentioned the "comedy" aspect of this movie. I think this says a lot about the movie itself that its deeper than just a standard funny movie. Thinking back on the movie I try to think of what I found funny within it and everything from the guy with his tape recorder to the stuffed dog looking at the picture comes to mind.

[SilentBob]

I was going to mention the comedy found in the movie but i like to see symbolism in other objects/people first then the comedy of the movie itself. It was full of it, and some was great for character developement and other parts were. . . well. . just there ("15" )
In a way i think Amelie could be considered a dark comedy (like The Royal Tenenbaums which i loved and had that same feeling to it) as a lot of tragic events happen but i found myself laughing. The Quebecer killing her mother, the fish jumping out of the bowl which then causes Amelie to think everything she see's on tv is her fault. They were tragic events but it was funny how it was worked into the story of the movie. I think we are suppose to take the relationships of the characters seriously but not too seriously.


What does everyone else think about Amelie's love interest and his torn-up picture collection. Thoughts on why/what this really means in the movie.

[C Roberts]

I was never really sure what to think about the picture book. According to the directors commentary that book actually exists somewhere. Although the one they show in the movie is one they created and not the original.
I would love to see the actual book. The owner should scan it onto a website. :-)

[SolidSnakeASS]

Apparently that book exists in a museum, and they created their own to avoid liscensing costs. It was made by some obessive-complusive director.

[tqpix]

The film is wonderfully shot. Audrey Tautou is a terrific actress.

This is the second film I've seen that starred Audrey Tautou. The first was He Loves Me... He Loves Me Not--I strongly recommend that one; I am now in the process of trying to locate another one of Audrey's movies called Happenstance.

The first 30 to 40 minutes of the film was hilarious. However, when the comedy ended, I really didn't like the movie all that well. I guess I was expecting the entire movie to be a comedy after watching the opening. I'm going to watch this film again someday.