Priceless (Hors de prix)

It has long been the contention of the Celtic sage that there may be more wonderful actresses than Audrey Tautou but there is none more wondrous! I had wanted to see the French actress as the iconic couturier Coco Chanel, who died aged 87 in 1971, in her new movie ‘Coco Before Chanel’ -“Coco avant Chanel.” Alas, due to the machinations of the evil big distributors our local Multiplex was full of the usual popcorn movies. So I consoled myself instead with a DVD of the comedy Priceless (Hors de prix) in which Tautou plays a character who echoes Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and where she does at least wear Chanel little black dresses. Pierre Salvadori’s Priceless is a sexy and thoroughly charming romantic comedy, and a fresh re-imagining of the cinema classic, Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Priceless is playful, cheeky, and boasts excellent chemistry between its leads, which is crucial to pull off a romantic comedy so dependent on their banter and interaction. Through a set of wacky circumstances, a young gold digger mistakenly woos a mild-mannered bartender thinking he's a wealthy suitor. The goofball silliness of the story combined with the brightly coloured French Riviera and, of course, the irresistible Tautou makes this somewhat lightweight movie surprisingly entertaining.


Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh

Audrey Tautou plays Irene, a high maintenance gold digging prostitute who flits from one elderly man to another, in the hopes of seducing and convincing them into marriage, while in the meantime milking all she could from their company. It's haute fashion label dropping, living the high life in expensive hotel suites, for free. In an uncontrollable one night stand, she hooks up with waiter Jean (Gad Elmaleh), who while he is totally out of her league, falls hard for her, and becomes a constant thorn in her side as she goes about her predatory mission in life.

Not your usual romance movie where the bickering couple are expected to kiss, make up, and bicker some more, Priceless does two things in its narrative. One, in its reminder to the male suckers out there to be wary of high maintenance women - if you don't have what it takes (and that simply means a really fat bankroll), forget about it, as she'll drain your finances as simply as it takes to gulp down a glass of water. Two, perhaps it really does pay for those who are kept men and women, if they don't mind trading their bodies for material pleasures that a rich life can offer.



And from adversaries to partners in crime, Priceless sprinkles its narrative with scenes like from The Guru, where tips and tricks of the trade are shared, and played for laughs. And this is especially so with Jean's natural charms mixed with Mr Bean like demeanour. Outstanding is Moroccan actor Gad Elmaleh, who throws this constant innocent blank look, when he's hamming it up pretending to be loaded, or practising turning on his charms (consciously or otherwise). He brings to Jean a sense of helplessness in falling for the woman of his dreams much against his finances, and gives Jean that chivalrous character that will surely win many over.

Fans of Audrey Tautou will reminisce her portrayal as Irene to be similar to the quirky Amèlie, only that this time round; she's the complete slut whom you pity for having such a materialistic nature. Her plunging necklines all the way down to the navel will no doubt raise temperatures, and while noticeably older, has brought about a sense of maturity from giggling girl to all women.



The point about a certain type of contemporary French comedy, of which "Priceless" is a fine example, is the quality of the playing style. Nobody forces the situations, even the broadest ones. "Priceless" would no doubt suffer the usual crassness if Hollywood ever remade it in English. The film may be a contraption, but it is acted with simplicity and charm.



Peppered with an excellent soundtrack, the best songs were kept for a party scene, and for as many party scenes featured in various movies, I'd rate this one as one of the most interesting, thanks to the key music, characters, and the scene that plays out just right. The film rolls along at a sedate pace, not slow but definitely not rushed by any means. Audrey Tautou is magnificent and Gad Elmaleh’s performance is a good mixture of innocence and daring. Even though it has a “12” certificate Priceless isn’t for children. The subject matter alone warrants an adult audience. Don’t expect a stunning cinematic experience but rather an enjoyable journey that’s just plain fun.

All in all, this is an entertaining modern morality tale which will resonate from Wolverhampton to Dubai to its setting on the French Riviera.



Coincidentally Audrey Tautou has also become the face of the iconic Chanel No. 5 perfume and appears in a “mini movie” to advertise this enduring and expensive fragrance. In the film, Tautou departs from Venice and comes to Istanbul by Orient Express. A young man, played by model Travis Davenport, falls in love with the woman because of her perfume. The two find each other in Istanbul again thanks to the perfume. The film does not include any dialogue. The Haydarpaşa train station, the Bosphorus, the Bosphorus Bridge and boats are seen in the film.

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

There may be more wonderful actresses than Audrey Tautou but the Sage humbly submits that there is none more wondrous! However the follow up to the charming Oscar-nominated hit “Amèlie” was always going to be subject to much scrutiny. Wisely, she's decided to sidestep the fairytale image of that film, instead going for a much darker role in Laetitia Colombani's “He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not”.

In He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not the adorable Audrey Tautou from Amèlie plays the central role in a deceptive story of a rather unusual romance. He Loves Me...He Loves Me Not (“A la folie...pas du tout” in the original French) offers a surprisingly dramatic romance with a twist which keeps the audience guessing until the end.

It would spoil the film's clever design to reveal what happens halfway through, so let's just say that Tautou is cast as a winsome girl in the sunny town of Bordeaux whose relationship with a married doctor has more layers than first it seems. Samuel LeBihan, from Brotherhood of the Wolf, plays the doctor, but it's the casting of cutie-pie Tautou that sets up the movie's gradually sinister undertow. He Loves Me…He Loves Me Not, in the true form of French films, is not quite what it seems at first glance. Angélique, played by bright-eyed actress Audrey Tautou is a young woman working in a café to support her studies as an art student. Although having just been selected for a generous scholarship, Angélique’s heart is elsewhere, focused upon her love affair with cardiologist Loïc Le Garrec (Samuel Le Bihan). Her love knows no limits and she sends thoughtful anonymous gifts to the doctor, who cannot guess who they are from, but who accepts them as appreciative gestures from patients whom he has cured.



We see her follow him furtively at a party; we see him smiling fondly over her gift of a single rose; we see all sort of besotted trysts. But then, a good way into the movie, everything is rewound and we see everything again from his point of view. It becomes clear that she is a stalker, an "erotomaniac" obsessed with a man who hardly knows she's alive. Audrey Tautou plays an art student who is deeply in love with this married man. She is attentive and caring, doing all she can to make this man happy. However his unwillingness to leave his wife begins to change Audrey as she becomes increasingly distressed and her character transforms beyond recognition and it is not until later on in the film that you discover the cause behind these changes. Audrey is thoroughly convincing and a truly remarkable actress, bringing you into the story straight away and not leaving you a shadow of a doubt that her words are true.

Director Laetitia Colombani's inventive structure plays a satisfyingly tricky game with the audience, and may have some viewers going back to the beginning to make sure they saw what they thought they saw. Just don't go in expecting Amèlie, Deuxième Partie and you should find this an ingenious little number. For those of us who thought Audrey Tautou's character in Amèlie was a bit creepy and psychotic, this film makes an interesting, if faintly challenging companion piece, directed by 26-year-old first-timer Laetitia Columbani. Tautou does her gamine act once again in a film that blends Amèlie with Fatal Attraction and a touch of The Sixth Sense.


Audrey Tautou

The film combines comedic moments with serious drama beautifully as the story twists and turns. You will feel yourself swept into this film due to the brilliant acting, beautiful directing and outstanding script. The film is thoroughly moving, making you laugh, cry as well as think. Not only was the story thought provoking but it was also a very enjoyable cinematic experience.

Angélique's world of soft focus romanticism is full of reds and warmth while Loïc lives and works in a colder, more blue-toned space. Tautou shines as Angélique, looking as fresh and as dewy as a freshly picked flower herself in the florist’s scenes but convincingly descending into madness as the film progresses.

First time writer and director Colombani doesn't quite manage to pull the whole thing off but there's enough in “He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not” to show promise for the future. An interesting experiment and almost a precocious masterpiece, I’m sure Hitchcock wasn’t directing anything as accomplished at the age of 26.

I recommend this film to everyone especially those who love beautifully created scenes, a great story and a film with real depth of emotion. People who feel they do not like "arty" films or subtitled films are missing out on the real challenging journey which this movie brings you on.

A Very Long Engagement

There is a rule in life that the more choice you seem to have, the less choice you get in reality. Take going to the movies in the UK. Multi Screen cinemas abound but there are two main chains, Odeon and VUE, which are bounced around amongst Vulture Capitalists or Private Equity as it has been relabelled these days. They give them a cosmetic makeover and then merrily engage in the game of margin widening so a tub of popcorn or a “giant “coke (2 parts ice to one part coke) are £3.70 each. More importantly they are in thrall to the big name distributors so there is not just popcorn out the front but also on the screens as 2/3 of the screens are blocked off for “popcorn” movies aimed at the kids so us grown ups never get to see the grown up movies.

So it came to pass instead of spending £17.00 at my local Odeon I spent £3.00 at my local HMV to buy the DVD of "A Very Long Engagement" (“Un Long Dimanche de Fiançailles” in the original French) starring the wonderful Audrey Tautou, best known for her stunning performance in "Amélie". This movie also comes from the director of "Amélie" (Jean-Pierre Jeunet) and is a very different love story based on the acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot. Already well-known in France for her work in Venus Beauty Institute, in 2001 Tautou rose to international fame for her entrancing performance as the eccentric Amélie in the romantic French comedy "Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain". With this movie she confirms that she is a truly outstanding actress playing a wonderfully convincing role as Mathilde a young French woman whose greatest fight begins as World War I draws to an end. She has received word that her fiancé Manech is one of five wounded soldiers who have been court-martialed and pushed out into the no-man's land between the French and German armies... an almost certain death. As in Amélie her role is of an outsider whose mind and emotions work in a different way to those around her but whose conviction and refusal to accept the conventional wisdom is eventually vindicated.


This film touches on two areas which interest me, the incredible personal heroism shown by individual soldiers in the Great War, particularly the Battle of the Somme, and the equally incredible indifference of the Top Brass to the horrendous loss of life and suffering caused. (http://daithaic.blogspot.com/2007/11/towards-somme-personal-journey.html ) Five desperate French soldiers during The Battle of the Somme shoot themselves, either by accident or with purpose, in order to be invalided back home. Having been "caught" a court-martial convenes and determines punishment to be banishment to No Man's Land with the objective of having the Germans finish them off. In the process of telling this tale each man's life is briefly explored along with their next of kin as Mathilde tries to determine the circumstances of her lover's death. This task is not made any easier for her due to a bout with polio as a child. Along the way she discovers the heights and depths of the human soul.

Unwilling to accept that her beloved Manech is lost to her forever; Mathilde embarks on an extraordinary journey to discover the fate of her lover. At each turn, she receives a different heartbreaking variation on how Manech must have spent those last days, those last moments. Still, she never gets discouraged. If Manech were dead, Mathilde would know. With a steadfast faith, strengthened by hope and a stubbornly cheerful disposition, Mathilde follows her investigation to its conclusion, convincing those who might help her and ignoring those who will not. As she draws closer to the truth about the five unfortunate soldiers and their brutal punishment, she is drawn deeper into the horrors of war and the indelible marks it leaves on those whose lives it has touched.

From the commander who wantonly and secretly destroys the men's pardon, to the amazing lengths one condemned man's friend goes to in an effort to save at least some of them. This movie operates at many levels as a love story, a mystery, and a testament to brutality of "The War to End All Wars" and most particularly the men, women, and children affected by this dark and disturbing time in world history. Technically the cinematography (by Bruno Delbonnel) is amazing. Many scenes will have you asking how was that shot. The use of colour, the score, and the authenticity of the costume, the portrayal by the actors, the effects, and the story itself all combined to make a delightful feast of sound and vision. Look for a long cameo by Jodie Foster.

The film is 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. It tells the story of this young woman's relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiancé, who has disappeared. What follows is an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.


It is a triumph, thought provoking and a paean to cinematic craftsmanship and the androgynous talented improbability which is the great actress Audrey Tautou who brings us deeply into the recesses of the human condition. Bravo Audrey and Director, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, who have given us a wonderful movie. Not since Stanley Kubrick's haunting "Paths of Glory" (1957) has the absurdity of war and the tremendous cost of each and every life lost been so compellingly portrayed. Appropriately, such an epic theme deserves epic treatment. What makes "A Very Long Engagement" so effective and so engaging is that Jeunet's stylish blend of visual mastery and emotional intimacy combine to not only deliver an extremely visceral anti–war film, but an intricate, unforgettable, heartfelt love story as well. Get it on DVD for; unfortunately, it probably won’t be coming to a cinema near you anytime soon!

"Un Long Dimanche De Fianςailles": C'est un film exceptionnel. Vous devez le voir.