BEFORE SHE WAS FRANCE’S MOST FAMOUS MADEMOISELLE…
In a small French town at the turn of the century, Gabrielle Chanel (Audrey Tautou) works as a cabaret singer; her burgeoning relationship with a wealthy textile heir (Benoît Poelvoorde) becomes a chance to launch a new career… This biography shows Chanel as a tomboyish, independent woman who knew how to utilize one love affair as a means to move forward in life, but couldn’t help falling hard for another man. Good performances, beautifully shot and entertaining… but that final scene symbolizes a future life for Coco that might have turned into a more compelling drama than these early years.
2009-France. 110 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Anne Fontaine. Cinematography: Christophe Beaucarne. Music: Alexandre Desplat. Costume Design: Catherine Leterrier. Cast: Audrey Tautou (Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel), Benoît Poelvoorde (Étienne Balsan), Alessandro Nivola (Arthur “Boy” Capel), Emmanuelle Devos, Marie Gillain.
Trivia: Original title: Coco avant Chanel.
