I am watching the movie Amelie for the 3rd time. I want to familiarise myself with the language, scenery and people. I hope to learn some basic French. If i am exposed to enough French culture and language i my be able to learn something useful. The movie was set on location in Montmatre, there is a scene in St. Martins Canal too. These two places we will be visiting. Its so beautiful in the movies, and so are the characters too. I hope that this portrayal is true, althought i doubt that. One should never take movies as reality.
I love this movie so much that i went to the imdb.com website and looked up trivial facts about the movie:
The part of Amélie was written specifically for Emily Watson. She wanted the part but had to decline because she didn't speak French and had already agreed to be in Gosford Park(2001).
Director Trademark: [Jean-Pierre Jeunet] [actor] Dominique Pinon. The photo booth picture collection is based on a real collection created by a friend of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He is credited during the ending credits ("D'après la collection originale de Michel Folco"). A faux photo booth picture collection, with, among others, Tchéky Karyo, was created for the film, so that the rights to the real collection did not have to be purchased.
Whenever this film was shot on location, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the crew would clean the area of debris, grime, trash and graffiti, so that the film would match his fantasy more so. This was an especially difficult task when it came time to shoot at the huge train station.
Director Trademark: [Jean-Pierre Jeunet] [orphans] death of Amélie's mother. An orphan is considered to have lost both parents. As Amélie's father is still alive, she is not considered an orphan. However, Jean-Pierre Jeunet often portrays children who have suffered the loss of one or both parents.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet originally started collecting the stories and memories that make up the story in 1974.
The artwork in Amélie's bedroom (the dog with collar, the white bird) and her crocodile imaginary friend are by artist Michael Sowa.
Some of the locations in the film can be found in Montmartre. The café "Les 2 Moulins" can be found at the beginning of Rue Lepic and the vegetable/fruit store "Collignon" at 56 Rue des Trois Frères.
The main colors in the film (green, yellow and red) are inspired by the paintings of the Brazilian artist Juarez Machado.
The traveling gnome was inspired by a rash of similar pranks played in England and France in the 1990s. In 1997, a French court convicted the leader of Front de Libération des Nains de Jardins (Garden Gnome Liberation Front) of stealing over 150 gnomes. The idea was later used in an advertising campaign for an Internet travel agency.
When Amélie goes to Mr Collignon's parents, the father, who makes holes in flowers, says he'd rather make these holes into lilacs. This is a direct reference to French singer Serge Gainsbourg's song "Le poinçonneur des Lilas".
This movie reminds me of another french movie. Its about an orphan house controlled by two women in one body (two heads, 4 arms, 4 legs) who train flies to sting orphans in the neck to make them into slaves. This orphan girl with the help of a strong circus man helps to over take the evil ladies and save her orphan friends. oh look i just found it on imdb.com its called 'The City of Lost Children' and it does have a surrealist influence on the aesthetics. i need to find this movie and watch it =] what a coincedence, it is shot by the same director as Amelie. interesting.
A conversation of the two main characters in the film, Miette a young smart orphan child and One a strong man who cannot talk fluently. One talks about his old job and his younger brother Denree.
Miette: One?
[One grunts]
Miette: You asleep?
[One breathes deeply and mumbles]
Miette: What did you do before?
One: One sailor. Harpooned Whales. One night
[pauses]
One: One hear whales singing. After
[gestures throwing of harpoon]
One: always always the target I miss. One loses job.
Miette: One?
[pauses]
Miette: What's it like to have a little brother?
One: Keeps you
[pauses]
One: running.
Miette: Well, he can't complain he's got nobody to worry about him.
One: [Turns over] Denree- little brother. Miette- little sister.
[Blows air on Miette's back]
Miette: What are you doing?
One: [Whispers in Miette's ear] Radiator
Haha! Love. Love. Love.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112682/plotsummary
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