French film an engaging look at love, war

Jean-Pierre Jeunet is fast becoming the French Tim Burton.

Quickly emerging as an accomplished creator of vibrant and
original modern-day fairy tales, Jeunet’s deftness reminds
one of early Burton. And with only five feature films to his
credit, Jeunet has definitely made a name more distinctly his own
than that of nearly any director working today.

After the phenomenal success of the ethereal
“Amelie,” Jeunet has reteamed with the doe-eyed Audrey
Tatou for the epic World War I love story “A Very Long
Engagement,” a film broader in scope and harsher in tone than
his previous film.

But it is nonetheless pure Jeunet from the first frame to the
last.

Based on Sebastien Japrisot’s novel of the same name,
“A Very Long Engagement” follows Mathilde (Tatou) as
she searches for her fiancé Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), who may
or may not have died in the first World War. As one of five
soldiers court-martialed for self-mutilation while fighting in the
Somme, Manech has not been seen or heard from since the war
ended.

Amid forlorn tuba solos and limp-legged lighthouse treks,
Mathilde tracks down her fiancé’s war buddies, their
mistresses and anyone else who might lead her to him.

To this end, Mathilde never gives up hope, even when everybody
tells her she should. Her journey takes her through the corruption
and arbitrariness of war often overlooked in history.

The film has two distinct faces ““ war and love ““ and
it jumps repeatedly between the two. Mathilde’s country
landscapes are as gorgeous as the war scenes are gritty.

Jeunet said “Saving Private Ryan” was the main
influence for the war scenes ““ and the intensity holds true.
The jarring scenes leave viewers fearing the next shell will
explode in the seat next to them.

With scenes rivaling in intensity any war film ever made, the
confident direction shows Jeunet capable of moving between genres
while staying true to his dreamlike imagination. And visually, the
film shows a director willing to spend money.

At nearly $60 million, the film is the third most expensive in
French history ““ and it shows. The film is so visually rich
it feels like it was pulled from the lobby of the Ritz-Carleton.
But he needn’t spend the big bucks on actors, as he went back
to his cache of regulars.

With reliably eclectic supporting casts, Jeunet brought back
Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Dominique Bettenfeld and, of course, Dominique
Pinon to bolster that of his latest film. And, reportedly due to
her near-accentless French, Jodie Foster plays a minor role.

But whenever Tatou comes on screen, all eyes are on her.

Tatou’s elfin beauty has captivated audiences worldwide
since her breakout performance in “Amelie,” and this
film gives her another chance to shine. “Engagement,”
though, is less charming and more desperate.

Still, Jeunet has found an unapologetically playful style that
can permeate every scene of a film without overwhelming or
overshadowing the substance.

-Richard Clough