{"id":1174553,"date":"2024-07-08T11:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T18:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/?p=1174553"},"modified":"2024-07-09T07:56:46","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T14:56:46","slug":"amelie-jean-pierre-jeunet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moviemaker.com\/amelie-jean-pierre-jeunet\/","title":{"rendered":"Amelie Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet on the Enduring Appeal of His Most Beloved Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Jean-Pierre Jeunet released his film Amelie<\/em> in 2001, it was a shiny, hopeful departure from the apocalyptic films for which he and creative partner Marc Caro had become known. He explained to a SCAD Lacoste Film Festival audience that one secret of Amelie<\/em>‘s success was not to be too “sugary.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his discussion with SCAD associate chair of film and television Brett Wagner (whose films include the new The Big Bend<\/em><\/a>), he noted that a lot of things worked in Amelie<\/em>‘s favor \u2014 including, oddly enough, a release date near the 9\/11 attacks, which fueled an audience hunger for something happy and distracting. The film follows Amelie (Audrey Tautou), a young Parisian waitress who tries to help others find joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wagner noted that Amelie is “an extremely romantic, extremely sweet story, but it’s never saccharine \u2014 because it’s also occasionally harsh and occasionally edgy, and you never know what the next feeling you’re going to have is.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeunet, who merged hope and wry cynicism in his answers, gave a typical response: “You know, human beings are the worst thing on earth. But somewhere, all of us, we have something good inside.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continued: “When you speak about that, you have to avoid being too sugary \u2014 I hope I did \u2014 and you’ll touch the heart of the people everywhere.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What makes people continue to embrace Amelie<\/em>, he says, is that “it speaks about generosity. Amelie wants to help people and she doesn’t want anything in return. So it’s touching for everyone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jean-Pierre Jeunet on the Timeless Look of Amelie<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The director said the look of the film has helped it as well. The film is difficult to place in any particular timeframe, much like Terry Gilliam’s 1985 film Brazil<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And also, I showed a beautiful Paris \u2014 a fake one. No dog s— on the street in the film,” Jeunet said, to audience laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two also discussed the small details in Amelie \u2014 Amelie touching a grave, the story of a garden gnome, a photo booth book \u2014 that make it especially enduring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeunet’s first two films were 1991’s Delicatessan <\/em>and 1995’s City of Lost Children<\/em>, both of which he co-directed with Caro and which combine dreaminess with bleak conceptions of humanity. The two split up after 1997’s Alien: Resurrection<\/em>, which Jeunet directed solo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> SCAD Lacoste Honors Miranda Richardson, Janty Yates, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Jean-Pierre Jeunet<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeunet said he made Amelie without Caro in part because of his and Caro’s different visions. “Marc would have been ashamed of Amelie<\/em>” because of its relative sunniness, he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was very, very, very personal,” he said of Amelie<\/em>, before adding: “I am<\/em> Amelie.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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