Sony Pictures Classics We’ve reissued the award-winning 2001 French classic. Amelie It will be released in 250 theaters nationwide from February 14th. As a special encore for Valentine’s Day, above the line I had to talk to a visionary director. Jean Pierre Jeunet On the film’s continuing legacy and the experience of making a sequel. very long engagement 2004 (also played the lead role) Audrey Tautou). He also spoke about his heartbreak at not being able to film his planned film adaptation. life of pi in front Ang Lee was appointed as director.
Above the line: Amelie It certainly has a timeless quality and feels as fresh now as it did 20 years ago. Are you happy that there is still so much love for this movie after all these years?
Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Ah, that’s right. This movie gave me great satisfaction and has never stopped for the past 24 years. Oh my god… Don’t say it again, don’t say it again. For example, two years ago it was shown for free on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival. “Everyone is very busy right now, so maybe 50 people will show up,” the Cannes Film Festival said. It was a rainy day. No, it was stuck! There were 800 people! New events are held every week. For example, a few months ago someone knocked on my office door. A 5 year old girl saw the poster in my office and said she was a fan of hers.she is watching Amelie every day. Can you believe it? She is 5 years old. oh. Well, it’s very satisfying and there are still great parodies and references on TV. If I were to make a commercial, every time we speak, AmelieEven after 23 years.
ATL: When David Fincher made it. fight club, He complained about having to do all the big setups and company moves just to get the five or 10 second shots included in his movies. Amelie is a great example of that montage style in action. Do you have the patience to put a lot of effort into a very short shot?
Genet: Of course I also love making [those]. You can see on my internet site that I made some animals with my friends. I love building. I’ve made animated films, but you have to be very patient when making animations…I’m not an animator. I also made a short film. The true story of Amelie Poulain. It was fun to make. When he makes a commercial like the one for Chanel perfume, which I think airs in America, he spends four weeks researching the graphic aspects, the production design, and the entire cast. I love my job! This is my only reason to live. This is the only thing I am grateful for, human ability. I’m not just thinking about art.For example, I love huge structureNational Geographic TV show. I love it because they build some tunnels, some platforms, some bridges. I’m a big fan of the faculty of making.
ATL: You were about to shoot a movie with Emily Watson in London. Do you remember the other English-speaking cast you had in mind for that version? How different would they have been?
Genet: It was just Emily Watson. That was pretty weird. Because when she went back to see her father, she had to take a train – a tunnel. (Laughs) You know, it was a bit of a weird idea, but I loved her so much. break the waves.I think it was a good idea because she would have been better bridget jones, an older woman. Of course, now everyone says, “No, that wouldn’t have been possible.” No, I know she would have been nice to have been Amelie, but she turned it down for her own personal reasons, so she met Audrey Tautou and she was perfect. This movie is full of wonderful stories. Perhaps this is the reason for the success of this film. It was full of great ideas and the stars were aligned. It happens sometimes. It’s like when you drive across town, all the lights turn green. we were very lucky.
ATL: After Amelie It did well everywhere in the world, so it had a lot of cash. Was there any temptation to go back to Hollywood and make another big American movie, or did you feel more comfortable doing that? very long engagement In your home country?
Genet: Yes, because I felt it [comfortable] make very long engagement…Because I met Audrey Tautou and thought this was the perfect way to do it. And thanks to its success, Amelie Because Warner was the owner of the rights, we were able to ask them for the rights and they said yes. It was kind of a dream. I was in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the president of Warner was very nice. When he said he wanted to shoot in French, he said, “Okay.” I want the final cut, “Okay,” and so on. They said yes to everything and gave me complete freedom. We had the opportunity to make an American film somewhere with American funding, and we were often asked by French critics to say bad things about American producers.Must be said even if you are above Alien: Resurrection They gave me almost complete freedom. Of course I had to fight every day. He said it was the toughest days of his life because he had to run faster, but for the studio bosses it was kind of a dream.just for the sake of life of pi…I worked there for two or three years. life of piDid you know that?
ATL: Yes! I read the book because I thought you were doing a movie.
Genet: But that didn’t happen. It was simply a matter of money as the price was too high. In fact, it turned out to be twice the price.
ATL: Oh, so the movie they made ended up costing twice as much?
Genet: Yes, that’s right, because Ang Lee is friends with the president of Taiwan. i haven’t. (Laughs) We actually adapted it, but it was a smart adaptation because it wasn’t a rip-off of the book like they did. It was very good. We came up with some very good ideas for adapting.everyone loved it 20th century foxnovel author, Yann Martel. Everyone loved it. It was too early to create a tiger using CG. We had to wait three years for him, but after three years they hired Ang Lee.
ATL: Can you tell us about the current state of the French film industry? I recently heard that you had to work with Netflix to finance your last film.
Genet: The world is changing now, and we are gradually losing our freedom. for example, big bug is very special. I warned Netflix, “Not everyone will like this movie.” The film was a combination of science fiction robots and a French comedy, and funding could not be found in France. No one wanted to make it. Netflix said yes within 24 hours and gave me complete freedom. Lastly, I can’t say how many people saw it because I don’t want to reveal it, but a lot of people saw it…much more than the theatrical release, right? So in the end it was good. But now, marketers are in power in France. They explained what we had to do. They talk in bad words like “cliffhanger.” “You have to captivate the audience.” Such nonsense. [is] Graduated from business school.
re-release of Amelie is currently showing in theaters.