Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou) grew up as an only child to ex-Army doctor Raphaël (Rufus) and former schoolteacher Amandine (Lorella Cravotta). As a child she was home-schooled and often sheltered from the rest of the world due to her parents’ thinking she had a heart defect. But in reality, it was just young Amélie’s heart racing at the attention and contact she’d get from her father once a month for her physical checkup. Amélie became an introvert, and with no other friends, she often retreated into her own imagination and fantasy world. After her mother was killed in an accident, her father became even more distant.
Now 23, Amélie lives in an apartment is Monmatre above the Two Windmills, the diner where she works as a waitress. She’s never really had a boyfriend, and instead enjoys the small pleasures of life. On the day the world loses Princess Diana, Amélie discovers a metal box hidden in the wall of her bathroom, belonging to a young boy who lived in her apartment 40 years earlier. She reunites this treasure box with its original owner, and when she sees how much joy it brings to him, Amélie decides to become a do-gooder, setting out to help and bring happiness to those around her. Whether it’s helping a blind man cross the street, sending her father photos from a traveling gnome to try to spur him into taking the international trip that he and her mother had always dreamed of, helping the building’s concierge Madeleine (Yolande Moreau) find closure for her long-departed husband, getting lonely diner patron Joseph (Dominique Pinon) and tobacconist Georgette (Isabelle Nanty) together, helping painter/neighbor “The Glass Man” Raymond Dufayel (Serge Merlin) find a friend and a muse, or teaching grocer Collignon (Urbain Cancelier) a lesson for mistreating his simpleton employee Lucien (Jamel Debbouze). Though Amélie does all her good deeds from the safety of secrecy, and from a distance, not wanting to put herself out there.
One day, while at the train station, Amélie locks eyes on a handsome young man named Nino Quincampoix (Mathieu Kassovitz), who’s a quirky dreamer like herself. She starts to follow him, and sees a bag fall off his scooter. She finds a photo album and discovers that Nino has a passion for collecting discarded ID photos from strangers at photo booths around the city. She continues to spy on Nino and eventually decides to use returning the photo album as an excuse to meet him, but constantly chickens out, sending Nino on a wild goose chase. As much as she’s able to help others find happiness, inside she’s still a bit too scared to risk breaking out of her own comfort barrier to put herself out there for the chance at love. Will she end up being like the others who needed her help, or will Amélie finally risk everything to help herself find love?
Amélie still holds up extremely well 23 years later. It’s a quirky film that brings whimsy and joy, and I defy anyone to watch this and not have a smile on their face by the end. The film has a somewhat timeless look and feel, with a very stylized look. Narration helps set the tone, and each time we meet a new character, we find out more about them, and their likes and dislikes. The fast-paced narration also explains the events that lead up to each chance meeting via a butterfly effect-type nature. The film also makes use of flashbacks and fantasy sequences to put the viewer inside the wild mind of Amélie.
Audrey Tautou is so delightful in this movie. There is this sweet innocence to Amélie, even when she’s scheming against her family and co-workers to bring them happiness. There is also this palpable chemistry between Amélie and Nino, who are like two quirky peas in a pod, and perfect for one another. You are constantly rooting for them to get together. At the same time, the film also has a lot of humor, both in the narration and in the situations—especially as Amélie stages her revenge on Collignon. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this film after so many years.
Amélie has been released on Blu-ray several times before, but Sony’s latest Blu-ray release is nearly identical to Lionsgate’s previous 2011 Blu-ray. I could not see any difference between the two video presentations, so I don’t believe there has been any new remastering done. The only main difference seemed to be new white subtitles instead of the old yellow ones—the new ones are arguably easier to read. The good news is that the film still looks fantastic, with a clean clear picture, a solid level of detail throughout, and accentuated green and red tones to give the film its signature look. The audio is only offered in its original French language track, which also appears to be identical to the previous Blu-ray. Dialogue and narration are clear throughout, and the film’s delightful accordion score sounds great. The stereo and surround channels are deployed nicely to add an immersive feel to the film.
The release ports over all of the previous bonus material from the 2011 Blu-ray, and adds one new bonus feature—a new 5-minute interview with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The legacy material consists of a director commentary and over 90 minutes of interviews, behind-the-scenes featurettes, gag reel, screen tests, storyboard comparisons, photo galleries, and more.
New to this release is a beautiful new SteelBook package, which is wrapped with a J-card providing details about the film and the disc contents. The release includes just a single Blu-ray disc and no DVD or digital copy.
What’s Included:
Film: (2:01:45)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.35:1
- Audio: French DTS-HD MA 5.1
- Subtitles: English, English SDH
Extras:
All of the bonus material from the previous 2011 Blu-ray release has been carried over, along with a brand new interview with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
- Jean-Pierre Jeunet Looks Back (5:00)
In this all-new interview, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet looks back at the film, talking about how it was a surprise success, coming up with the story and characters, shooting outdoors in Paris, scouting the locations himself, and more. - The Look of Amélie (12:47)
The filmmakers discuss the film’s use of color, the pre-planning that went into shots, shooting on location, camera movements, the digital color grading process, and more. Includes clips, behind-the-scenes and storyboard footage, and interviews with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, and star Mathieu Kassovitz (“Nino”). Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Fantasies of Audrey Tautou (2:07)
Outtakes from Audrey Tautou’s performance. - Commentary with Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2:01:45)
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet provides an entertaining and informative commentary throughout the film, sharing lots of fun anecdotes and stories about the production. Some of the things he discusses include how he came up with the story, the things I love and things I hate game, bringing in cast and crew from his previous films like Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, the special effects, screening reactions, and more. - Screen Tests (6:28)
Cast screen test footage. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. Play All, or select from:- Audrey Tautou (1:58)
- Urbain Cancelier (:38)
- Yolande Moreau (3:51)
- Q&A With the Director (24:36)
Recorded in January 2002 at American Cinematheque in Los Angeles, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet discusses his career and work on Amélie, and takes questions from the audience. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Q&A With the Director and the Cast (5:55)
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet is joined by stars Audrey Tautou (“Amélie”), Mathieu Kassovitz & Jamel Debbouze (“Lucien”) to discuss their work on the film and take questions from the audience. In French with English subtitles. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - An Intimate Chat With Jean-Pierre Jeunet (20:48)
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet discusses the events surrounding the release of the film for the DVD as a way of permanently documenting his memories of working on the movie. In French with English subtitles. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Home Movie: Inside the Making of Amélie (12:45)
Filmed and edited by Liza Sullivan, this is a collection of raw behind-the scenes footage. Some of it is silent, accompanied by score while other footage is in French with English subtitles. Presented in 4:3 full frame format. - Storyboard Comparisons (:57)
View the funhouse sequence from the film with the storyboards displayed above the final shot. - The Amélie Scrapbook
Step through various photo galleries. Select from:- Behind The Scenes Photos – 16 photos
- French Poster Concepts – 17 photos
- Storyboards – 5 photos
- The Garden Gnome’s Travels – 7 photos
- Trailer (1:11)
Final Thoughts:
Amélie is a delightful and charming movie featuring an excellent lead performance from star Audrey Tautou. It transports viewers into the fantastical world of the lead character, with a stylized look and feel that is captured beautifully on this release. The specs and contents of the disc are nearly identical to the previous 2011 disc, with just one additional 5-minute interview with the director, along with the nice new SteelBook packaging. If you don’t already own the film, this is the version to pick up, but as to whether or not the case and single new extra is worth a double-dip, that’s up to the buyer.
Amelie – Blu-ray + Steelbook
34% Off $40.99 $26.97 (as of April 26, 2024 14:25 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Amelie – DVD
23% Off $25.99 $18.32 (as of April 26, 2024 14:25 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Amelie
(as of April 26, 2024 14:25 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
