Coco Before Chanel, Review
Audrey Tautou Portrays Fashion Icon Coco Chanel in Her Humble Beginn
Coco Before Chanel is a powerful, probing biopic of fashion icon Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel and the social mores which defined her early life. The film begins with Gabrielle Chanel and her sister, Adrienne (Marie Gillain) being abandoned by their father at an orphanage. After leaving the orphanage, the two sisters end up as seamstresses in the small town of Moulins, France. At night, they sing in a cabaret show. Gabrielle sings a song called Coco, and the name sticks.
After losing the support of one man - their father - the girls must turn to other men for support and status. Without money or a family name, their best option is to become mistresses of wealthy men. Both determinedly and regretfully, Coco shows up at the estate of French aristocrat Etienne Balsan, played by the sensational Benoît Poelvoorde, and worms her way into the hearts of Balsan and his companions.
Gabriel “Coco” Chanel as Balsan’s Mistress
The early relationship between Chanel and Balsan reflects the social mores of the time: it is based entirely on class and gender. Chanel realizes that Balsan has the power in the relationship. But slowly, a mutual friendship and fondness grows between them. Through many fights and then kind words, we see a strong friendship evolve by the end of the film. As O.A. Scott of the New York Times wrote, their relationship is the most interesting part of the film. It high lights the social mores and the way in which two very different individuals inhabited their social worlds.
Arthur “Boy” Capel, the Love of Chanel’s Life
Coco Chanel never married. In the beginning of the film, we see her pessimism about men and love. She seems to think that love is a myth, and even tells her sister early in the film that the only problem with making love is that you need a man to do it with. Chanel’s cynicism melts away when she meets English businessman Arthur “Boy” Capel. What would a biopic be without a great romance?
Coco Chanel Develops Her Personal Style
Throughout the film, Chanel is surrounded by the gawdy, 19th century fashion of France’s elite, and with a keen aesthetic sense, she begins to create her own, simpler style. She never wears corsets or anything to restrict her movement. In order to fashion her own outfits, she raids the closet of Balsan and creates cute, boyish outfits for herself. The hats she creates are a big success with Balsan’s companions. Eventually, she moves to Paris to open up her own hat shop. Of course, she doesn’t just stop with hats.
Director Anne Fontaine and the Theme of Destiny
It is hard to categorize director Anne Fontaine, whose work spans genres from thrillers to Victorian biopics. However, a thread which connects her work is the theme of destiny. In Coco Before Chanel, Fontaine, who co-wrote the screenplay, chose to focus more on the people and their era rather than on Chanel’s personal rise to fame and fortune. In this way, Fontaine avoids the trap that many biopic films fall into, being formulaic and predicable.
Lastly, Audrey Tautou carries the film with a strong and skillful performance of Chanel, her cyncism, humor, and general richness of character. For the international audience, Tautou is best known for her lead role in Amelie, in which she was all smiles and cute looks. In France, Tautou has a substantial portfolio, but for those of us who rarely see her films released in the United States, this film will prove that she is a serious actress who can take on serious roles.
Directed by Anne Fontaine, written by Anne Fontaine, Camille Fontaine, Edmonde Charles-Roux; Starring Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, and Alessandro Nivola
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