Cool News
Jean Pierre Jeunet to take on A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT!!!
Hey folks, Harry here... Over at Hollywood Reporter they broke a story that Jeunet, the genius behind AMELIE, DELICATESSEN and CITY OF LOST CHILDREN (we'll forget that hiccup at FOX), has apparently signed on to write and direct A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT.... No, this doesn't mean he's remaking APOCALYPSE NOW or a French language remake of LORD OF THE RINGS... This is a film based on Sebastien Japrisot's "Un Long Dimanche de Fiancailles". As you can read from the excerpted plot synopsis from AMAZON below, this sounds exactly up Jeunet's alley. I can't wait to meet the pimp, the mechanic, the farmer, the carpenter and the fisherman. And I especially can't wait to meet Mathilde Donnay, the wheelchair bound woman searching for her long lost lover. This could be super great. Here ya go....
January 1917: five French soldiers are marched to their own front lines where they will be tossed out into no man's land with their hands tied behind their backs and left for the Germans to shoot. They were, in civilian life, variously a pimp, a mechanic, a farmer, a carpenter, and a fisherman; now they are condemned because each had sought to leave the war by shooting himself in the hand. Taken to a godforsaken trench nicknamed Bingo Crépuscule, the five are reluctantly sent out into the darkness; days later, five bodies are recovered and the families are notified, merely, that the men died in the line of duty.
August 1919: Mathilde Donnay receives a letter from a dying man. In it, the former soldier tells her that he met her beloved fiancé, the fisherman Manech, shortly before he died. Mathilde goes to meet Sergeant Daniel Esperanza at his hospital and there hears the story of the execution. She also receives a package with a photograph of the men and copies of their last letters. As Mathilde reads and rereads the letters and goes over Esperanza's tale, she begins to suspect that perhaps the story didn't end quite so neatly. And so begins her very long investigation into the mysterious circumstances surrounding the deaths of five condemned prisoners--one of whom, at least, might not really be dead.
-
+ Expand All
-
Jean Pierre Jeunet is the best french director!
-
..he's not the best french director ever now is he?
-
is the best director, followed by truffaut, and godard
this really is an incredible book, and i'm super fucking surprised it hasn't been already optioned. possibly the biggest selling novel in france of the last two decades. but hopefully it'll be done in french, as it is intended to be.
ladies and gentleman, looks like we're getting a "paths of glory" for the new millenium. -
I never read this book, but I love historical films, especially ones that take showcase the human element. My question is: Can Jeunet show a humanistic side? I've seen Delicatessen, City of Lost Children, Alien Resurrection, and Amelie. Other than Alien, they've all been fine films, but have also had that slightly askew edge to them. I'm not saying there wasn't a humanistic side also, it's only that the edgy comic elements tended to overwhelm the quieter moments. Also, the humanity in Lost Children and Amelie tended towards sentimentality. Will this serve this story? As I said, I didn't read the book, but from the excerpt, it sounds like something more suited to Truffaut or Max Ophuls. Of course, they're dead so that's an irrelevant comment. But maybe, in the great vast network that is the internet, Jeunet will read this and think of those two directors and, if appropriate, apply their poetic realist styles in place of his sentimental tendencies. Bon!
-
Mais surement il est le meilleure directeur! Il y'a beaucoup de bon directeurs francais, mais Jeunet est num
-
It's a fun sci-fi film...no more, no less. The Alien series was ruined by Alien 3, the worst film of the 4 so far. There was no way to keep the idea of the alien species frightening anymore as everyone was already familiar with them from the first 2 films. Sure there are some plot holes in Resurrection but I've seen it several times and it holds my attention and I have fun with it each time.
-
Mar 06, 2002 4:58:25 PM CST
PRISONERS! WAR! A WOMAN IN A WHEELCHAIR! A MYSTERY! 1917! Jeanet
by chuckrussel
yeah!
-
Sorry you all - Cameron's typical lackluster, generic, 'show enough action and morons will lap it up' approach is by FAR the worst and least challenging of the Alien series. Fincher and Jeunet restored crediblity, intelligence, and imagery to a series Cameron destroyed by making the general populace accept and expect nothing but meaningless roller coaster popcorn fluff from a series that is dark and demented. Why are Alien 3 & 4 so disregarded? Because everyone wanted another bland, effects-laden, turn-your-mind-off schlock-fest Cameron is go 'good' at.
-
is not the best French director. Perhaps contemporary, but after only three films and his Alien debachle that's a foolish statement. Truffaut would say Renoir, but I've got to say Truffaut -- of all his feature films there was only one I didn't like (Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me)The rest of his work is engaging on every level. Most everyone has seen his first three (400 Blows, Shoot the Piano Player, Jules and Jim) but I think the deeper into his canon one goes, the more rewarding it is. Pictures like Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, Two English Girls, Small Change and The Man Who Loved Women are, in my opinion, classics undiscovered by most. Jeunet plays the opposite side of the field from Truffaut, focusing more on the regular elements of surreal situations and in Amelie, the surreal elements of more realistic situations. I see Jeunet as a very visual-oriented filmmaker, and while he's capable of real fun he hasn't yet tapped any kind of depth. In his first three films, which I think are very visually exciting, Truffaut was able to convey a depth that I don't think Jeunet has touched on yet. Amelie was a brilliant piece of fluff, but I see a real evolution in Jeunet's work that will hopefully continue in combining his visual style with more engaging stories.
-
H4. I couldn't agree more. Gaspar Noe is definatly the future of quality French Cinema. I do love Jeunet's work, but I can't remeber a film that has had as lasting impact as Seul Contre Teus. Have you heard if he is working on anything new?? It's been a couple of years since his last film. Also, have you seen Carne?
-
I think the JOSS WHEDEN is to blame for Resurection being the typical garbage that it is. Buffy is good for a television show, but he has never done anything good in film. A:R is darn neat visually, except for the ridiculous looking alien baby thing at the end, and the fact that they decided to cover every alien in seven million gallons of slime, even though their was never anything but a bit of drool in the other films, but the story and characters were written horribly, and Jeunet had nothing to work with. He managed to pull off a few interesting things with the crap he was handed, but if they really wanted someone like him to do the next Alien film they should have gone all the way and let him write it, too. And they should have ditched the character of Ripley. That idea of bringing back Ripley is the core of every horrible thing in the script, especially all the genetic blending crap.
-
let the man Ridley get his wish and direct the fifth (and hopefully final) installment I love finchy, but he blew it big time on 3 (ok, so maybe the studio was at fault).. and anyone that thinks 4 was good is on crack. SHEIT SHEIT SHEIT!!
-
I can imagine that whatever studio that releases this will commit box office suicide if the title of this film turns out to be A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT. I can only imagine how just about every bad review would begin with the title of the film. If the film turned out to be 3 hours long, people would avoid it because who the hell wants to see a 3 hour film entitled "A Very Long Engagement"? It sounds like something you'd watch in History class or something. I doubt this will be the title of the film when released. That said...I'm highly anticipating this one. Jeunet rocks, anywhere he goes I'll go... Well, maybe not if it's (A) in English or (B) a sequel. But, otherwise, I'm there.
-
Given the fascinating story premise and after seeing Amelie, I'm confident that even if Jeunet does a bad job on the movie it'll still be far more worthwhile cinema going experience than half the shit that usually gets praised around here - and I include the overly long and tedious Lord of the Rings and over-rated Star Wars.
As for Aien 4 - sure I hated it too, but I think he did a reasonable job with a tired old franchise. -
Come on ALIEN RESURRECTION was great: great action, amazing cast, WEIRD HUMOR, see it again! Each movie from the series is different from the others that makes the franchise so interesting.
-
I think that "A4" succeeds in may ways. Technically, the cinematography is more than accomplished, and the editing is slicker than it needs to be. Some of the characterisation is rather original and pretty interesting, and the themes and ideas - an anticreationist ark, the abortion imagery,etc; - are way beyond the grasp of the dick-waving, tub-thumper of a third installment. But I'm not here to sell it to you. I just want to record my appreciation of it, no matter what it's flaws maybe.
Jeunet's other films seem to be rated highly enough, not to mention just about everything else Joss Whedon put pen down for. This one has been unfairly slated... -
smeg for Brains: Joss Whedon's never done anything good in film? Are you mad? Watch Toy Story again, why don't you? Or try out XMen and see how that grabs you (he penned the famous "How do I really know it's you?" "You're a dick" line).
-
I heard that Jounet was going to do a live action take on the fantastic (Or at least it was fantastic when I was 10) French, futuristic cartoon redux of The Odessey, Ulysses 31. Is that still on?
-
I'm choking on your guys' renoir/truffaut film snobbery talk. It's hard not to vomit when you film students start spewing about the 400 Blows YET AGAIN.
-
We're trying to update this official website for an English version... Thanks for your patience.
You can already chat on our message board in English !!
www.jeunetcaro.com
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 419 total posts 209 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 131 total posts 129 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 123 total posts 122 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 191 total posts 47 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 43 total posts 43 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 42 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 27 total posts 27 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 506 total posts 26 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 77 total posts 24 posts