Amelie (
Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain ) is a french romantic comedy , giving us an insight into the everyday life of the residents of Montmartre in Paris , through the eyes of Amelie Poulain , a shy and lonely waitress working in the 'Two Windmills' cafe. Amelie grows up isolated from other children thanks largely to her parents ( her father , a doctor lives under the belief that his daughter has a grave illness ) . After the sudden death of her mother, her father goes into a withdrawal, leaving little amelie in her own imaginary world .....
At 23 years old, Amelie being quite unsuccessful at love and living alone, suddenly finds an intriguing young man Nino Quincampoix, who while chasing after a bald guy , drops an album. Amelie picks it up and along with her neighbour Raymond Dufayel , goes through the entire album wondering why the young man had taken so many old , torn photos especially that of the bald man. She also discovers an old metal box filled with childhood stuff belonging to some little boy who lived in her apartment years ago. Determined to return the box to the little boy ( now an old man ), she makes a vow that if she is able to find him and make him happy, she would dedicate her life to bringing happiness to everyone around her. The reminder of the movie captures all her attempts at making her neighbours happy - including her reclusive dad whom she finally convinces to follow his dream of going on a world tour, acting as a guardian angel for Lucien the grocery store owner's assistant who is continuously bullied by the owner and enabling Mr. Dufayel to complete his version of Renoir's 'Luncheon Of The Boating Party'. All along Mr. Dufayel observes her through his window and realizes that in a way - the girl with a glass of water, in his painting, represents Amelie Poulain and her lonely life . So as she helps him finish his painting he encourages her indirectly to not just return the album to Nino but in the process find out more about him. Amelie realizes that Nino shares some of her quirky ways , and finally makes him understand that the bald guy in his albums is not an eccentric man determined to have his photos taken again and again, but just a photo-booth repairman.
Even as Amelie being too shy to approach Nino directly, plays a cat and mouse game with him, he finally manages to meet up with her and they start a relationship. Thus Amelie by bringing happiness to people around her finally manages to find happiness in her own life..... This movie released in 2001 as an international co-production between France and Germany, starred Audrey Tatou as Amelie ( a role written originally for Emily Watson) . Tatou brought her own life into the character that she will forever be in my mind as Amelie , wherever i see her performance. The other characters are aptly cast - Serge Merlin as Mr.Dufayel, the endearing old man, Matheiu Kassovitz as the quirky , cute Nino , Rufus as Raphael Poulain , Amelie's father, Michel Robin as the bullying Mr.Collignon, Jamel Debbouze as the childish Lucien .... The scenes involving Lucien with Collignon and Dufayel and those involving the characters at 'The Two Windmills' cafe are hilarious - the humour is very subtle as it comes out of the actors body-language rather than through the dialogues. Nominated for several awards and also winning many of them , this is probably one of the most internationally well-known french movies. Ideal as a family-holiday movie , it can be uplifting even to the most depressed of souls among us .....
Few Of My Favourite Quotes From The Movie:
Raymond Dufayel aka Glass Man: So, my little Amélie, you don't have bones of glass. You can take life's knocks. If you let this chance pass, eventually, your heart will become as dry and brittle as my skeleton. So, go get him, for Pete's sake!
The Sacré-Coeur Boy: The fool looks at a finger that points at the sky.
Amélie: [
to her father, who is not paying attention] I had two heart attacks, an abortion, did crack... while I was pregnant. Other than that, I'm fine.
Joseph: You're gorgeous when you blush. Like a wild flower.
Georgette: [
shaking head] It's my dyspepsia.
Joseph: Cram it, failure!
Hipolito, The Writer: Failed writer, failed life... I love the word "fail." Failure is human destiny.
Joseph: It's gasbag time!
Hipolito, The Writer: Failure teaches us that life is but a draft, a long rehearsal for a show that will never play.
Joseph: I bet he stole that.
Hipolito, The Writer: I do have some original ideas, but people always steal them.
Hipolito, The Writer: Same as your women.
Joseph: Meaning?
Hipolito, The Writer: You'd better get used to it.
Amelie on IMDb
More movies later.....
