Amelie

Amelie is a 2001 French film starring Audrey Tatou. Released in France with the title Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain, it was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

Whimsical, wise, and visually stunning, the film delighted audiences and garnered much critical acclaim when it was released. It was nominated for five Academy Awards in 2001. It was selected as "Best Picture" by the French Academy of Cinema, and "Best Original Screenplay by BAFTA.

Amelie is a mischievous loner who works as a waitress at a French cafe and takes delight in the nuances of everyday life that most people are too busy to notice. She sees the world with a childlike sense of wonder, owing largely to the fact that she was an only child who relied heavily upon her imagination to keep her company while growing up. Disenchanted by the empty promises of failed romantic relationships and seeking a greater purpose in her life, she decides her destiny is to dedicate herself to helping others.

The death of Princess Diana in 1997 sets in motion a chain reaction of events (literally!) that confirms in Amelie's mind a mission ... she will concentrate on solving other people's problems for them, and by doing so make the world a better place. She begins to imagine for herself a saint-like destiny; she envisions herself as a tireless advocate for unfortunate souls who are victims of real or imagined tyranny. Perhaps the only person who sees through the guise of her bravado is her mysterious neighbor, Dufayel, a painter who suffers from a rare disease that keeps him housebound and unable to participate in the world that exists beyond his window.

While out on her errands one day, she encounters a young man who is collecting discarded pictures from a photo booth. She becomes fascinated by him, immediately perceiving on some deep level that he is someone very connected to herself. Like Amelie, he is a dreamer...he finds joy in the little details of life others don't notice, and he is an obsessive collector of such things. Her immediate reaction to this young man, Nino, is a fearful fascination that leads her to create elaborate scavanger hunts and adventures to draw him nearer to her without actually confronting her feelings and risking his rejection.

Ultimately, it is the wisdom and intervention of Dufayel that gives Amelie the courage to follow her heart into the challenges and opportunities of love, and the life that exists outside her insular dreams.

• Audrey Tautou: Amelie
• Mathieu Kassovitz: Nino Quincampoix
• Rufus: Raphael Poulain
• Yolande Moreau: Madeleine Wallace
• Artus Penguern: Hipolito
• Urbain Cancellier: Collignon
• Dominique Pinon: Joseph
• Maurice Benichou: Bretodeau
• Claude Perron: Eva
• Isabelle Nanty: Georgette
• Claire Maurier: Suzanne
• Clotilde Mollet: Gina
• Serge Merlin: Dufaye
• Jamel Debbouze: Lucien
• Flora Guiet: Amelie, Age 8
• Andre Dussollier: Narrator

The romantic, moody soundtrack for Amelie was scored by YANN TIERSEN. It draws from a variety of French musical traditions, and is an unforgettable and endearing asset to the film's charming ambience.

In an interview with Urban Cinefile, Jean-Pierre Jeunet described how he came to select Tierson to create the soundtrack to his film: "I had something else in mind and then one day a production assistant drove me somewhere and put on a CD I didn't know, which I found absolutely superb. It was a piece by Yann Tiersen. By that evening, I owned all his records! I met him and right away, we got along very well. Over the course of two weeks, he composed nineteen pieces for us! In addition to that, he allowed us to take anything we wanted from his other records. The hard part was making a selection, because all his tracks worked with the film's images!" http://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?a=5593&s=Interviews http://www.virginrecords.com/amelie/