Anne Fontaine’s “Coco Avant Chanel” has a newish trailer. It’s essentially a biopic of Coco Chanel before she became a world renowned fashion designer and in that respect, it feels, sounds and looks like what, “La Vie En Rose” was to French music, only for the Gallic fashion world. It appears to be part rebel tale, drama and love story. The picture also stars Alessandro Nivola who we think is great and vastly underrated.
Considering its release date, late September, a TIFF appearance could be possible, but then again, this one’s been around internationally since the spring. Here’s the synopsis, maybe the film will put Audrey Tautou on the map again, as she made quite the splash with “Amelie,” but then sort of disappeared into the background shortly thereafter. Maybe she’s just comfortable in smaller roles and or just French films.
Audrey Tautou (THE DAVINCI CODE, AMELIE) plays the legendary “Coco” Chanel in an enthralling exploration of her early life before she rose to worldwide fame as the most celebrated fashion designer of the 20th Century. We meet the young Gabrielle Chanel, illegitimate daughter of a traveling salesman who learns to sew in a Catholic orphanage before following her singing ambitions lead her to a cabaret club. It is here where Chanel earns the nickname Coco and also where she catches the eye of several high society gentlemen who would ignite her passion and become instrumental in the development of her remarkable career.
The film also features a beautiful-sounding score by Alexandre Desplat who has nominated at last year’s Oscars for his work on “The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button” and will be heard later this year in Wes Anderson’s “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and Terrence Malick’s “The Tree Of Life.”
“Coco Avant Chanel” will see a limited release on September 25.
