IMDb > Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004)
Un long dimanche de fiançailles
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Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) More at IMDbPro »

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Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) -- "A Very Long Engagement" tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fianc�e, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One.
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) -- "A Very Long Engagement" tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fianc�e, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One.
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004) -- Movieplayer.it - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   27,291 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Contact:
View company contact information for A Very Long Engagement on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
27 October 2004 (Belgium) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Never let go
Plot:
Tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancé, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 21 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(21 articles)
Ang Lee May Adapt Life of Pi
 (From ReelzChannel. 3 November 2009, 2:48 AM, PST)

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Awards 2009
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 27 October 2009, 10:25 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Brilliant more (202 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
A Very Long Engagement (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
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MPAA:
Rated R for violence and sexuality.
Runtime:
133 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Tina Lombardi's execution scene is directly inspired by the real film of the last public execution in France, Eugen Weidmann's in 1939. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: Although Mathilde herself in narration, and her aunt in the story, say the musical instrument Mathilde plays is the tuba (in French), yet any euphonium player can easily recognize the musical instrument shown as a euphonium by seeing its clear images and listening to its sound, which is a little different yet crucial from those of tuba. This mistake might be deliberately made, for a real tuba might be so big for Mathilde that the view could not be taken appropriately. more
Quotes:
Ange Bassignano: [writes] "Revenge is pointless. Try to be happy and don't ruin your life for me." more
Movie Connections:
References MASH (1970) more
Soundtrack:
Peer Gynt: Suite Number 1, Opus 46 more

FAQ

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185 out of 223 people found the following comment useful.
Brilliant, 5 December 2004
10/10
Author: boboloco from manhattan

This movie is better than "Amelie" (which I loved). The story is intricately plotted so people with a "Seed of Chucky" attention span will be overwhelmed. It must be the only movie to combine amazing combat scenes with romance, comedy and a complex mystery puzzle. Audrey Tatou is a goddess. Jeunet (the director) is like a combination of Chaplin (the romance and comedy); Hitchcock (the incredible camera work and storytelling); and Spielberg (the battle scenes and emotion).

As to some of the comments I have seen on this site:

There were French people complaining that people were speaking too fast. Gee, I don't speak French, but I can read subtitles just fine, so it was not a problem.

Some people complained that it was too long. Then there were people that complained it was too short. Like Goldilocks, I thought it was just right.

There were those that said that Tatou can't act. Audrey's performance was nuanced people, she's no Jim Carrey. Some said she was just playing Amelie again. Wrong. Amelie was a good-hearted but wishy-washy spirit who was afraid to take any action in her own life. Mathilde is just the opposite, somebody who believes so strongly in her convictions that she is able to follow what her heart tells her in spite of all available evidence and every single person she meets. In fact, every actor, no matter how small the role, turns in a great performance (I'm especially partial to the great Dominique Pinon, who plays Audrey's uncle).

There were complaints about the sex. There are a couple of brief shots of people having sex in the introduction, very similar to Amelie. Plus you get to see Jodie Foster doing the nasty from several directions. If that bothers you, go see Polar Express instead. Personally (especially in light of the rumors of Jodie being a lesbian) I am in favor of the sex scenes. There is also a shot of Audrey's fabulous naked booty, which justifies the price of admission all by itself.

Someone else complained that it was too jarring switching between the horrific WWI trench warfare scenes and the idyllic 1920s Paris. Argghhhh, that's the point!

Then there was the complaint about seeing a scene or shot from a different perspective later in the movie. Have you heard of a story called "Rashomon"? The idea is that you are experiencing the events from the viewpoint of different characters. This is cleverly done and never superfluous. At least one time you are quite startled by new information revealed by that shift in perspective.

All in all, this is a movie that really does have everything. If it were an American movie it would win best picture, best actress, best supporting actress (Jodie still might get nominated), best cinematography, best script from a novel, and best director. As it is scheduled for a Christmas national release, hopefully a lot of people will see it.

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Why did the male nurse intend to kill Matildhe? ddeboer
what did you rate this? mllidfg
Questions for those who had seen the film HenryCW
Make a drinking game out of it. bmoureau
Is there.... theilse
jodie foster's french patches67
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