A Very Long Engagement (2004)
"Un long dimanche de fiançailles" (original title)

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.

Director:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writers:

Sébastien Japrisot (novel), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (story),

Stars:

Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Dominique Pinon

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 19 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Audrey Tautou	...	Mathilde
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Manech
Dominique Pinon	...	Sylvain
Chantal Neuwirth	...	Bénédicte
André Dussollier	...	Pierre-Marie Rouvières
Ticky Holgado	...	Germain Pire
Marion Cotillard	...	Tina Lombardi
Dominique Bettenfeld	...	Ange Bassignano
Jodie Foster	...	Elodie Gordes
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Benjamin Gordes
Clovis Cornillac	...	Benoît Notre-Dame
Jean-Pierre Becker	...	Esperanza
Denis Lavant	...	Six-Soux
Jérôme Kircher	...	Bastoche
Albert Dupontel	...	Célestin Poux

Storyline

Five desperate French soldiers during The Battle of the Somme shoot themselves, either by accident or with purpose, in order to be invalided back home. Having been "caught" a court-martial convenes and determines punishment to be banishment to No Man's Land with the objective of having the Germans finish them off. In the process of telling this tale each man's life is briefly explored along with their next of kin as Methilde, fiancée to one of the men, tries to determine the circumstances of her lover's death. This task is not made any easier for her due to a bout with polio as a child. Along the way she discovers the heights and depths of the human soul.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | no man's land | court martial | death | girl | 

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Taglines:

Never let go

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [dk] Warner Bros. [fr]

Country:

France USA

Language:

French German Corsican

Release Date:

27 October 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

A Very Long Engagement

Filming Locations:

Austerlitz Railway Station, Paris 13, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$47,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$94,884 (Hong Kong) (1 April 2005)

Gross:

$200,542 (Hong Kong) (8 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

2003 Productions, Warner Bros., Tapioca Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A Paris court ruling prevented the movie from receiving State financial aid reserved to French movie production companies because it was produced by a company owned by Warner Bros., hence not a French company.

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Goofs

In the story of Manech's self inflicted wound, a tank can be seen taking part in the French attack. This type of tank, the Renault FT, did not see combat until March 1918.

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Quotes

Ange Bassignano: [writes] "Revenge is pointless. Try to be happy and don't ruin your life for me."

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Connections

References Jour de Fete (1949)

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Soundtracks

"Peer Gynt: Suite Number 1, Opus 46"
Composed by Edvard Grieg

User Reviews

Best movie this year

I had the pleasure of seeing this movie on a special preview last night and I was enthralled at its story line and cinematic experience. I wasn't a great fan of Amelie and hence was not expecting any particular out-of-body experience in viewing this. But I was wrong. It is a wonderful piece of story telling – somewhat difficult to follow if you do have a short memory span for character names – and flashbacks. Yet at the end, it seamlessly closes the web in a beautifully written script that has been well acted and filmed. It is particularly gory in the WWI battle scenes but probably accurate in depiction whilst the locations where the film was shot seem out of this world (hoped they were not computer generated). Quaint towns, fields, beaches and houses lend a beautiful touch to the story of a love that will not die whilst Audrey Tautou delivers a spellbinding performance in a child-like heroine with a will of steel. A special mention must be given to Bruno Delbonnel's camera work which simply is amazing. Can't wait for the DVD.