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 [Denmark] Warner Bros. [France]

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

At the point where Mathilde is asked either by her uncle or her aunt about the fate of Manech, she responds that he might be held prisoner by the Germans, then he escaped and met a German woman with large breasts. This could either be a reference to La Grande Illusion or to La cuisine au beurre.

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Goofs

As the five prisoners are being led through the trench in January 1917, they pass the wreckage of a German Fokker DR-1 Triplane. These aircraft did not enter service until September 1917, nine months after the events of this movie.

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Quotes

Mathilde: [after climbing out of her wheelchair] Miracles don't just happen in Lourdes, you know.

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Connections

Featured in Ahate pasa (2010)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Finally a really good film!

The best film I've seen in at least two years. I WAS TOTALLY PREPARED TO NOT LIKE THIS FILM. The title made me fear that my favorite director had created a chick flick. This movie is amazing, the story is set up quickly and suddenly your running along with this amazing tale that sucks you in and fills you with hope, reminds you that no matter what others may think it is up to you to never give up. I can't wait till it's in theaters so I can see it again, and I can't wait till it's on DVD so I can own it. Maybe supremely jaded people might not like this film, they'll hide behind expensive words to mask the fact that, in life, they gave up. And this move is a reminder that they didn't have to. You need to see this movie, your family and friends do too, heck bring the dog. I'm so glad it's not a chick flick, and I'm so glad that Jean-Pierre Jeunet's craft continues to escalate with each film he does. MM.