Coco Before Chanel (2009) Coco avant Chanel (original title)

Director:

Anne Fontaine

Writers:

Anne Fontaine (writer)
Edmonde Charles-Roux (book)
(more)

Release Date:

22 April 2009 (Belgium)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Before she was France's famous mademoiselle...

Plot:

The story of Coco Chanel's rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world.

Plot Keywords:

Orphanage | Singer | Fashion | Performer | Hat

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Audrey Tautou	...	Gabrielle 'Coco' Chanel
Benoît Poelvoorde	...	Étienne Balsan
Alessandro Nivola	...	Arthur 'Boy' Capel
Marie Gillain	...	Adrienne Chanel
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Emilienne d'Alençon
Régis Royer	...	Alec, le jockey
Etienne Bartholomeus	...	Maître d'hôtel Balsan
Yan Duffas	...	Maurice de Nexon
Fabien Béhar	...	Patron boutique
Roch Leibovici	...	Jean, le palefrenier
Jean-Yves Chatelais	...	Directeur beuglant
Pierre Diot	...	Acteur théâtre
Vincent Nemeth	...	Gros homme théâtre
Bruno Abraham-Kremer	...	Tailleur Deauville
Lisa Cohen	...	Gabrielle Chanel, 10 ans
Inès Bessalem	...	Adrienne Chanel, 10 ans
Marie-Bénédicte Roy	...	Cliente boutique
Emilie Gavois-Kahn	...	Couturière remplaçante
Fanny Deblock	...	Prostituée Balsan
Claude Brécourt	...	Directeur Alcazar
Karina Marimon	...	Fille pique-nique
Bruno Paviot	...	Invité Balsan 1
Franck Monsigny	...	Invité Balsan 2
Marie Parouty	...	Sophie, amie d'Emilienne
Jean-Chrétien Sibertin-Blanc	...	Raymond
Marie-Josée Hubert	...	Cuisinière
Patrick Laviosa	...	Pianiste beuglant & Balsan
Kim Schwarck	...	Fille loge Coco
Frantz Herman	...	Invité Balsan 3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Berenice Sand	...	Promeneuse deauville (uncredited)

Directed by
Anne Fontaine

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Edmonde Charles-Roux		book
Anne Fontaine		writer
Camille Fontaine		writer

Produced by
Simon Arnal	....	producer
Caroline Benjo	....	producer
Philippe Carcassonne	....	producer
Genevieve Lemal	....	associate producer
Alexandre Lippens	....	associate producer
Carole Scotta	....	producer

Original Music by
Alexandre Desplat

Cinematography by
Christophe Beaucarne

Film Editing by
Luc Barnier

Casting by
Antonia Dauphin

Production Design by
Olivier Radot

Set Decoration by
Nathalie Roubaud

Costume Design by
Catherine Leterrier

Makeup Department
Avril Carpentier	....	additional makeup artist
Marie-christine Carpentier	....	additional makeup artist
Christophe Giraud	....	makeup artist
Mathilde Humeau	....	additional makeup artist
Corinne Maillard	....	key makeup artist
Jane Milon	....	key hair stylist
Anne Moralis	....	wig maker
Thi Thanh Tu Nguyen	....	key makeup artist
Lydia Pujols	....	makeup artist
Aurélie Rameau	....	makeup artist
Miguel Santos	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Frédéric Blum	....	production manager
Hélène Fabre	....	assistant production manager
Vincent Lefeuvre	....	unit production manager
Arnaud Marcon	....	unit manager trainee

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Gabrielle Hanne	....	third assistant director
Joseph Rapp	....	first assistant director
Dylan Talleux	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Charlotte Bayle	....	titles designer
Jérôme Billa	....	props
Thierry Chavenon	....	second assistant art director
Aurelie Combe	....	props
Nicolas Decaux	....	carpenter
Gaël Langlais	....	swing gang
Baptiste Magis	....	second assistant art director
Lionel Mathis	....	assistant art director
Christophe Offret	....	property master
Katell Rolland	....	builder
Julie Wassef	....	trainee constructor

Sound Department
Nicolas Cantin	....	sound
Pascal Chauvin	....	foley artist
Vincent Cosson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Franck Desmoulins	....	sound editor
Dominique Gaborieau	....	sound re-recording mixer
Anne Gibourg	....	sound editor
Claire-Anne Largeron	....	sound editor
Jean-Claude Laureux	....	supervising sound editor
Sylvain Malbrant	....	sound editor
Franck Tassel	....	foley artist
Matthieu Tibi	....	sound mix technician

Visual Effects by
Jerome Auliac	....	digital compositor
Alain Bignet	....	digital compositor
Régis Coque	....	digital effects artist
Sophie Denize	....	visual effects producer
Pascal Giroux	....	visual effects supervisor
Nelly Gonzalez	....	digital compositor
Aurélien Grand	....	retouch and restoration
Yann Leroux	....	digital compositor
Martin Lisen	....	digital compositor
Elodie Ly Tri	....	retouch and restoration
Fredrik Monteil	....	digital compositor
Guillaume Pondard	....	visual effects
Etienne Salançon	....	digital compositor
Niranjan Siva	....	digital compositor
Guillaume Thimus	....	matchmove and compositing
Georges Tornero	....	visual effects supervisor

Stunts
Frédéric Laforet	....	stunt double: horse rider
Mario Luraschi	....	horses stunts supervisor
Pascal Madura	....	horses stunts supervisor
Christophe Marsaud	....	stunts
Virginie Poirier	....	stunt double: horse rider

Camera and Electrical Department
Victor Abadia	....	best boy electric rigger
Stéphane Afchain	....	rigging key grip
Drigeard Antonin	....	electrician
Eric Bialas	....	Steadicam operator: second unit
Emmanuel de Fleury	....	assistant camera
Marie Decourt	....	first assistant camera
Jean-François Drigeard	....	rigger gaffer
Hugues Espinasse	....	focus puller
Franck Fiquet	....	electrician
Vanessa Guez	....	second assistant camera
Jean-Pierre Lacroix	....	gaffer
Luc Pallet	....	first assistant camera
Laura Pieters	....	camera trainee
Gwendal Quistrebert	....	electrician
Benjamin Speyer	....	crane technician
Stéphane Thiry	....	key grip
Chantal Thomine-Desmazures	....	still photographer
Jean-Pierre Voisin	....	electrician
Laurent Wémama	....	grip

Casting Department
Kathleen Backel	....	casting: USA
Antonia Dauphin	....	casting: USA

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Guillaume Attwood	....	additional dresser
Amelie Caillart-Milhau	....	wardrobe
Elsa Capus	....	wardrobe
Céline Collobert	....	wardrobe mistress
Camille Janbon	....	assistant costume designer
Eudald Magri	....	wardrobe
Karen Muller Serreau	....	assistant costume designer
Laurence Nicolas	....	set costumer
Sylvie Néant	....	crowd dresser
Frédéric Tournant	....	costumes coordinator

Editorial Department
Sanabel Cherqaoui	....	assistant editor
Charlotte Lamy Le Loet	....	color timer
Natacha Louis	....	colorist
Maud Morot	....	assistant editor
Fabien Napoli	....	colorist: dailies
Nelly Ollivault	....	assistant editor

Music Department
John Barrett	....	assistant score mixing engineer
John Barrett	....	assistant scoring engineer
Jean-Pascal Beintus	....	orchestrator
Alexandre Desplat	....	conductor
Xavier Forcioli	....	soundtrack production coordinator
Andy Kitchen	....	assistant music recordist
London Symphony Orchestra	....	orchestra (as The London Symphony Orchestra)

Other crew
Franck Belaiche	....	production assistant
Christophe Bernard	....	location scout
Corinne Devaux	....	choreographer
Agathe Grau	....	script supervisor
Laurent Perrot	....	production assistant
Fabien Pondevaux	....	location scout
Antoine Richy	....	production assistant
Lilas Saadat	....	production assistant
Sandrine Vitali	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Haut et Court (co-production)
• Ciné@ (co-production)
• Warner Bros. (co-production) (as Warner Bros. Entertainment France)
• France 2 Cinéma (co-production)
• Canal+ (with the participation of)
• CinéCinéma (with the participation of)
• France 2 (FR2) (with the participation of)
• Films Distribution (in association with)
• Cofinova 5 (in association with)
• Banque Populaire Images 9 (in association with)
• Scope Pictures (in association with)
• Le Tax Shelter du Gouvernement Fédéral de Belgique (with the support of)
• Soficapital (with the support of)
• SCOPE Invest

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• Incognito Films (2010) (Lithuania) (theatrical)
• Chantier Films (2008) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Festive Films (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Golden Village Pictures (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2009) (UK) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2009) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Alliance (2010) (Canada) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2010) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Audiovisual (2009) (Greece) (all media)
• CN Entertainment (2009) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• E1 Entertainment Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• E1 Entertainment Benelux (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• FS Film Oy (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• IPA Asia Pacific (2009) (Thailand) (all media)
• Luxor Entertainment (2009) (Russia) (all media)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD)
• Optimum Home Entertainment (2009) (UK) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• SPI International (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• SPI International (2009) (Hungary) (all media)
• SPI International (2009) (Bulgaria) (all media)
• SPI International (2009) (Poland) (all media)
• SPI International (2009) (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (all media)
• SPI International (2009) (Slovakia) (all media)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2010) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Vitaya (2012) (Belgium) (TV)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Spain) (all media)
• Warner Bros. (2009) (Italy) (all media)
• Warner Home Video (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vidéo (2009) (France) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vidéo (2009) (France) (DVD) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

• Duran Duboi
• Mikros Image
• WFX

Other Companies

• Chanel  special thanks
• Abbey Road Studios  score recorded at
• Funn  hosiery (uncredited)
• Le Vestiaire  costumes
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  orchestra
• Panavision Alga  camera equipment
• Technicolor  release printing
• Varèse Sarabande  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"Coco avant Chanel" - France (original title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and smoking

Runtime:

105 min | USA:111 min (cable version)

Country:

France | Belgium

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:15 | Ireland:12A | Hong Kong:IIA | USA:PG-13 (certificate #45445) | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Japan:G | Argentina:13 | Taiwan:PG-12 | Canada:G (Québec) | Sweden:Btl | Australia:PG | Mexico:B | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Australia:M (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Cabourg, Calvados, France

Company:

Haut et Court

Trivia:

From 1934 to 1971 Coco Chanel made the Hotel Ritz, Paris, France her home. A suite, in honor of her memory, has been named after her: the Coco Chanel Suite.

Goofs:

Continuity: Costume continuity during the scene where "Boy" allows Coco Chanel to drive the motorcar. When they eventually stop the car, Coco is wearing a white scarf which she was not wearing when she first got into the car.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[subtitled version of French dialog]
Nun:Girls who have visitors, follow me.
Gabrielle Chanel, 10 ans:Come on. Come on, let's go.
Adrienne Chanel, 10 ans:I don't want to.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire: Million Dollar Movie Week 2 (#8.117)" (2010)

Soundtrack:

Little Black Baby

Coco before Chanel

"Coco before Chanel" is exactly that; the life of an impoverished girl up until the start of what became a fashion empire.

This I must say is a different kind of a biopic. There was some sort of subtleness about it, everything was going too slow and not much was happening in terms of demonstrating that this hopeless little girl from nowhere had this extraordinary talent for cloth-making. Yes we did see her advocating simplicity in times of great extravagance and even dressing up (probably) her first clients but had the viewer not been aware of the brand "Chanel" he or she would have to wait until the finishing titles to realise Coco turned out to become a fashion icon.

If there is one thing about Coco is that she was a rebel; in a late 19th century puritan society she stood up for what she believed, refused to get married and instead of settling for a wedlock with a rich spouse she chose to live the adventure, go to Paris and start up a hat shop.

It seems however that her rebellious nature extended to her design skills. To use her own words: "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance." Coco Chanel always kept the clothing she designed simple, comfortable and revealing. Unlike most designers in that Europe, she kept the woman inside the clothes at the center of her creations. "I gave women a sense of freedom; I gave them back their bodies: bodies that were drenched in sweat, due to fashion's finery, lace, corsets, underclothes, padding." Perhaps it was fate or desperation from her impoverished upbringing but the affair with the playboy millionaire and, later, his best friend were pivotal to give her the push she needed to make a start. Though not an expert on French upper class culture but were quite impressed how civilized and elegant the two men were when it came to loving and pursuing the same woman.

All in all a decent film but no wow factor.