But ‘.-lme/te mania‘ has not infected everyone. Jeunet has been acctised of ‘carefully cleansing Paris of all its ethnic. social. se\ual. and cultural diversity.' The ftlm has been slated by some intellectuals for resembling a tourist brochure which propagates ‘reactionary values'. liurther. it was submitted. but rejected. for incltision in the official competition at the (‘annes Film Festival. where .leunet‘s 'l'lte (‘it_\' (If Lust ('ltt/t/ren had been given pride of place si\ years ago. and where. ironically. the Hollywood anitnated film. Sltre/s. was being l'eted for the l’alme d'()r. But by the time the festival started at the beginning of May. Amelie had already carved its reputation
in cinemas from ('alais to Marseilles.
i I Jeunet looks rather aghast at by the extreme reactions he has - unwittinglv irovoked. He says h' promlnent . . a: l. -- .- . .‘ docsn t catc ll the lltlLlchlltdl ears, and her elite doesn't like Amp/n; has open happy enough with popular
approval. "l‘he story portrays les
I gens tle peu [little people] with I h()pc [L‘llklcrncxs
respect.‘ he says. ‘.-\nd. yes. the
I message is one of optimism and hope. Perhaps we need more of
that in these cvnical times.‘ found her’ -
Jeunet admits that his view of
Paris may he tinged through a
rose-coloured lens. ‘l've always
loved the city ~ from the time I
came here as an eighteen-year-old from the provinces.’ he says. ‘lt's
true that alter twenty years of living here you can become a hit fed tip
with it. (‘oming back here from l.os Angeles where l was making Alien: Resurrectimi. I discovered it all over again.’
Jeunet chose to set it in Montmartre (where he now lives). because. he suggests. ‘the district is the real soul of Paris where people have been living for generations. It has more than its share of colourful characters.‘
Speaking of which. Jeunet found 'l‘autou quite by chance when he caught sight of her on a poster for another film. l’enus Beuutv Institute. ‘lt was on a billboard near the Place (‘lichy. where much of Ame’lie was to be shot.‘ says Jeunet. ‘l was taken by her prominent ears. and her wide open eyes. I contacted her. did some test shorts and after about four seconds I was convinced. In fact. I had tears in my eyes. I was so happy to have found her. She‘s just 22 ll} on the day of this magazine's publication. in factl but has this incredible presence in front of the camera.‘
Tautou. who has already been awarded a best newcomer (‘esar lthe lirench Oscars] for Venus Beauty Institute. claims to be an instinctive actress. ‘I don‘t have a technique to get into characterf says the raven—haired elf. ‘I don‘t look at myself in the mirror or work ottt what l‘m going to do. The role of Amelie is a composite because it's not me. although maybe just a bit. My character is a shy young woman with a pronounced taste for all of life's small pleasures. She‘s far more inventive than I could ever be and her head is full of ideas. When Amelie decides to straighten out other people's lives there‘s just one problem: who‘s going to straighten out her life'.’
‘Working with Jeunet was great.‘ she continues. ‘because he is so professional and meticulous. Yet we still had plenty of freedom when we were shooting. I wanted her to be an everyday person — different. yes. but she still had to ring true. Often [‘1] dream about a character. and images come into my mind. But I don't do it consciously.‘
Tautou. is trying hard to ignore all the fuss about Amelie. Yet she's touched by the attention. She received a call from one ecstatic filmgoer who said that after seeing the film he had written to his best friend (whom he‘d fallen out with two years earlier) to suggest that they get back in touch. Strangely enough. that‘s exactly the kind of event Amélie would engineer. ‘He said that after having seen Ame’lie he felt so moved that he decided to change his attitude] says Tautou. 'The story really touches some people and it awakes in them a feeling of nostalgia. of dreams. It‘s not just a nice film that an hour later you‘ve forgotten. I don't think there are many films that make you question your own life like that.’
Amélie, UGC, Edinburgh, Sun 12 Aug, 8pm; GFT, Glasgow, Wed 15 Aug, 10.30pm; Jean-Pierre Jeunet Reel Life, UGC, Edinburgh, Mon 13 Aug, 6.30pm.
9—1 Au’; 290 THE LIST FESTIVAL GUIDE 1 1