Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky

[Bonnette]

This is now showing on Starz and I saw it last night. Apart from the beautiful sets and scenery, and especially the stunning ballet sequence at the beginning of the film, I was very disappointed. In particular, I thought that Mads Mikkelsen - an actor I admire - was miscast as Stravinsky. Anna Mouglalis was fine as Chanel, but the remoteness and lack of passion (or even genuine involvement) between the principal characters spoiled the movie for me; I couldn't believe in it, or care enough about the characters even to dislike them. It is, however, a beautifully mounted production, and - as others have said - well worth seeing for its opening scenes.

Parenthetically, much has been made elsewhere of the contrast between Audrey Tautou's Chanel (Coco Before Chanel) and Mouglalis', but I don't find such a comparison useful or appropriate, since Tautou plays a very young woman in the early throes of self-discovery, and Mouglalis' Chanel is an older, insular sophisticate through-and-through.

[dirac]

Thank you for reviving this thread, Bonnette. It's now showing on cable in my area, too, and I plan to watch it.

I think comparisons were made between Tautou and Mouglalis mainly because the two movies were released fairly close to each other. Not quite the Dueling Capotes situation between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones some years ago, but a little like it.

[Bonnette]

I think comparisons were made between Tautou and Mouglalis mainly because the two movies were released fairly close to each other. Not quite the Dueling Capotes situation between Philip Seymour Hoffman and Toby Jones some years ago, but a little like it.

Yes, you are quite right! Although I do like the visual of a pair of Dueling Chanels.