COCO AVANT CHANEL (France 2009) **
Directed by Anne Fontaine

At one point in the film, Chanel (Audrey Tatou) was brought to the seaside.  All she could remark was that all the fashion worn by the ladies present was totally in distaste. Any ordinary person brought to the sea for the first time ever would be awed and not make a comment about clothes, of all things.  Her words only echo how out of synch director Anne Fontaine is of her material. 

As the title suggests, COCO AVANT CHANEL is the story of one of France’s most successful designers before she became (Chanel) famous.  This takes Gabrielle left as an orphan by her father to her rise to fame and fortune while taking in two lovers in the process.

For all the high production values on display in Fontaine’s film from the vintage vehicles to the period designer wardrobe and props, COCO AVANT CHANEL is unbelievably bland.  The love scenes and dramatic confrontations lack spark and emotion.  Fontaine is too fond of the observational details in her set-up pieces rather that the motives or events leading to the pieces.  Even actress Audrey Tatou looks emotionally detached from most of her scenes.  Her cigarette smoking only heightens this effect.  I have seem almost all of Fontaine’s directorial efforts from AUGUSTIN to the recent LA FILLE DE MONACO and I find her films always lacking that certain punch.

Though the purpose, I presume of the film is to explain the reason for her rise to the fashion world, her talent or training is not dealt with in detail.  The only insight to her rise is the money obtained from her second lover, Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel (Alessandro Nivola).  Tatou’s kissing scenes with Nivola look totally going through the motions.

COCO AVANT CHANEL of Gabrielle being lover by day and designer by night just does not cut it.  The film is as faceless and the faceless sisters in nun habits aimlessly wandering around Gabrielle’s orphanage at the beginning of the film.