Amelie is a film about a girl who had difficulties making social connections growing up. As an adult living in Paris, she works at a café and lives a mostly solitary life until a fateful moment when she discovers an old man’s childhood treasures. She vows to return them to him, and after the satisfying rush of doing a good deed, she decides to be a “regular do-gooder”. Amelie spends the rest of the movie filling others’ lives with wonder and happiness and perhaps it was the directors motive to just simply portray how much a small amount of kindness can mean to someone. As I saw it, a strong secondary theme was that of Amelie’s own isolation. Throughout the movie she yearns to meet Dominic Bredoteau, and develops feelings for him. Though she feels so strongly she can never muster the courage to make her move. This theme of a kind hearted person putting their own desires in the back seat is poignent and can also be seen in stories such as “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”. In my FYS, which defines and examines French and American culture, there is a large difference between the American emphasis on doing, and the French emphasis on living. The French emphasis on living is shown in Amelie through a lack of focus on the humble means of any of the characters, and a primary focus on Amelie’s efforts to improve the lives of her companions as well as foster happiness wherever she goes. Even Amelie cares more about skipping her stones than she does about most other things (prior to finding the old man’s boyhood treasures). Though I have seen this film before, it still leaves me optimistic about the world after each time I watch it. Hopefully it inspires me and all of us to imitate Amelie’s tireless efforts to foster happiness everywhere we go. -Tom
I quite agree! You bring up an interesting statement about the French vs. the American approach to life; while I've never heard this theory before, the theme of "living" well in a spiritual sense is definitely something that can be traced throughout Amelie.
I also agree that American media tends to push the idea of reaching certain goals instead of certain states of being. The whole of the American dream in fact is based off of the idea that if you work hard enough, you will reach your goals and reap rewards that are mostly physical. This manifests itself anywhere from the stereotypical ( a house with a family, a dog, and a white picket fence), to even the ways we approach educating our youth (studying = good grades = good school = good college = good job = great retirement / ways to start your kids into the cycle).
One quick note though: Amelie doesn't develop feelings for Bredoteau. Bredoteau is the old man whose box she found. Nico Quincampoix is the romantic interest!
This was the first time I saw this film and I would agree with you that this film did leave me very optimistic as well. In today's world horrible things are happening, but there is still good in people. How a simple act of kindness without expecting anything in return can make us feel very good about ourselves, maybe even more than the person who received it. I would say that you're right on then, whole Americans do, while the French live. There is a fine line between living and being alive. While we can all live our lives, being alive makes us feel and experience things other beings don't. Like at the end of the film when the man found out that there are more connections between neurons in our brains than stars in the universe really makes me think of how amazing humans are. So we should all use our brilliant brains like Amelie and learn to give to truly feel happiness.
1. Growing up isolated from social connections, introverted Amelie Poulain plays behind the scenes for the lives of people around her by discreetly setting up random acts of kindness for them. Amelie then comes across a man (Nino) whom she falls for but never mets till the end of the film. She helps him uncover a mystery from a far as she makes him chase her across the city.
2. The director of the film is trying to communicate through this film that when giving to others we tend to find out more about ourselves. Amelie is always helping her friends and father without them ever knowing. While she is always giving without expecting anything in return she learns that she feels best when she is giving to others.
3. I learned that the French had a different sense of humor as some people do in the States. They were very witty and comic without flat out telling a joke. They really made you think and were so clever I don’t know how someone can make these things up! I thought the soundtrack was great, even though I thought it kinda fit that stereotypical “french music” which I think was an accordion?
4. Prior to watching the film I heard very good things about it, so I finally got to sit down and watch it myself. I did enjoy this film a lot. I thought that since many bad things are happening in todays news; it was nice to know that someone sat down and decided to write such an uplifting film for a change. Ever since childhood we have been told that it feels better to give than to receive. I think this film really reinforces that concept that we might not always follow. I also liked that this movie was about an introverted person for a change, since I’m introverted as well, it was refreshing to see a film where the leading character was’t an extrovert. I was surprised on how easy the film flowed even though it had many multiple plots that went along with the main one, because not a lot of movies can do that. I was also surprised on how funny it was, I actually didn’t know it was a comedy and I thought it was very clever in all its jokes. I really enjoyed the colors, soundtrack, and cinematography that the director decided to do, because it really brought the whole piece together. I would like to know if this film is big in France, because I know a lot of people here in the States. I would definitely recommend this movie to others, to bring up anybodies mood.
I really like the way you worded your response for the directors message. " ...communicate through this film that when giving to others we tend to find out more about ourselves". I think this statement is very true now that I am looking back on the movie and in real life. Most times we think we will be happy when we finally get what we want, but actually get more units of happiness when acting on random acts of kindness. The french music stereotype is true but I love that music so it never gets old, which is funny.
I totally agree with your point about Amelie learning more about herself as she helped others. It seemed like there was decent character development with her as the movie went on. Tom
The film Amelie was about a young woman who becomes involved in this extremely intellectual relationship with this man. She leads him on chases to help him see who the mystery man is in the photo collection, that she found of his. With the help of some of the people around her he eventually shows up at her door after she’s helped him and it is this very intense connection. Many times throughout the movie there are many different curious scenes of Amelie thinking about very bizarre situations or occurrences. I had a hard time focusing on this movie as it kind of lost my attention. However, if I noticed anything it was that the most bizarre thing about the movie is what I noticed most and thought most about. All the weird and random scenes showed me how little I notice in my daily life. Amelia goes outside and she notices everything and thinks about everything. Being like her and focusing on the little things…the details is important, they made her happy. She went out of her way to spread happiness where ever she saw it was needed. This movie was eye opening and showed how much Amelie tried to make other people happy. It was amazing because she would always hide after she had known she was successful and didn’t want any credit. I could only imagine if more people were like this how great our society would be. This movie was very different to a bunch of French movies that I have seen, however I think that was due to the different approach in the actual filming aspect and not the French part. France in this film looked a lot older and grey than it does today. My reaction to the film was that it was interesting and not sure if it would be my first choice in cinema. I would recommend this movie to people if they wanted to watch something different and see France in a different way. I would like to learn more about the
I liked your point about noticing the little things in life. I noticed when any new character was introduced the narrator described their likes and dislikes, and it was always the most random little things in their life. Also, all of Amelie's random acts of kindness were very small things that ended up making a larger impact on the person's life. -Lauren Vana
I liked that you mentioned how intellectual their relationship was. It was a very cat-and-mouse mind game for quite a while, which I find interesting when compared to common relationships depicted in American movies, which are much more physical in general. But I definitely agree that the world would be a much better place if more people had Amelie's goodwill, humbleness, and quiet content.
Amelie is a film about a girl who grows up mostly alone with only her father and mother and has difficulty making friends. She begins to do random, anonymous nice things for people and through this is able to make connections with them. She finds a man who she falls in love with at the train station and spends a large portion of the film looking for him. I think that the director is saying that it is important to put yourself out there. Amelie was very isolated and introverted at the beginning of the film, but as she began to make connections and meet with people, that changed, and ultimately everyone benefited from that. Also, at the end of the film she takes the risk by finally revealing herself to Nino and being with him. Because of this, she is able to find love. I think the director is saying that you have to take risks in life to get rewards. I have always learned about the importance of the trains for transportation in France, and I think that was definitely reflected in this film, considering majority of the major plot points between Amelie and Nino took place at the train station. I also think this film did a good job of showing the French sense of humor, which is very clever. I really enjoyed the film; I thought it was funny, feel good, and had a strong message. I would definitely recommend this film to others, though it was a little long. -Lauren Vana
Amelie is about a young woman who works in a cafe, and she is quite timid. She uses her great imagination and quiet spark to enrich the lives of those around her, though she is dealing with loneliness. I think the author/director tackles many subjects in this film, but loneliness and selflessness are large ones. Amelie makes it her mission to return the box of the old apartment tenant to him in the hopes that his day would be brightened by its associated memories, which is quite a selfless act that turns into further selflessness when the box is returned. It lies selflessness with loneliness, because Amelie feels a disconnectedness from her father, which was heightened by the loss of her mother many years before. She confronts and improves her own mental state by reaching out to others and going out of her way to make others happy. Because she does this, help also finds her in the form of the painter, who pushes her to go for what she wants, and eventually fall in love with Nino. In terms of its depiction of France, I would recommend this movie for the character depth Amelie showed and the humor, which show value in entertainment and message.
Amelie is a light-hearted satire about a 23 year-old who reconciles herself with civilization. Seeking to escape her mundane, detail-oriented father, she moves to Paris, where she leads a lonely life as a waitress until the discovery of a box in her bathroom wall. She sets off intending to find the box’s owner and, one thing leading to another, finds herself using her mischievous skills to help a slew of interesting locals — including a man she ends up falling in love with.
Amelie is not a romantic comedy per say; while romance is in the movie, it is only one of many focal points. The film also isn’t a serious satire. Despite the movie’s tongue-in-cheek jokes regarding sex and working life, its colorful sets, caricatured characters, and imaginative main character Amelie gives the film a child-like air. This film's message seems to be about having the courage to accept who you are, and using that to better your surroundings. The secret hobbies, the preferences used to introduce each new character, and Amelie’s final confession of love, highlight the interesting ways you can define your existence- and how extending your boundaries is the ultimate key to a happy life.
The film exaggerated a lot of human stereotypes in general, French people among them. The French seem to have a more relaxed towards careers than Americans- though jobs are made fun of, no one in the movie is shown to be aspiring towards some particular goal in their job. I noticed the stereotypes of the artists (the painter and the author) harkened to two of France’s most famous contributions to art: the Impressionist movement, and the absurdist/nihilist philosophical movements. There was also slightly stereotypical French music: the soundtrack used a lot of accordion and a waltz feel in most songs.
It is a beautifully done film, and one I have gladly watched again and again. The cinematography is wonderful, the characters multi-layered, the jokes rigged with meaning - and the soundtrack is fantastic (though it too is a bit stereotypical. It never fails to inspire me to try something new in my life.
I like how you saw Amelie's actions as extending her boundaries, as well as learning to accept herself. Obviously Amelie isn't normal by most standards but she lives happily and helps others, and I think the film highlights the importance of those two things.
Amélie is a film that takes us back to our childhood. It is as simple as that. It reminds us how the innocence of a child is something truly amazing, and that we adults need to behave childish sometimes. Amélie was treated as a ‘special’ child because her parents thought she had a heart condition. She could have turned out to be a completely different person, for example, someone removed, yet she chose to remain a happy, positive person. It is nice to watch as she went around helping people. The restaurant she works at is an interesting aspect of the movie. It was staffed by people equally as quirky, weird and exciting as Amélie. I believe that it is a message to the viewers. Being quirky does not make you special, just different enough to notice. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But the message is that one should not be treated differently for being slightly different from the norm. There is not much of a plot, however, there is some character growth. One can see how Amélie helps others discover happiness, and soon, she helps herself find some happiness with Nino. The visuals are nice to enjoy. As someone who has visited Paris before, it was nice to see that all of the attention was not focused mainly of the Eiffel Tower, but on a beautiful area of the city and an equally dazzling landmark. All in all, it was a lovely movie to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and in fact watched it a second time before writing this review. I definitely would recommend this movie, whether or not one speaks French.
Amelie is a film about a girl who had difficulties making social connections growing up. As an adult living in Paris, she works at a café and lives a mostly solitary life until a fateful moment when she discovers an old man’s childhood treasures. She vows to return them to him, and after the satisfying rush of doing a good deed, she decides to be a “regular do-gooder”.
RépondreSupprimerAmelie spends the rest of the movie filling others’ lives with wonder and happiness and perhaps it was the directors motive to just simply portray how much a small amount of kindness can mean to someone. As I saw it, a strong secondary theme was that of Amelie’s own isolation. Throughout the movie she yearns to meet Dominic Bredoteau, and develops feelings for him. Though she feels so strongly she can never muster the courage to make her move. This theme of a kind hearted person putting their own desires in the back seat is poignent and can also be seen in stories such as “The Perks of Being A Wallflower”.
In my FYS, which defines and examines French and American culture, there is a large difference between the American emphasis on doing, and the French emphasis on living. The French emphasis on living is shown in Amelie through a lack of focus on the humble means of any of the characters, and a primary focus on Amelie’s efforts to improve the lives of her companions as well as foster happiness wherever she goes. Even Amelie cares more about skipping her stones than she does about most other things (prior to finding the old man’s boyhood treasures).
Though I have seen this film before, it still leaves me optimistic about the world after each time I watch it. Hopefully it inspires me and all of us to imitate Amelie’s tireless efforts to foster happiness everywhere we go.
-Tom
I quite agree! You bring up an interesting statement about the French vs. the American approach to life; while I've never heard this theory before, the theme of "living" well in a spiritual sense is definitely something that can be traced throughout Amelie.
SupprimerI also agree that American media tends to push the idea of reaching certain goals instead of certain states of being. The whole of the American dream in fact is based off of the idea that if you work hard enough, you will reach your goals and reap rewards that are mostly physical. This manifests itself anywhere from the stereotypical ( a house with a family, a dog, and a white picket fence), to even the ways we approach educating our youth (studying = good grades = good school = good college = good job = great retirement / ways to start your kids into the cycle).
One quick note though: Amelie doesn't develop feelings for Bredoteau. Bredoteau is the old man whose box she found. Nico Quincampoix is the romantic interest!
This was the first time I saw this film and I would agree with you that this film did leave me very optimistic as well. In today's world horrible things are happening, but there is still good in people. How a simple act of kindness without expecting anything in return can make us feel very good about ourselves, maybe even more than the person who received it. I would say that you're right on then, whole Americans do, while the French live. There is a fine line between living and being alive. While we can all live our lives, being alive makes us feel and experience things other beings don't. Like at the end of the film when the man found out that there are more connections between neurons in our brains than stars in the universe really makes me think of how amazing humans are. So we should all use our brilliant brains like Amelie and learn to give to truly feel happiness.
Supprimer1. Growing up isolated from social connections, introverted Amelie Poulain plays behind the scenes for the lives of people around her by discreetly setting up random acts of kindness for them. Amelie then comes across a man (Nino) whom she falls for but never mets till the end of the film. She helps him uncover a mystery from a far as she makes him chase her across the city.
RépondreSupprimer2. The director of the film is trying to communicate through this film that when giving to others we tend to find out more about ourselves. Amelie is always helping her friends and father without them ever knowing. While she is always giving without expecting anything in return she learns that she feels best when she is giving to others.
3. I learned that the French had a different sense of humor as some people do in the States. They were very witty and comic without flat out telling a joke. They really made you think and were so clever I don’t know how someone can make these things up! I thought the soundtrack was great, even though I thought it kinda fit that stereotypical “french music” which I think was an accordion?
4. Prior to watching the film I heard very good things about it, so I finally got to sit down and watch it myself. I did enjoy this film a lot. I thought that since many bad things are happening in todays news; it was nice to know that someone sat down and decided to write such an uplifting film for a change. Ever since childhood we have been told that it feels better to give than to receive. I think this film really reinforces that concept that we might not always follow. I also liked that this movie was about an introverted person for a change, since I’m introverted as well, it was refreshing to see a film where the leading character was’t an extrovert. I was surprised on how easy the film flowed even though it had many multiple plots that went along with the main one, because not a lot of movies can do that. I was also surprised on how funny it was, I actually didn’t know it was a comedy and I thought it was very clever in all its jokes. I really enjoyed the colors, soundtrack, and cinematography that the director decided to do, because it really brought the whole piece together. I would like to know if this film is big in France, because I know a lot of people here in the States. I would definitely recommend this movie to others, to bring up anybodies mood.
I really like the way you worded your response for the directors message. " ...communicate through this film that when giving to others we tend to find out more about ourselves". I think this statement is very true now that I am looking back on the movie and in real life. Most times we think we will be happy when we finally get what we want, but actually get more units of happiness when acting on random acts of kindness. The french music stereotype is true but I love that music so it never gets old, which is funny.
SupprimerI totally agree with your point about Amelie learning more about herself as she helped others. It seemed like there was decent character development with her as the movie went on.
SupprimerTom
The film Amelie was about a young woman who becomes involved in this extremely intellectual relationship with this man. She leads him on chases to help him see who the mystery man is in the photo collection, that she found of his. With the help of some of the people around her he eventually shows up at her door after she’s helped him and it is this very intense connection. Many times throughout the movie there are many different curious scenes of Amelie thinking about very bizarre situations or occurrences.
RépondreSupprimerI had a hard time focusing on this movie as it kind of lost my attention. However, if I noticed anything it was that the most bizarre thing about the movie is what I noticed most and thought most about. All the weird and random scenes showed me how little I notice in my daily life. Amelia goes outside and she notices everything and thinks about everything. Being like her and focusing on the little things…the details is important, they made her happy. She went out of her way to spread happiness where ever she saw it was needed. This movie was eye opening and showed how much Amelie tried to make other people happy. It was amazing because she would always hide after she had known she was successful and didn’t want any credit. I could only imagine if more people were like this how great our society would be.
This movie was very different to a bunch of French movies that I have seen, however I think that was due to the different approach in the actual filming aspect and not the French part. France in this film looked a lot older and grey than it does today. My reaction to the film was that it was interesting and not sure if it would be my first choice in cinema. I would recommend this movie to people if they wanted to watch something different and see France in a different way. I would like to learn more about the
I liked your point about noticing the little things in life. I noticed when any new character was introduced the narrator described their likes and dislikes, and it was always the most random little things in their life. Also, all of Amelie's random acts of kindness were very small things that ended up making a larger impact on the person's life. -Lauren Vana
SupprimerI liked that you mentioned how intellectual their relationship was. It was a very cat-and-mouse mind game for quite a while, which I find interesting when compared to common relationships depicted in American movies, which are much more physical in general. But I definitely agree that the world would be a much better place if more people had Amelie's goodwill, humbleness, and quiet content.
SupprimerAmelie is a film about a girl who grows up mostly alone with only her father and mother and has difficulty making friends. She begins to do random, anonymous nice things for people and through this is able to make connections with them. She finds a man who she falls in love with at the train station and spends a large portion of the film looking for him.
RépondreSupprimerI think that the director is saying that it is important to put yourself out there. Amelie was very isolated and introverted at the beginning of the film, but as she began to make connections and meet with people, that changed, and ultimately everyone benefited from that. Also, at the end of the film she takes the risk by finally revealing herself to Nino and being with him. Because of this, she is able to find love. I think the director is saying that you have to take risks in life to get rewards.
I have always learned about the importance of the trains for transportation in France, and I think that was definitely reflected in this film, considering majority of the major plot points between Amelie and Nino took place at the train station. I also think this film did a good job of showing the French sense of humor, which is very clever.
I really enjoyed the film; I thought it was funny, feel good, and had a strong message. I would definitely recommend this film to others, though it was a little long. -Lauren Vana
Amelie is about a young woman who works in a cafe, and she is quite timid. She uses her great imagination and quiet spark to enrich the lives of those around her, though she is dealing with loneliness.
RépondreSupprimerI think the author/director tackles many subjects in this film, but loneliness and selflessness are large ones. Amelie makes it her mission to return the box of the old apartment tenant to him in the hopes that his day would be brightened by its associated memories, which is quite a selfless act that turns into further selflessness when the box is returned. It lies selflessness with loneliness, because Amelie feels a disconnectedness from her father, which was heightened by the loss of her mother many years before. She confronts and improves her own mental state by reaching out to others and going out of her way to make others happy. Because she does this, help also finds her in the form of the painter, who pushes her to go for what she wants, and eventually fall in love with Nino.
In terms of its depiction of France, I would recommend this movie for the character depth Amelie showed and the humor, which show value in entertainment and message.
Amelie is a light-hearted satire about a 23 year-old who reconciles herself with civilization. Seeking to escape her mundane, detail-oriented father, she moves to Paris, where she leads a lonely life as a waitress until the discovery of a box in her bathroom wall. She sets off intending to find the box’s owner and, one thing leading to another, finds herself using her mischievous skills to help a slew of interesting locals — including a man she ends up falling in love with.
RépondreSupprimerAmelie is not a romantic comedy per say; while romance is in the movie, it is only one of many focal points. The film also isn’t a serious satire. Despite the movie’s tongue-in-cheek jokes regarding sex and working life, its colorful sets, caricatured characters, and imaginative main character Amelie gives the film a child-like air. This film's message seems to be about having the courage to accept who you are, and using that to better your surroundings. The secret hobbies, the preferences used to introduce each new character, and Amelie’s final confession of love, highlight the interesting ways you can define your existence- and how extending your boundaries is the ultimate key to a happy life.
The film exaggerated a lot of human stereotypes in general, French people among them. The French seem to have a more relaxed towards careers than Americans- though jobs are made fun of, no one in the movie is shown to be aspiring towards some particular goal in their job. I noticed the stereotypes of the artists (the painter and the author) harkened to two of France’s most famous contributions to art: the Impressionist movement, and the absurdist/nihilist philosophical movements. There was also slightly stereotypical French music: the soundtrack used a lot of accordion and a waltz feel in most songs.
It is a beautifully done film, and one I have gladly watched again and again. The cinematography is wonderful, the characters multi-layered, the jokes rigged with meaning - and the soundtrack is fantastic (though it too is a bit stereotypical. It never fails to inspire me to try something new in my life.
I like how you saw Amelie's actions as extending her boundaries, as well as learning to accept herself. Obviously Amelie isn't normal by most standards but she lives happily and helps others, and I think the film highlights the importance of those two things.
SupprimerPranav:
RépondreSupprimerAmélie is a film that takes us back to our childhood. It is as simple as that. It reminds us how the innocence of a child is something truly amazing, and that we adults need to behave childish sometimes. Amélie was treated as a ‘special’ child because her parents thought she had a heart condition. She could have turned out to be a completely different person, for example, someone removed, yet she chose to remain a happy, positive person. It is nice to watch as she went around helping people.
The restaurant she works at is an interesting aspect of the movie. It was staffed by people equally as quirky, weird and exciting as Amélie. I believe that it is a message to the viewers. Being quirky does not make you special, just different enough to notice. This is not necessarily a bad thing. But the message is that one should not be treated differently for being slightly different from the norm.
There is not much of a plot, however, there is some character growth. One can see how Amélie helps others discover happiness, and soon, she helps herself find some happiness with Nino. The visuals are nice to enjoy. As someone who has visited Paris before, it was nice to see that all of the attention was not focused mainly of the Eiffel Tower, but on a beautiful area of the city and an equally dazzling landmark. All in all, it was a lovely movie to watch. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and in fact watched it a second time before writing this review. I definitely would recommend this movie, whether or not one speaks French.