Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

brchthethird It had been a long time since I last watched this film, but one of my suitemates enjoys French film and wanted to see it after I described the plot to her. However, I didn't really remember much else beyond that. Jean-Pierre Jeunet makes rather quirky films, and A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT is no exception. There is a sense that the world he depicts could exist, and it helps that the story has an actual historical setting, but there will always be a few things that seem off-kilter or just a little weird. Weirdness done or its own sake can be off-putting, but I feel like there was a good amount here that helped to round out what were very endearing characters. In general, there was a sweetness that provided excellent counterpoint to the horrors of war that are periodically depicted. Of course, the story itself is a large part of this. Audrey Tautou's character goes on a mission to find her fiancé who went missing during the war. She never gives up hope that he might still be alive, even when things don't look they will turn out OK. A lot of French films (at least the well-known ones) are known for being downbeat and/or having depressing endings. I liked that this film is more positive and hope-filled. The only mild gripe I have is that it might take a little too long to get to the eventual destination. Not quite patience-testing, but surely the script could have been tightened a little bit. Still, this was a wonderful story told with great performances and a generous helping of visual panache. Highly recommended, especially for people who like foreign films.

JonathanWalford This film is a masterpiece like Jeunet's earlier Amelie (which may be considered by some as better because it is funnier than this film). However, this film, with its horrific battle scenes, violent injuries and dramatic romance, is also filled with a tremendous amount of humour and pathos. Jeunet understands that life is really a balance of drama and comedy... The cinematography, story, acting, directing, effects, costuming, sets, etc. are all phenomenal works of art to watch. My only complaint was that I got a bit lost with all the character names but I had to (and wanted to) watch it twice because my French isn't good enough to watch it without English subtitles.

SnoopyStyle It's France after the first world war. Mathilde Donnay (Audrey Tautou) has been told that her beloved fiancé Manech Langonnet supposedly died. He and four others were accused of self-mutilation and forced into no-man's land to their deaths. Mathilde refuses to believe and starts investigating. Despite disability from polio and governmental bureaucracy, she finds witnesses who fill in parts of the story.This is a beautiful looking movie. It is a real artistic endeavor. Tautou is great. However, the drama is limited to finding out what happened to Manech. It's a series of little snippets of Manech. Then it's Tautou rolling around interviewing various people which is less compelling. The structure simply makes half of the movie not that interesting. It's still looks great.

johnstonjames you know i watched this movie without realizing it was from one of my favorite contemporary directors, and i was still impressed with it as a art piece on it's individual merits and not biased by appreciation of director Juenet. it was kind of cool to judge it on it's own without being influenced by a director's name or reputation.i love 'City of the Lost children', as a matter, it happens to be one of my all time favorite works of surrealist fantasy. since i've loved and admired the film for years, you'd think i'd know the damn name of the director, but i'm not good with french names. it was funny that i just happened to watch this by accident without even knowing Juenet's involvement. i was also very surprised at how little Juenet has done as a director since he is such a master cinema artist.this film has everything. humour, drama, romance, social commentary, and even a big helping of gratuitous violence. it has brilliant set design and photography as well. the battle sequence was reminiscent of the historic classic 'All Quiet on the Western Front', as well as sharing that film's legendary anti-war sentiment. also the image of the film's protagonist, a polio survivor, riding on top of her companion's shoulders holding a umbrella to shield the sun while they search the meadow was stunningly beautiful. unlike a lot of historical dramas and epics, this film was neither dull or pretentious but exciting and engrossing as well as, well because of it's surrealism, kind of fun.the film was not grotesquely over blown and justified it's large budget and epic scope. in fact, though highly entertaining, it was not blatantly pandering or commercial. it also still holds up well and stands the test of time since i saw it for the first time ten years after it's release.definitely one of the best movies of the last decade and one of the most artistic and entertaining ones as well. that's what i dig about Juenet, he's esoteric, but oh so entertaining. he also interjects his films with heightened emotion and sensitivity.even though i find war movies to be fascinating history, this film is a very good reminder that i don't think i'd want to be a part of one. this film makes war look like hell. it was also a very critical depiction of "our side" and how it betrays the soldiers it sends to fight.timeless because it is a historical piece and because it is a tale of morality and caution. Juenet captivates and mesmerizes you into longing for more of his projects.though very frenchy-fied, it does have good ol' American film queen Jodie Foster doing a very authentic frenchy accent.