Audrey Tautou, Dominique Pinon, Gaspard Ulliel

Set in France near the end of World War I in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl and her relentless search...( read more  read more... ) to find her fiancée, who has disappeared. He is one of five French soldiers believed to have been court-martialed under mysterious circumstances and pushed out of an allied trench into an almost-certain death in no-man's land. All an investigation into the arbitrary nature of secrecy, the absurdity of war, and the enduring passion, intuition and tenacity of the human heart.

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84% liked it

57,366 ratings

Critics

77% liked it

142 critics

R, 2 hrs. 14 min.

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Release Date: October 27, 2004

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DVD Release Date: May 24, 2005

Stats: 4,023 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,023)


  • May 14, 2009
    A lovely film that takes a tragic look at the changing France of the 20th Century.
  • November 16, 2008
    It starts with the ugliness of war, in the trenches of the first world war. The creators of "Amelie" tell the story of Mathilde, whose fiancee got lost in the chaos of war and her relentless search for informations about his fate. That requires some concentration from the side of...( read more) the audience, which has to deal with a lot of names and faces, but is still very well done. The beautifully shot French film combines the realistic horrors of a war movie with a detective story and love drama and still manages to be very convincing in each of these aspects as we gradually learn about the real story of the five court-martialed soldiers kicked into no man's land between French and German trenches. The biggest surprise, besides how well this combination works, is Jodie Foster's small role as soldier widow. Just like in "Amelie" Audrey Tautou is a little odd but quite charming in her efforts to solve the mystery, not giving up hope for her love still being alive. Not much more should be spoiled about this film. which is easily one of the best that ever came from its country of origin.
  • September 22, 2008
    It was alright.
  • July 31, 2008
    Mathilde: [peeling an apple] If I don't break the peel, Manech is alive.

    Audrey Tautou stars in another beautifully made film by director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The story mixes romance, mystery, and war, and looks absolutely wonderful throughout, due to Jeunet's eye for lovingly de...( read more)tailing his sets and his approach to special effects.

    The story is set around WWI. Two lovers are separated. One is Tautou as Mathilde, a nice enough girl who has a crippled leg due to polio. The other is her fiance, Manech, who was shipped out to war in the trenches. Along with four others, Manech had himself shot in the hand in an effort to be shipped back home, but the plan has backfired, and the men have been sentenced to survive in no man's land.

    While many believe all of the men punished this way died, Mathilde finds evidence suggesting the possibility that some made it out alive.

    What follows is Mathilde's attempts to track down the entire story of what happened to the punished men. During her search, she encounters a number of characters, including a private investigator who wants to help her, and some of the lovers of the punished men.

    Tina Lombardi: I regret nothing. Except my hair.

    Along with viewing the film from Mathilde's perspective, there are numerous flashbacks from different points of view, providing us more and more information about what happened in total.

    As mentioned, the whole film, including the war scenes, are beautifully done. Jeunet has a particular style which works wonderfully for all of his movies. Its kind of like watching a fairy tale come to life. It shows the kind of love he has for making movies, working not to throw emotions at an audience, but draw them in through the way he handles his cinematography.

    I also felt drawn in by the mystery aspect of this story. I really wanted to find out what happened to these characters, and its very neat to see the various events occur, which work to resolve each one.

    Overall I very much enjoyed watching the film, as it looks great, and the story was engaging enough as well. And of course Tautou is always a delight to see.

    [The mail man skids in on his bike, on the gravel road]
    Sylvain: Every time you do that I have to pick pieces of gravel out of the grass.
    The Postman: Sir, whenever I see a gravel road, I feel I need to enter with style.
  • June 28, 2008
    Walter, aloha e and Happy Tuesday. You know me, Walter. You know that things like captions will never throw me off --

    I will gladly read captions until doomsday --

    (or until the two cows I have came home -- if I lived in a democracy --

    oh, wait, I do live in

    ...( read more)a democracy -- despite the evil and stupid blundering of GWB and his gang --

    where are my two cows?)

    for a good movie.

    True, Walter, I admit it, I only gave this two tries -- not the usual three. But I gotta add it to our list.

    Un-freakin'-bearable . . . Alas, Audrey, and auwe . . .

    On the up side, no project with this much work put into it actually deserves a half star . . . right . . . ?

    Walter, don't count this one for our 12/31 goal total. I certainly won't : (

  • November 19, 2009
    Stunning visual recreation/imagination of WWI France as Audrey Tautou clings to hope that her fiancee was not actually killed in the trenches, contrary to the assumptions of her family. Her resolute search for the truth comprises the whole movie, a long journey filled with flash...( read more)backs as evidence is uncovered piece by piece.

    Jeunet builds upon his dreamlike mastery of scenery and set decoration as seen in 'Amelie' and creates a France from another time, and yet a place OUT of time. Has the Paris market ever looked this sumptuous or French countryside appeared this resplendent? Maybe yes, maybe no, but Jeunet's skill at blending reality with digital enhancement is seamless.

    I wish Audrey Tautou's character had more variation, but her only focus is finding her betrothed; as such she conveys that determination effectively. The supporting players are all superb, including the Jeunet regular Dominique Pinon, future Oscar winner Marion Cotillard as a vengeful prostitute, and Jodie Foster effectively speaking fluent French - not often an American actor takes on the challenge that we are so used to seeing from foreign actors in English-language films.

    In addition to the beauty, there are many scenes that depict the brutally harsh life of soldiers engaged in trench warfare, as viscerally realistic as any war movie. But there are also some surprising, delightful moments of comedy sprinkled throughout. A long journey but a twenty course feast for the eyes.
  • November 15, 2009
    Made me cry; which is good.
  • November 7, 2009
    OK, so Jean-Pierre Jeunet is back, sticking his filmic style to his homeland, and explores the senselessness of war with the characteristic gourgeousness and humor that Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) posessed. It is moving and visually beautiful, but I'm utterly convi...( read more)nced of the fact that I'm not the only one who can perceive American melodrama. A good film that surpasses the likes of Joe Wright, with a good cast, but it may be a sign of the worriness of Jeunet fans towards Jeunet himself. Will he achieve redemption?

    82/100
  • November 3, 2009
    It was sweet and lovely. Love it.
  • October 27, 2009
    Exquisite and heartbreaking in equal measure. A visual feast.

Critic Reviews


December 17, 2004
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

A Very Long Engagement works on its own terms, as a showcase for Tautou and as a reminder of the kind of beauty that movies, at their best, can show us. full review

December 17, 2004
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A Very Long Engagement probably has too many elements -- and too many characters -- for its own good. But its heart, like its heroine's, is in the right place. full review

December 17, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

A film that is a series of pleasures stumbling over one another in their haste to delight us. full review

December 17, 2004
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

You probably need a score card to keep track of everybody, but that's one of the pleasures of Jeunet's film, and it's also inextricable from his larger point: that war dehumanizes but people re-humanize. full review

December 16, 2004
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

Both a whimsical love story featuring, "Amelié" star Audrey Tautou at her most adorable, and a nitty-gritty depiction of the horrors of trench warfare. It's a very bad mix. full review

December 3, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

A beautiful, elegant, satisfying film. full review

November 18, 2004
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

An emotional powerhouse. full review

November 13, 2004
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

Enjoying the film depends on how much one can stand visionary carnival barker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's brand of impatiently imaginative, aggressively artificial filmmaking. full review

View more A Very Long Engagement (Un long dimanche de fiançailles) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • chadroesti
    September 28, 2009
    First movie ever with Dog Farts...so it has that going for it. That made me laugh.
  • hidupkosong
    October 20, 2007
    a beautiful film. the end was the prettiest...pretty gaspard uliel in a sunny garden, innocent as a schoolboy, all safe and sound, smiling to audrey tatou.
  • terris85017
    May 10, 2007
    Nov. 2004 Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet My take having just seen this film? Raw footage of war.FRENCH MOVIE with your choice of French, English or Spanish subtitles Love story of a young carpenter Maneche & his fiance, Matilda.(Audrey Tatou) Matilda first travels as she beginto a convent to read a letter a fellow soldier(Esperanza) wrote Maneche in Somme(BEFORE Maneche is sent as 1 of 5 into "No Man's Land") Matilda viists a Detective in Paris seeking survivors of the famous trench/bunker Bingo Crepuscule. Cost? 20 francs per day (+expenses) On a more serious note, filming beings graphically depicting harsh reality of trench warfare in "The Great War (WW I)". E.g., mustard gas attacks; flooded trenches; Soldiers' diet (when lucky)Beetroot soup..lavendar honey, cocoa from NIgeria; penalty for soldiers who wounded themselves was court-martial>>death penalty. Jody Foster very convincingly plays the wife of one of Maneche's closest soldier buddies, Bastioche whom Matilda visits...

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