MovieChat Forums > Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2005) Discussion > The only thing that prevented me from ra...

The only thing that prevented me from rating this with a 10,was...

posted 15 years ago by giaou13
4 replies | jump to latest

...the script.Too many characters and too many subplots!At some point I couldn't figure out who was who...

THE WORLD IS YOURS

[–] LudwigVanGoldfish 15 years ago

Fortunately, however,

This film is enjoyable the second time, third time, fourth time around... And what wasn't clear at first can be cleared up later.

Look where no one else is looking and see what no one else sees.

[–] cuchelo1 15 years ago

Excellent point, Ludwig... I have seen this film (actually, all of Jeunet's films) numerous times, and each time I am still amazed at the beauty.

It's also based on a novel, and although there are a few details that are changed for the movie, reading it may help you keep some of the characters and events clear in your mind.

"Falling feels like flying... until you hit the ground."-Tom McRae

[–] rooprect 15 years ago

If you watch the deleted scenes with Jeunet's commentary, you see how much more he *did* cut because thought it would confuse the audience. For example, there's the fate of Manech's father, the woman who got run over in the street, the mysterious letter, the cats... And that's not even mentioning the scenes that were cut during script writing.

I would've liked to see a version with all the scenes, even if the movie went over 3 hours. I agree it's confusing, but that's what makes you want to watch a movie over & over.

[–] jdown-1 14 years ago

I agree - the script is why the movie wasn't a bigger hit, or is not more widely known. Screenwriter William Goldman said that when he sat down to write a screenplay from a novel, his first task was to figure out how many characters (and subplots) could be removed from, say, a 500-page novel to make a 110-min movie out of it.

More paring down should have been done here. The problem starts with having Manech among 5 (or was it 6?) prisoners to be sent into no-man's land. Throw in all the other soldiers at Bingo, the officers behind the line, Tina, Jodie Foster(!), Mr. Pry, Audrey's family, the administrator of her funds, and even the mailman, and soon it's like watching a swarm of ants on the screen.

I enjoy AVLE as a cinematic tour de force, and of course to see Audrey. But as a story, it's a mess.