Audrey Tautou is the star of "A Very Long Engagement" (2004), a French-language film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. This lead actress and director previously teamed up to make the 2001 movie "Amélie." However, the more recent film takes on subject matter that is quite different from that of the earlier one.
Set in France circa 1920, "A Very Long Engagement" is about the quest of a young crippled woman named Mathilde (Tautou). She seeks to reunite with her fiancé Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), who went missing under peculiar circumstances while serving as a soldier at the front during World War I. Mathilde refuses to believe that Manech is dead, and she doggedly pursues clues to try to find him.
The film's narrative is driven by the unraveling of the mystery of what happened to Menach and four of his comrades in arms, and there are many flashbacks showing the barbarity of war. Jeunet has an impressive visual style and uses lots of special effects.
This is a big film with a large cast that includes Jodie Foster in a supporting role. The American actress's development of her facility with the French language dates back to her youth when she was a student at the Lycée Français in Los Angeles.
The "A Very Long Engagement" DVD provides a feature-length audio commentary by director Jeunet. He speaks in French, but English subtitles are available.
The DVD comes as a two-disc set, with the second disc containing four bonus materials. One of these is a one-hour-fourteen-minute making-of documentary titled "A Year at the Front: Behind the Scenes of 'A Very Long Engagement'." Another extra is made up of the 14 deleted scenes (total running time: 11 minutes) with optional director's commentary. A third bonus material is "Parisian Scenes," a 14-minute featurette about re-creating the look of Paris circa 1920. The fourth extra is "Before the Explosion…," a 13-minute featurette about the zeppelin explosion sequence. All four of these bonus materials are in French, but English subtitles are provided.
Below I've listed all the details for the "A Very Long Engagement" DVD.
DVD Details:
Release Date: July 12, 2005
Number of Discs: 2
Feature Run Time: 2 Hours 13 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R for Violence and Sexuality
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1), Color
French Dolby Digital 5.1
English Subtitles
Spanish Subtitles
French Subtitles
Audio Commentary by Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Behind the Scenes of "A Very Long Engagement" (1 hr. 14 min.)
14 Deleted Scenes (11 min.) With Optional Director Commentary
Parisian Scenes (14 min.)
Before the Explosion… (13 min.)
Theatrical Trailer
Soundtrack Promo
