"A breathtaking love story that never wallows too long in its own sweetness, A Very Long Engagement is firmly in touch with its dark side." Phoebe Flowers SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL "A beautiful, elegant, satisfying film." David Edelstein SLATE "A grand movie with pop-up book complexity and a lavish romantic spirit." Robert Denerstein DENVER ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS "A Very Long Engagement gets better with each half-hour, and by the end has painted a moving portrait of hope, determination, tragedy and loss." Michael Booth DENVER POST "A romantic film to take to heart with its incisive portrait of a determined young woman's unswerving love." Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat SPIRITUALITY AND HEALTH

"A Very Long Engagement is certainly long and not always engaging and comes with a predictably basic ending, yet there are unexpected pleasures, moments of beauty and tiny pockets of joy to sustain you through the journey." Rick Groen GLOBE AND MAIL "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." Moira MacDonald SEATTLE TIMES "Few actors can restore the audience’s faith in love and its ability to triumph over insurmountable odds quite like Tautou." Tiffany Sanchez GRAPEVINE CULTURE "Thrilling and sublime, delivering a beautiful message while scarcely making a ripple in the film's near-perfect dramatic arc." Rob Vaux FLIPSIDE MOVIE EMPORIUM "This sweeping adaptation of Sébastien Japrisot’s novel seduces visually and emotionally, with Audrey Tautou’s enchanting Mathilde guiding us." Urban Cinefile Critics URBAN CINEFILE

Inside Story

"This is a long movie that almost wears out its 2 1/4 hour welcome, yet it's full of surprises." Mike Clark USA TODAY

There are a lot of people who still think 'oztraleyunzs' are a bunch of 'yobboes'. Oh come on now! Don't act so surprised. It's true. A lot of people see us as uncultured morons who get around in thongs, wearing little more than a singlet, shorts and a terry towelling hat, with zinc cream on our noses and a stubbie in one hand. And wait for it ..., some cultures still think every 'aussie' has a kangaroo for a pet. I have always been a proud defender of the oztraleyun way of life. We are a unique bunch who love the beach, love a beer, love getting pissed, love having it off with a good looking shiela, and when it comes to good taste, name just one style of cooking that beats a good old fashioned aussie b-b-q. That unique gathering where a bunch or boisterous revellers progressively get louder than the music and go through that special ritual of taking the tenderest steak, the best gourmet sausages, the freshest seafood in the world and turn it into charcoal before slapping it between a couple of pieces of bread after smothering it with tomato sauce [not ketchup]. When it comes to films there's no doubt about it, there's nothing we love better than a foreign language film. Hell we don't even mind the subtitles as long as the film features someone getting their heads kicked in or being chopped into little bits by a mysterious martial arts exponent or even better, if the film contains rampant scenes of gorgeous european or japanese women throwing their gear off, exposing every body part imaginable and then getting shagged in a variety of erotic positions. From the outrageously funny to the sumptuous; from the ridiculous to the sublime, we just love our foreign language films. So please, don't ever try to convince me that we don't have any culture in the 'land down under' because we've got heaps of it. That's why foreign language films take such huge amounts of money at the box-office, right? Sure they do, as long as they are screening at commercial venues and not just the 'art house' theatres. The sad fact is, all joking aside, culturally we're a pretty hopeless bunch of yobbo's who still have a lot of evolving to do yet if we're to catch up with our european counterparts. Of course that arguement won't wash with a lot of readers because they have one big advantage that we, for all our progress do not have. They not only speak a foreign language [well foreign to us], they speak two foreign languages; their own, and in most countries, english as well. Gee, I wonder if they ever complain about subtitles? I doubt it! There is another advantage they have over us 'aussies'. Can you guess it? Nudity isn't 'the be all and end all of everything' to them. They've had centuries of erotica to shape them culturally. That doesn't mean they don't appreciate the sight of a nubile young thing dropping her dress in front of the cameras, revealing a pair of proud perfect breasts and hairy hinterparts. And the same applies to male actors. Even more so! They don't mind flashing the old fishing tackle on a regular basis. Europeans appreciate nudity for it true cultural values, not it's perve power. The sad truth for many 'oztraleyunzs' is that we are cultural midgets and even though foreign films aren't the 'best thing since sliced bread', they can be very entertaining and a great cinematic experience. The commercially attractive ones especially. And therein lies the problem. As the case is with many commercial films, not all foreign language films provide good value or viewing satisfaction. The trick is to sort the chaff from the wheat and when it comes to that, unless you have a degree in agronomy [that's the science of soil management and crop production, and not the science of agressive behaviour management] it's hard to know where to start the cultural film journey. Good as it is, I don't believe "A Very Long Engagement" is a film for novices to go jumping into boots and all, unless you have a good attention span [because it's long, very long], you have a love for sumptuous Merchant Ivory type classics, you enjoy a Mills and Boon type theme or you have a fascination for period pieces [and this qualifies as a period piece if only for the fact that it happened early last century]. The glaring fact here is that if you like that sort of mixture, you feel comfortable with subtitles and you don't mind giving up near on 2 1/2 hours sitting in a cinema, you'll find "A Very Long Engagement" a rewarding experience indeed. It has been said that "A Very Long Engagement" is "one of the most ambitious and unusual projects in French cinema." In fact it is "the realization of a 10-year-old dream for director Jean-Pierre Jeunet", who first read Sébastien Japrisot’s novel in 1991. Jeunet was a relively unknown director at that time and had just shot his first feature "Delicatessen". "The first time I opened it, I couldn’t put it down until I’d finished it," Jean-Pierre Jeunet recounts. "First, it’s a very, very lovely, strong and original story about this young woman who refuses to accept that her lover’s dead, despite all the evidence. Second, I found many of my own preoccupations and interests in it, like the 1914-18 War and Paris in the 20s. A blend of innocence and fantasy impregnates the whole period despite the gravity of events." What made Japrisot’s novel so compelling was it's central character Mathilde. "Ten years later, the worldwide success of "Amélie" had definitely altered his situation. Jeunet learned that Warner Bros still held the rights and now planned to make a film of the story." A decade earlier Jeunet had wondered who could play the role of Mathilde. "Amélie" had provided the answer. "When I met Audrey I immediately thought, Here’s Mathilde, standing right in front of me." On the evening of the Oscars ® ceremony he put it to Audrey Tautou. She agreed if the same crew worked on the production. With Warner Bros and 2003 Productions financing the film Jeunet and collaborating with "Amélie" scriptwriter, Guillaume Laurant Jeunet was on his way to creating what is a enchanting piece of cinema history. From its horrific war scenes featuring trench warfare and the dreaded no-man's land to its intriguing characters, the story of Mathilde and her search for her fiance` makes for great viewing. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but for those who it is, it's a spellbinding, romantic adventure. Crew Bytes "A Very Long Engagement" was .......
directed by 2002 Cesar Award winner Jean-Pierre Jeunet ["Delicatessen", "The City Of Lost Children", "Alien 4: Ressurection" and "Amélie"]; screenplay by Guillaume Laurant ["The City Of Lost Children", "A Saturday On Earth", "Strange Gardens" and "In Your Image"]; original story by Sébastien Japrisot ["The Sleeping Car Murder", "The Lady In The Car with Glasses and a Gun" and "One Deadly Summer"]; costume design by Madeline Fontaine ["A Saturday On Earth", "The City Of Lost Children", "Let There Be Light" and "Almost Peaceful"]; production design by Aline Bonetto ["Lost In Transit", "Kennedy and I", "Love Vertigo" and "Leave Your Hands On My Hips"]; edited by Herve Scheid ["Delicatessen", "Love or After", "Alien 4: Resurrection", "The Browning Version" and "The Man Who Cried"]; director of photograhpy Bruno Delbonell ["C’est Jamais Loin", "Amélie", "The Cat's Meow" and "Not For Or Against"]; original music by Angelo Badalamenti ["Blue Velvet", "Nightmare On Elm Street 3", "Mulholland Drive" and "The Secretary"] production manager Jean-Marc Deschamps ["Blue Helmet", "Amélie", "Dead Weight" and "Leave Your Hands On My Hips"]. Casting About "A Very Long Engagement" stars .......
Audrey Tautou ["The Libertine", "Amélie", "Dirty Pretty Things" and "The Spanish Apartment"]; Gaspard Ulliel ["Brotherhood Of The Wolf", "Summer Things" and "Strayed"]; Jean-Pierre Becker ["The Favourite Son", "A Saturday On Earth", "Crime Scenes" and "Mortal Transfer"]; Dominique Bettenfeld ["Amélie", "The Red Siren", "Hanging Offence" and "The Return Of James Bataille"]; Clovis Cornillac ["Outlaws", "A Private Affair", "Carnage" and "The Very Merry Widows"]; Marion Cotillard ["My Sex Life ... Or How I Got Into An Arguement", "Taxi I, II & III", "A Private Affair" and "Big Fish"]; Jean-Pierre Darroussin ["Seperate Rooms", "Til Death Do Us Part", "A Private Affair", "Marie-Jo and Her Two Lovers" and "Red Lights"]; Julie Depardieu ["White Lies", "God Is Great, And I'm Not", "Bed And Breakfast" and "Eros Therapie"]; Jean-Claude Dreyfus ["Delicatessen", "The City Of Lost Children", "Lovely Rita" and "Two Brothers"] and Jean-Paul Rouve ["Seriel Lover", "I, Cesar", "Tanguy", "Accidental Saint", "Whatever You Say" and "Podium"] as The Postman. The Story Shell-shocked Manech is one of five French soldiers sentenced to death for self mutilation. His fate awaits him in front of a firing squad. When Mathilde his fiance receives word of his fate she sets out to discover whether he is alive or dead. She hires a detective, writes many letters, all in the hope that her search for clues and answers to the riddle of what truly befell Manech and his companions will be revealed. As she sifts through all the information, the conflicting testimonies, Mathilde discovers Manech and the others were forced into No-Man's Land. Here they have been left at the mercy of German snipers who will surely do what the French have no heart for. Steadfastly Mathilde searches for the truth with unwavering love and great devotion. In the face of great odds her heart tells her Manech, her beloved fiance, must be alive. The Verdict "If big sumptous masterful productions are your cup of tea then Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "A Very Long Engagement" will provide a myriad of treats. While the film is filled with many wonderful characters and remarkable scenes of war at its most brutal, it is Audrey Tautou's Mathilde who captures the heart, soul and spirit of loves desperate search. Not for everyone but isn't that generally the case. A fine, fine example of just how good foreign language films can get. Recommended." The Cast

Audrey Tautou Gaspard Ulliel Jean-Pierre Becker Dominique Bettenfeld Clovis Cornillac Marion Cotillard Jean-Pierre Darroussin Julie Depardieu Jean-Claude Dreyfus André Dussollier Ticky Holgado Tchéky Karyo Jérôme Kircher Denis Lavant Chantal Neuwirth Dominique Pinon Jean-Paul Rouve Michel Vuillermoz Thierry Gibault Myriam Roustan Gilles Masson Sandrine Rigaud Michel Chalmeau Marc Faure Rodolphe Pauly Xavier Maly Till Bahlmann

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Mathilde Manech Lieutenant Esperanza Ange Bassignano Benoît Notre-Dame Tina Lombardi Benjamin Gordes Véronique Passavant Commandant Lavrouye Rouvières Germain Pire Captain Favourier Bastoche Six-Soux Bénédicte Sylvain The Postman L'il Louis Lieutenant Estrangin The Cafe Prostitute The Murdered Officer Mariette Notre-Dame The Priest of Milly The Prison Director Jean Desrochelles Chardolot's Friend The German Prisoner

The Crew Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet From the novel "Un long dimanche de fiançailles" by Sébastien Japrisot Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Guillaume Laurant Executive Produced by Bill Gerber & Jean-Louis Monthieux Original Music by Angelo Badalamenti Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel Film Editing by Hervé Schneid Casting by Pierre-Jacques Bénichou/Marie-Sylvie Caillierez/Valerie Espagne Production Design by Aline Bonetto Set Decoration by Véronique Melery Costume Design by Madeline Fontaine Run Time 132 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2004 - Warner Independent Pictures - All Rights Reserved Copyright Protected © 2004 - Impact Internet Services - All Rights Reserved