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From humble beginnings to the heights of society, this is the astonishing story of Gabrielle Chanel, the legendary couturier who became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style. Orphaned at a young age, Coco Chanel was raised in a convent school, where she learned to embroider and sew. Bored and dissatisfied with the .. Read more
| Starring | Audrey Tautou, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos |
|---|---|
| Director | Rhonda Garelick, Benoit Poelvoorde, Anne Fontaine, Anne Fontain |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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From humble beginnings to the heights of society, this is the astonishing story of Gabrielle Chanel, the legendary couturier who became a timeless symbol of success, freedom and style.
Orphaned at a young age, Coco Chanel was raised in a convent school, where she learned to embroider and sew. Bored and dissatisfied with the living she could earn as a seamstress, she began singing in backstreet cafés and bars, where she attracted the attention of Étienne Balsan, a rich gentleman who immediately became intrigued by the stubborn, striking young ingénue. Swept up in her rich lover’s world, Coco soon drew the eyes of society towards her with her unique, elegant style in a time of flamboyance and excess. Just as controversial was the passionate love affair in which she became embroiled, which shattered the conventions of her society – a love so dangerous and forbidden it threatened to destroy her.
Also featuring Benoît Poelvoorde (Man Bites Dog) and Alessandro Nivola (Mansfield Park, The Eye), Coco Before Chanel stars Audrey Tautou (Amelie, The Da Vinci Code) as Coco, the woman who dared to be different and became an icon!
| Starring | Audrey Tautou, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain, Emmanuelle Devos, Etienne Bartholomeus, Yan Duffas, Fabien Béhar, Roch Leibovici, Benoit Poelvoorde |
|---|---|
| Director | Rhonda Garelick, Benoit Poelvoorde, Anne Fontaine, Anne Fontain |
| Studio | ELEVATION |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 50 mins LOVEFiLM Instant: 1 hr 45 mins Blu-ray: 1 hr 50 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Collections | Top 400 All-Time Rentals, Top Foreign Films, Top World Cinema |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: French, English Audio Description LOVEFiLM Instant: French Blu-ray: French |
| Subtitles | DVD: English LOVEFiLM Instant: English Blu-ray: English |
| Released | Production year: 2009 On LOVEFiLM Instant: LOVEFiLM Instant: 19 May 2011 To Rent: DVD: 23 Nov 2009 |
| LOVEFiLM Instant | Included in all packages with LOVEFiLM Instant. Subscribe. |
Read our interview with the director of Coco Before Chanel hereBefore Chanel, Coco was a dirt-poor child abandoned at... read more on Time Out
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Mesmerising
Mesmerising is the word used in the marketing of this movie and mesmerising it is. Tatou is utterly convincing and stunning in the lead role as a young Coco who... read more »
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Only managed to watch half.
I only managed to watch half of this movie, as I fell asleep, I'm not sure if it was the subtitles that sent me off. Anyway what I watched kept me ... read more »
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A lovely romantic film
I absolutely loved this film. I enjoy films based on fact and the acting was brilliant. Really good with an insight of the era of her time.
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Much better than I expected
A good film overall. I was told not to expect any references to clothes and I can see why people said this. However, there are references to her future success... read more »
Actresses like Penelope Cruz and Audrey Tautou have achieved dual success: balancing big budget Hollywood movies with world cinema, switching between acting in English and their mother tongue. These women prove that you don’t have to be American or become Americanised to make it big, and just because you’ve found blockbuster success doesn’t mean you need to abandon your origins. Take this summer, for example. Tautou returned to her French routes to play Coco Chanel – a... Read more