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Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Jean-Pierre Becker, Dominique Bettenfeld, Clovis Cornillac ... see more see more... , Marion Cotillard , Jean-Pierre Darroussin , Jodie Foster , Jean-Claude Dreyfus , Albert Dupontel , André Dussollier , Ticky Holgado , Tcheky Karyo , Jerome Kircher , Denis Lavant , François Levantal , Chantal Neuwirth , Dominique Pinon , Jean-Paul Rouve , Julie Depardieu , Michel Vuillermoz , Bouli Lanners , Rufus , Michel Chalmeau , Maud Rayer , Philippe Duquesne , Florence Thomassin , Xavier Maly , Marcel Philippot , Eric Defosse , Frankye Pain , Michel Gondouin , Thierry Gibault , Philippe Beautier , Gérald Weingand , Rodolphe Pauly , Marc Faure , Xavier Berlioz , Louis-Marie Audubert , Philippe Maymat , Myriam Roustan , Gilles Masson , Sandrine Rigaud , Till Bahlmann , Tony Gaultier , Jean Gilles Barbier , Marc Robert , Pierre Heitz , Eric Debrosse , Eric Fraticelli , Luc Songzoni , Pascale Lievyn , Jean-Claude Lecoq , Esther Sironneau , Stephanie Gesnel , Frédérique Bel , Alexandre Caumartin , Gaspar Claus , Jean Philippe Beche , Anaïs Durand

Audrey Tautou, who rose to international stardom with the title role in Jean-Pierre Jeunet's worldwide smash Amà (C)lie, reunites with the director for this drama, set during the darkest days of World... read more read more... War I and its immediate aftermath. Mathilde (Tautou) is a pretty but frail young women who was left with a bad leg after a childhood bout with polio. Mathilde lives in a small French village with her Aunt Bà (C)nà (C)dicte (Chantal Neuwirth) and Uncle Sylvain (Dominique Pinon), and is engaged to marry Manech (Gaspard Ulliel), the son of a lighthouse keeper who is fighting with the army near the German front. Manech is one of five soldiers who have been accused of injuring themselves in order to be sent home; in order to discourage similar behavior among their comrades, Manech and the other soldiers are sentenced to death, and the condemned men are marched into the no man's land between the French and German lines, where they are certain to be killed. Mathilde receives word of Manech's death, but in her heart she believes that if the man she loved had been killed, she would know it and feel it. Convinced he's still alive somewhere, Mathilde hires a private detective (Ticky Holgado) shortly after the end of the war, and together they set out to find the missing Manech. Jodie Foster appears in a supporting role as a Polish expatriate living in France. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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84% liked it

63,078 ratings

Critics

78% liked it

143 critics

R, 2 hr. 13 min.

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Release Date: October 27, 2004

Keywords: war, romantic, date

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DVD Release Date: May 24, 2005

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Stats: 4,373 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,373)

  • joelkelly319
    January 24, 2012
    joelkelly319
    An engaging and emotional film, which sweeps you into the world of its characters, and has striking cinematography. In fact the visuals are the best thing about the film. It's a visual powerhouse of a film, mixing gritty visual conventions of the war genre with scenes of a more r... read moreomantic visual style, both are done brilliantly. The Story and Characters are both interesting, and injected with a healthy amount of wit and humour. The writer has managed to perfectly blend various genres, devoting enough viewing time to each. The acting is a mixture of some performance which are almost cartoonishly ridiculous, and some which create deep 3D characters. This film is a brilliant blend of sad realism and enchanting fantasy. It creates its own world and characters, while at the same time reflecting ours. A bittersweet ending just adds to this theme. Is it worth watching? Yes it is. You're guaranteed an adventure of mixed emotions, and the challenge that the main character faces will keep you engaged and stop you from getting bored.
  • imrealgod
    April 16, 2011
    imrealgod
    Indeed a very long and tedious engagement. In fact, it didn't engage me, but on the contrary, it began to bore me after a while. Simply not my cup of tea. Recommended for public in general, though.
  • danperry17
    January 17, 2011
    danperry17
    Audrey Tautou shines in a powerful, sepia-toned love story about a woman on a multi-year quest to find her fiancé in the ashes of the First World War. Though plodding by times, this is a film with a wonderful aesthetic, lots of greens and golds, much like Jeunet's other famous wo... read morerk, Amélie. Shot for shot, it's as beautiful as anything, and you see the story unfold from teller to teller effectively through the eyes of the heroine. A very solid movie.,, and if you think it's a chick flick, surprise! Marion Cotillard and Jodie Foster turn up, if the war scenes weren't enough for you... dudes... see this film.
  • MeetMeinMontauk
    December 7, 2010
    MeetMeinMontauk
    My first Gaspard Ulliel film! Yay! Same director and principle as Amelie as well as some other shared actors. French actors must be small in number. Anyway I was completely charmed with the romance presented. I got a little confused with all of the story lines, but then read this... read more is from a book? Which explains it all. And I think it had some lagging points. Still, beautifully shot and told. And it even tugged a bit on my cold heart strings.
    Lastly, JODIE FOSTER?! For reals?! Remember when I said about few French actors? I wasn't kidding. Not that I minded, but French?!
  • garyX
    October 6, 2010
    garyX
    A young woman refuses to believe that her fiancee was killed in action in WWI and sets about finding out what happened to him and his comrades in their final days. The one thing you can count on from Jeunet is that you will be treated to a beautiful looking film and once again he... read more does not disappoint. A Very Long Engagement is a visual feast with a score to match and complete with his usual ensemble cast of nicely played, likable eccentrics, this is a very difficult film to dislike. Although it does have its flaws. They mainly lie in the way that the romantic elements to the story and those concerning combat don't quite gel; I couldn't help thinking that I was actually watching two films spliced together. The investigation is also a little haphazard and unstructured and it just seemed that facts kept randomly coming to light without much in the way of narrative flow. Having said all that, it does have moments of genius and certain scenes are captivating. Audrey Tautou puts in another fine performance but Marion Cotillard virtually steals the film out from under her as a vengeful prostitute and I wish I'd seen a lot more of her character. As a whole it doesn't quite fit together and as a result lacks the emotional resonance it could have had, but the good far, far outweighs the bad.
  • deano
    August 21, 2010
    deano
    World War I is the setting for this genre-busting story in which a French woman, Mathilde (played by beauty Audrey Tautou) refuses to believe that her soldier fiance was executed during combat after purposely injuring himself in an attempt to be sent far away from the front line.... read more Her subsequent investigation is mixed with flashbacks in an intense story that melts familiar elements of war, romance, and mystery films into something fresh, sensual, and stunning.
    Quaint towns, fields, beaches and houses lend a beautiful touch to the story of a love that will not die whilst Tautou delivers a spellbinding performance in a child-like heroine with a will of steel. I was surprised Jodie Foster appeared as a supporting role in this French film at the first time as well as she did the French thing well.
  • ironclad1609
    November 16, 2008
    ironclad1609
    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.
  • dreamfaeries
    September 22, 2008
    dreamfaeries
    It was alright.
  • DrZeek
    July 31, 2008
    DrZeek
    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 moretailing 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.
  • fernandorafael
    July 20, 2008
    fernandorafael
    UN LONG DIMANCHE DE FIANÇAILLES is a dream. One of the most (visually) beautiful films I've ever seen; exquisite cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel. This movie is very similar to "Amelie", and while the style works with AMELIE, it doesn't quite work with this one. Sometimes you do... read moreubt the scene you're watching is meant to be serious or not. That's the main flaw of this war/romance movie, directed by the brilliant Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Audrey Tautou is wonderful. Jodie Foster, Marion Cotillard, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Albert Dupontel, Jérôme Kircher, and Dominique Pinon are a very good supporting cast.

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Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake
December 22, 2004
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

War, it says, is what separates love from hate, life from death and the beautiful from the ugly -- and Jeunet's film says it with great invention and artistry. Full Review

Roger Moore
December 22, 2004
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Tautou, as always, makes this an enchanting trip. Full Review

Tom Long
December 22, 2004
Tom Long, Detroit News

This is grand cinema.

Terry Lawson
December 22, 2004
Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

The comic-dramatic divide of A Very Long Engagement is difficult to traverse, much less conquer. It's simply hard to be charmed with all those corpses scattered about. Full Review

Jeff Strickler
December 21, 2004
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Merging heart-wrenching emotions with quirky humor and splicing bloody war footage with goofy comedy, the movie mixes vastly disparate elements into a surprisingly smooth blend. Full Review

Eric Harrison
December 21, 2004
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

The overall assemblage is shaky, but grand. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
December 17, 2004
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

A grand movie with pop-up book complexity and a lavish romantic spirit.

J. R. Jones
December 17, 2004
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

What they cut from the novel ... doesn't cause as many problems as what they add, which is often too bizarre or too whimsical for a story about death. Full Review

Desson Thomson
December 17, 2004
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Jeunet's movie is a game of great singles inside an overextended ballgame. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
December 17, 2004
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

Extraordinary film. Full Review

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  • Which Hollywood oscar winner appeared in French World War I film "A Very Long Engagement"?  Answer »
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