Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004)

Director:

Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writers:

Sébastien Japrisot (novel)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

27 October 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | War

Tagline:

Never let go

Plot:

Tells the story of a young woman's relentless search for her fiancé, who has disappeared from the trenches of the Somme during World War One.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Court Martial | WWI | France | Polio

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 16 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Audrey Tautou	...	Mathilde
Gaspard Ulliel	...	Manech
Dominique Pinon	...	Sylvain
Chantal Neuwirth	...	Bénédicte
André Dussollier	...	Pierre-Marie Rouvières
Ticky Holgado	...	Germain Pire
Marion Cotillard	...	Tina Lombardi
Dominique Bettenfeld	...	Ange Bassignano
Jodie Foster	...	Elodie Gordes
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Benjamin Gordes
Clovis Cornillac	...	Benoît Notre-Dame
Jean-Pierre Becker	...	Lieutenant Esperanza
Denis Lavant	...	Six-Soux
Jérôme Kircher	...	Bastoche
Albert Dupontel	...	Célestin Poux
Jean-Paul Rouve	...	The Postman
Elina Löwensohn	...	German woman
Julie Depardieu	...	Véronique Passavant
Michel Vuillermoz	...	L'il Louis
Urbain Cancelier	...	Priest
Maud Rayer	...	Mme Desrochelles
Michel Robin	...	Old Man Visiting Battlefield
Tchéky Karyo	...	Captain Favourier
Jean-Claude Dreyfus	...	Commandant Lavrouye
Philippe Duquesne	...	Favart
Bouli Lanners	...	Chardolot
Stéphane Butet	...	Philippot
Christian Pereira	...	Archives officer
François Levantal	...	Thouvenel
Patrick Paroux
Solène Le Pechon	...	Mathilde (10 Years Old)
Virgil Leclaire	...	Manech (13 Years Old)
Florence Thomassin	...	Narrator (voice)
Thierry Gibault	...	Lieutenant Estrangin
Myriam Roustan	...	The Cafe Prostitute
Gilles Masson	...	The Murdered Officer
Sandrine Rigault	...	Mariette Notre-Dame (as Sandrine Rigaud)
Michel Chalmeau	...	The Priest of Milly
Marc Faure	...	The Prison Director
Rodolphe Pauly	...	Jean Desrochelles
Xavier Maly	...	Chardolot's Friend
Till Bahlmann	...	The German Prisoner
Tony Gaultier	...	Gravedigger
Louis-Marie Audubert	...	Gravedigger
Jean-Gilles Barbier	...	The Sergeant
Marc Robert	...	Soldier
Pierre Heitz	...	Soldier
Philippe Maymat	...	Soldier
Eric Debrosse	...	Soldier
Michel Gondoin	...	Soldier (as Mike Gondouin)
Pido	...	Menacing Corsican (as Eric Fraticelli)
Philippe Beautier	...	Joker on the Train
Gérald Weingand	...	Conned Soldier
Luc Sonzogni	...	Conned Soldier
Xavier Berlioz	...	Orderly
Frankie Pain	...	Madam
Marcel Philippot	...	Bourgeois Man
Pascale Lievyn	...	Bourgeois Woman
Jean-Claude Lecoq	...	German Machine Gunner
Rufus	...	Breton
Esther Sironneau	...	Nurse
Stéphanie Gesnel	...	Prostitute
Frédérique Bel	...	Prostitute
Alexandre Caumartin	...	Stretcher Bearer
Eric Defosse	...	Stretcher Bearer
Gaspar Claus	...	Stabbed German
Jean-Philippe Bèche	...	Georges Cornu
Anaïs Durand	...	Hélène Pire
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rachel Berger	...	Petite prostitute (uncredited)
Morgan Berthon	...	Un soldat regardant Manech (uncredited)
Xavier Bonastre	...	Un bourgeois (1910) (uncredited)
Vincent Bowen	...	(uncredited)
Marie-Thé Colmagne	...	Une bourgeoise (1910) (uncredited)
Aleksandra Kacprzak	...	Passante sur la place de l'Opéra (uncredited)
Arnaud Klein	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Julien Lecat	...	Un soldat (uncredited)
Arnaud Marciszewer	...	Baptistin 8 ans (uncredited)
Arnaud Mathey-Dreyfus	...	Soldier Hooked in a Tree (uncredited)
Christophe Perie	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Aleksandrs Petukhovs	...	Soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Writing credits
Sébastien Japrisot		(novel)
Jean-Pierre Jeunet		(story and adaptation) and
Guillaume Laurant		(story and adaptation)
Guillaume Laurant		(dialogue)

Produced by
Francis Boespflug	....	associate producer
Bill Gerber	....	executive producer
Jean-Louis Monthieux	....	executive producer
Fabienne Tsaï	....	creative executive producer

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

Makeup Department
Jean-Charles Bachelier	....	key hair stylist
Christophe Chabenet	....	special makeup effects artist
Sylvie Ferry	....	special makeup effects artist
Dominique Galichet	....	makeup artist
Marie-Pierre Hattabi	....	hair stylist
Sébastien Imart	....	special makeup effects artist
Pierre-Paul Jayne	....	special makeup effects artist
Frédéric Lainé	....	special makeup effects artist
Géraldine Lemaire	....	additional hair stylist
Franck Mendoche	....	hair stylist
Pascal Molina	....	special makeup effects artist
Anne Moralis	....	wig maker
Annabelle Petit	....	special makeup effects artist
Stéphane Robert	....	makeup artist (as Stéphane Lagadic)
Jean-Christophe Roger	....	makeup artist
Nathalie Tissier	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Laurent Chiomento	....	unit production manager
Nicolas Davy	....	assistant unit manager
Jean-Marc Deschamps	....	production manager
Eric Duchêne	....	unit production manager
David Le Gall	....	assistant unit manager
Alain Mougenot	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Artur	....	assistant director
Matthieu de la Mortière	....	second assistant director
Cécile Denis	....	second assistant director
Guilain Depardieu	....	second assistant director
Arnaud Esterez	....	first assistant director
Julien Lecat	....	assistant director
Arnaud Mathey-Dreyfus	....	second assistant director
Thierry Mauvoisin	....	first assistant director
Pascal Roy	....	first assistant director

Art Department
François Borgeaud	....	props
Luc Desportes	....	storyboard artist
Francesca Balestra Di Mottola	....	art department trainee
Franck Gies	....	carpenter
Mathieu Junot	....	production design assistant
Anne Le van ra	....	art department coordinator
Delphine Mabed	....	production design assistant
Hélène Rey	....	assistant set decorator
Hélène Rey	....	assistant set dresser
Patrick Schmitt	....	assistant art director
Nicolas Vrancken	....	set dresser

Sound Department
Vincent Arnardi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Marilena Cavola	....	sound editor
Sophie Chiabaut	....	sound
Cedric Denooz	....	sound effects editor
Gérard Hardy	....	sound editor
Denis Jaillet-Marsigny	....	sound recordist
Laurent Kossayan	....	sound effects editor
Guillaume Leriche	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Alexis Place	....	assistant dialogue editor
Jocelyn Robert	....	sound mixer trainee
Igor Thomas-Gerard	....	dialogue editor
Jean Umansky	....	sound
Yannick Vergne	....	assistant sound editor
Alexandre Widmer	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Jean-Baptiste Bonetto	....	special effects
Noel Chainbaux	....	special effects assistant
Yves Domenjoud	....	special effects supervisor
Denis Gastou	....	special effects makeup
Olivier Gleyze	....	special effects supervisor
Olivier Marais	....	special effects technician
Romain Rosier	....	special effects assistant
Jean-Christophe Spadaccini	....	special effects makeup

Visual Effects by
Christophe Belena	....	scan and printing: Duboicolor
Jerome Billet	....	matte painter
Axel Bonami	....	digital compositor
Cyrille Bonjean	....	digital compositor
Lucie Bories	....	digital compositor
Emmanuelle Carlier	....	visual effects coordinator
Alain Carsoux	....	visual effects supervisor
Nicolas Daniel	....	HD coordinator
Thierry Delobel	....	digital artist
Séverine De Wever	....	production coordinator
Stephane Dittoo	....	digital compositor
Xavier Fourmond	....	digital compositor
Rip Hampton O'Neil	....	technical director
Arcier Hugo	....	3D digital artist
Élodie Ichter	....	scanner operator
Abdel Ali Kassou	....	processing: DuboiColor
David Klett	....	3D digital artist
Aurelie Lajoux	....	digital compositor
Emmanuel Le Courbe	....	digital compositor
Bruno Le Provost	....	3D supervisor
Jeremie Leroux	....	compositing supervisor
Olivier Marci	....	digital artist
Benjamin Massoubre	....	2k operator
Frederic Medioni	....	computer graphic designer
Cecile Peltier	....	digital compositor
Benoit Philippon	....	visual effects
Cyril Pichard	....	research and development
Sebastien Rame	....	compositor
Aurore Rousset	....	3D animator
Bruno Sommier	....	3D shooting supervisor
George Tornero	....	digital compositor
Georges Tornero	....	digital compositor
Daniel Trujillo	....	sequence supervisor
Edouard Valton	....	visual effects producer
Jean-Marie Vives	....	digital matte painter

Stunts
Rémi Canaple	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Rémi Canaple	....	stunts
Alexandre Cauderlier	....	stunts
Patrick Cauderlier	....	stunt coordinator
Yan Dron	....	stunt rigger
Sebastien Soudais	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Michel Amathieu	....	director of photography: second unit
Julien Bullat	....	video assistant
Bruno Calvo	....	still photographer
Juliette Castanier	....	second assistant camera
Arthur Cloquet	....	camera operator: second unit
Benoit Dentan	....	aerial camera operator
Robert Dona	....	grip
Bruno Dubet	....	key grip
Michaël Gojon dit Martin	....	electrician
Sophie Lelou Mollard	....	electrician (as Sophie Mollard)
Beatrice Mizrahi	....	director of photography: second unit
Valentin Monge	....	Steadicam operator
Steeven Petitteville	....	assistant camera
Yvan Quehec	....	electrician
Ferencz Radnai	....	rigging gaffer
Michel Sabourdy	....	chief electrician
Ludovic Simeon	....	video assistant
Christophe Sournac	....	electrician
James Swanson	....	aerial director of photography
Alexandre Szabo-Fresnais	....	assistant camera: Technospeed
Eric Vallée	....	first assistant camera
Natacha Vautrin	....	camera loader
Richard Weber	....	set lighting technician

Animation Department
Aurore Rousset	....	animator

Casting Department
Camille Brunat	....	casting assistant
Yann Le Boucher	....	extras casting assistant
Marc Robert	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Loïc Barnier	....	costumer
Catherine Boisgontier	....	costume supervisor
Marie Bramsen	....	costume design assistant
Céline Collobert	....	costume trainee
Chloé Lesueur	....	dresser

Editorial Department
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Céline De Seyne	....	director of post-production
Mickael Dumontier	....	digital conformation
Céline Kélépikis	....	assistant editor
Lionel Kopp	....	post-production advisor
Yvan Lucas	....	colorist: Eclair
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director

Music Department
Angelo Badalamenti	....	orchestrator
Bryan Clements	....	scoring crew
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Mark Eshelman	....	scoring crew
Simon James	....	music contractor
Greg Loskorn	....	scoring technician
Phil Marshall	....	conductor
Phil Marshall	....	orchestrator
Adam Michalak	....	score recordist
Bill Pearson	....	music recordist
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer

Other crew
Laure Auger-Robert	....	personal assistant to director
Laure Auger-Robert	....	production secretary
Christine Bodelot	....	production controller
Élizabeth Boorn	....	production coordinator
Jean Brun	....	administrator
Maya Carillon	....	production assistant
Marie Ducret	....	scripte assistante
Jennifer Gay	....	translator
Michaël Gojon dit Martin	....	armorer
Sophie Hennard	....	production assistant
Aude Lemercier	....	location scout
Christophe Maratier	....	weapons
Arnaud Mathey-Dreyfus	....	location scout
Frédéric North	....	helicopter pilot
Peggy Pere	....	aerial coordinator
Christophe Perie	....	stand-in: Gaspard Ulliel
Julien Perrin	....	video conforming
Luc Poullain	....	aerial coordinator
Anne Wermelinger	....	script supervisor

Thanks
Jacques Perrin	....	thanks: "Le Peuple migrateur" footage

Production Companies

• 2003 Productions
• Warner Bros. (co-production)
• Tapioca Films (co-production)
• TF1 Films Production (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Région Poitou-Charentes (participation)
• Région Bretagne (participation)
• Gerber Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. (2004-2005) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2004-2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Sverige AB (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Warner Independent Pictures (WIP) (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2005) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sandrews (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2005) (Italy) (all media)
• Warner Home Video Española S.A. (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (all media)

Special Effects

• Duboi
• Duran Duboi
• Les Versaillais
• Éclair Numérique

Other Companies

• Aerial Camera Systems  helicopter gyrostabilized camera system
• Nonesuch Records  soundtrack album published by (as Nonesuch Variété)

Also Known As:

A Very Long Engagement (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Amor eterno (Argentina) (Chile) (Venezuela) [es]
Mathilde - Eine große Liebe (Austria) (Germany) [de]
En långvarig förlovning (Sweden) [sv]
En lang forlovelse (Denmark) [da]
Eterno Amor (Brazil) [pt]
Kayip nisanli (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Largo domingo de noviazgo (Spain) [es]
Oi ateleiotoi arravones (Greece) [el]
Pitkät kihlajaiset (Finland) [fi]
Una lunga domenica di passioni (Italy) [it]
Väga pikk kihlus (Estonia) [et]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and sexuality.

Runtime:

133 min

Country:

France | USA

Language:

French | German | Corsican

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Spain:13 | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Malaysia:U | Iceland:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Zurich) | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:12 (f) | Sweden:15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Brazil:16 | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIB | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Peru:14 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Austerlitz Railway Station, Paris 13, Paris, France

Company:

2003 Productions

Trivia:

At the point where Mathilde is asked either by her uncle or her aunt about the fate of Manech, she responds that he might be held prisoner by the Germans, then he escaped and met a German woman with large breasts. This could either be a reference to La grande illusion (1937) or to La cuisine au beurre (1963).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As the five prisoners are being led through the trench in January 1917, they pass the wreckage of a German Fokker DR-1 Triplane. These aircraft did not enter service until September 1917, nine months after the events of this movie.

Quotes:

Rouvières: A trench named Bingo Crepuscule? Why not Youppie Tralala?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Kureyon Shin-chan: Pee Strike! (#1.1)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Peer Gynt: Suite Number 1, Opus 46

A Very Long Engagement is well worth the trip

Lovely Audrey Tautou and director Jean-Pierre Jeunet reteam (having previously made the delightful comedy Amelie) in the epic war drama, A Very Long Engagement, based on the novel by Sebastien Japrisot. It is a visual powerhouse of a film that defies conventional genres by melding together different themes and injecting a generous dose of period authenticity. This French language film is an emotional odyssey that keeps you guessing while it never loses sight of its humanity and even humor.

Childhood friends and then lovers, Mathilde (Tatout) and Manech (Gaspard Ulliel) are separated when duty calls in World War One France. War is hell and the trench fighting that will claim countless lives begins to take its toll on men's sanity and tolerance. Manech becomes one of five soldiers arrested for cowardice because each has a self inflicted hand wound to evade the deadly fighting. But instead of execution by firing squad, the condemned men are forced into no man's land to be fodder for the German line.

It is almost certain that all the prisoners died that day, but years later, in 1920, Mathilde continues in her quest to find the truth and her lover. Aided by her aunt and uncle, she enlists the help of an investigative agency and lawyer to track down the people who knew Manech. Slowly the list grows and one clue connects with another as more witnesses emerge. What starts out as a somber war romance develops into a fascinating adventure of love and mystery of fate as Mathilde follows the trail. Sure, she does get frustrated as a couple of clues are dead ends, but when a connection is established, the story leaps forward. At times the help comes from an unexpected source and at other times, sheer coincidence saves the day. There is even a subplot involving treachery and betrayal. Before long, the audience will become caught up in her journey. Is Manech alive and will Mathilde ever find him? The film's structure weaves back and forth through flashbacks with great ease and clarity. An occasional voice over narration ties up the loose ends. As the plot begins to make more sense, key scenes are retold from different viewpoints in the Rashomon style of storytelling. The battle scenes, quite grim and realistic (Saving Private Ryan type of action), are light years ahead of Paths of Glory's anthill scenes, although the opening march through the trenches is almost identical to Kubrick's 1957 classic. There is even a hint of the older favorite, Random Harvest, which also dealt with a wartime romance and search.

A Very Long Engagement is blessed with a strong ensemble cast although it may require a score card to keep track of all the names. Andrey Tautou is quite good as the anxious searcher. Her beauty never detracts from her acting talent. Gaspard Ulliel reminds one of a young Ethan Hawke in his innocence amid difficult circumstances. As the wife of a key character, Jodie Foster is effective as she corresponds with Mathilde. Yes, Jodie does the French thing well, but her appearance is a bit jarring. Dominique Pinon, a favorite of Jeunet's (Alien: Resurrection, Amelie), lends good support as the uncle. Even the smaller roles are well rounded and memorable, a testament to good casting, strong writing, and Jeunet's direction.

This big budget film is lengthy, but it does have the sweep of a big time novel. The production is outstanding in the authentic costumes and historic set designs of 1920. Jeunet employs cinematography and computer graphics effectively to recreate the era magnificently. He has always been a marvelous director of eye candy, and the film is wonderful to look at. Angelo Badalamenti who has spent a lot of time scoring the moody thrillers for David Lynch is allowed to flourish here with a lushly romantic, emotional soundtrack.

Doubtless this is very likely the ultimate French tearjerker, a kind of Gone with the Wind meets Cold Mountain type of film. It serves as a commentary on war, a romantic fable, a revenge tale, and an intricate mystery. It is a film that defies pigeonholing and that's part of the fun. It also has well defined characters and nice touches of detail and exposition. In short, it is one powerful movie to close out 2004.

***1/2 stars out of ****