What separates Coco Before Chanel from the recent rash of Chanel biopics is the focus on the couturiere’s humble beginnings. And who better to play the young ingénue than the darling of French cinema — the enigmatic Audrey Tautou. With pursed lips, hollow cheekbones and flashing doe-eyes, Tautou perfectly captures the essence of an early Coco Chanel: sullen, but sharp-tongued, driven and relentless.
The film opens with scenes of Gabrielle (her given name) as a somber ragamuffin in the late 1800s. Flash forward 15 years later and Chanel is working as a seamstress by day and a cabaret chanteuse by night. At the seedy watering hole where she performs with her sister, she meets an uncomely but well-connected noble, Etienne Balsan. Abandoned by both her sibling and her benefactor, Chanel travels to the gentleman’s chateau and finagles her way into an open-ended stay, captivated by the allure of the equestrian world that symbolizes all the power of the upper class she so desperately seeks to permeate.
Clearly a fish out of water in the aristocratic circle, Chanel throws herself into apparel design, busying herself by altering the tweed hunting jackets and cravats from Balsan’s closets to create simple, elegant gamine ensembles to wear as she learns to ride the estate’s majestic steeds. At the chateau, she meets an English coal investor (Alessandro Nivola), with whom she falls into a doomed romance that’s guaranteed to pull heartstrings.
The film is an exquisite period piece — the muted palette and soft lines beautifully evoke the quaintness of turn-of-the-century France. Like one of Chanel’s tweed suits, Coco Before Chanel is elegant and timeless. Director Anne Fontaine weaves an inspiring tale of a true pioneer — the individual who liberated women from their corsets and forever changed the sphere of women’s fashion. This film is a must-see for any Chanel admirer and will certainly cast the viewer’s image of the legendary innovator in a whole new light.
4 stars
Directed by: Anne Fontaine
Starring: Audrey Tautou, Alessandro Nivola
Rated: PG-13, 105 min.
