Amélie
Why I nominated Amélie.
One of the most beautifully shot films I've seen. The camera movement is fluid like water and not a single shot is wasted here. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is known for his camerawork in his films, but he hasn't been able to match the majesty that is presented with this piece. You see hints of it in his other works, but he is working on another level with Amélie.
He incorporates colours purposefully and beautifully. There are three main colours in the film; green, red and yellow. They just so happen to be the main colours on the poster too. He's able to use these colours to his advantage that when he inserts something different, you immediately take notice. In her place for example is a bright blue lamp in the background. This was added with CGI, to bring your focal point to something new added to the image. When she is in the movie theatre she is bathed in blue light, she is living another life outside of her normal day to day activities. The red green and yellows are gone and blue has taken over.
I see people comparing it to Wes Anderson, I guess it has the same quirkiness to it. Yet Amélie has a more innocent, whimsical, fantasy feel. Anderson has a more static and framed camera, where Jeunet flows around the scene making the camera feel part of the world. Wes Anderson is a painting** and Amélie is a play. Audrey Tautou is simply delightful and perfectly captures the sense of wonder that Amélie projects.
I'm surprised at the amount of dislike for this film on here. Maybe people went in high expectations. I always hate doing that. It alters your view of it. Had people gone to see this film without hearing a single thing about it, maybe they would have liked it more, even loved it?
** I love Wes Anderson movies too.