>> The English-Speaking Coco Avant Chanel Trailer Is Out —We've seen the French trailer for Coco Avant Chanel, the silent trailer, and now finally there's an English-language trailer. There's still a few months before the movie hits theaters in limited released Sept. 25, so for now, this will have to suffice. [Elle]
Audrey Tautou
>> INSIDER WIRE —The Coco Chanel biopic in which Audrey Tautou plays the designer, Coco Avant Chanel, finally has a release date for the US . . . and an "English language" trailer in which there is no dialogue — compare with the French version. It comes out in limited release on Sept. 25 — just two weeks after The September Issue hits theaters — and so far, seems to be positively received. [Telegraph UK]
Audrey Tautou Takes a Whimsical Turn for Chanel No. 5
>> While we wait for Audrey Tautou's stateside debut as Coco Chanel — still no release date for Coco avant Chanel — her new commercial for Chanel No. 5 has debuted. The gig, which reportedly paid around $4.3 million for three weeks of work, was directed by her Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and has similar whimsical cinematography as their previous work together. An accompanying print campaign is still to follow.

First Look: Audrey Tautou for Chanel No. 5
>> Just a little less than a year after announcing that Audrey Tautou and her Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet would re-pair for a Chanel No. 5 commercial spot, more details have finally emerged. The commercial replaces the lavish five-year-old spot directed by Baz Luhrmann featuring his Moulin Rouge leading lady Nicole Kidman — reportedly the costliest advertisement ever — with imagery more appropriate for today's "make-do-and-mend society."
The theme is missed encounters between strangers — played by Tautou and model Travis Davenport — as they ride the Orient Express from Paris to Istanbul. There is no dialogue, only the vivid color imagery Jeunet is known for: as Billie Holiday's "I'm a Fool to Want You" plays, he lingers outside her train cabin, and later, in Istanbul, she misses the riverboat he is on, only to photograph him on deck from another ship later. Finally, they meet, embracing atop a mosaic of Chanel's double-C logo.
Filming took three weeks last May, and the full commercial runs 2 minutes, 25 seconds; a teaser will debut in late April on chaneln5.com, around the same time Audrey's film Coco Avant Chanel premieres in France, although Chanel executives insist the timing is just a coincidence. The full film launches on the internet May 5, and will air on TV in shorter versions, followed by an print ad shot by Dominique Isserman.
*image: source
>> INSIDER WIRE —We've seen a smattering of stills from Coco avant Chanel, a biopic of Gabrielle Chanel's early years featuring Audrey Tautou as the designer, but the first trailer finally dropped today. The film is premiering in France first — April 22 — before it hits the US later this year on a to-be-determined date, so unfortunately the trailer is in French with no subtitles. But it does give a glance at the film-to-be . . . [Allocine]
The trailer! »
>> INSIDER WIRE —Chanel the company may be suffering, as indicated by recent job cutbacks and the cancellation of the Mobile Art exhibit, but the filming of Coco avant Chanel is still going strong — behold, the first still of Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel at work. [ONTD]

Audrey Tautou as Coco avant Chanel: More Stills
>> We saw the first shot of Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel early last month, but the Nov. 24 edition of Elle France had a new group of images from the set of Coco avant Chanel, which centers around Chanel's early years and modest origins. The movie — currently filming in Paris — will be released in France in May 2009, with international screenings to follow later in the year. Costumer Catherine Leterrier, who is said to have collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld, focused on showing how Chanel "was different from the ladies of her time" — "she was poor, but she had her own style." Those looking for extravagant costumes won't be disappointed, however: the film is supposed to culminate in a runway show of classic Chanel designs.
*image: source
>> INSIDER WIRE —Behold, the first production still from Coco Avant Chanel, with Audrey Tautou starring as the designer in her early years. Filming has been underway since Sept. 15 in Paris and Normandy, and the movie's release date is expected to be late 2009. Hopefully more stills will be out soon, so we can see more of those costumes Karl Lagerfeld is said to be supervising. [The Age]

Coco Avant Chanel Filming, Karl Lagerfeld There to Help
>> There are plenty of Coco Chanel biopics in the works, and Karl Lagerfeld is now involved in at least two of them.
It was announced last month that he is working with the costumer for Chanel et Stravinsky, and yesterday came the announcement that Coco Avant Chanel, which stars Audrey Tautou as the designer, will feature Chanel dresses (I assume archival) and Karl will be supervising the re-creation of costumes and accessories for the production.
It seems like Coco Avant Chanel has been in pre-production for forever — Audrey's attachment was announced last May — but the 12-week production is finally starting Sept. 15 in Paris. The movie is slated to be released in 2009, and since Warner Bros. is behind the project, expect a full-out, hopefully gratifying, film.
*image: source
Chanel Movie Madness: Four Projects in the Works
>> Chanel is really looking to increase their profile through the movie route. Another film based on some portion of Coco Chanel's life has been announced: Chanel et Stravinsky, l'Histoire Secrete.
Last year, three films focusing on Coco Chanel were under way — Coco avant Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou as the designer before she became famous, is now currently filming; Director Daniele Thompson's Chanel biopic is still in the early stages, with a projected 2009 release date; and director William Friedkin's Coco & Igor, focusing on Chanel's love affair with Igor Stravinsky, is still in development.
Marina Hands has been lined up to play Coco opposite Mads Mikkelsen as Stravinsky in Coco & Igor; however, Friedkin is no longer listed as director — which brings us to the fourth, and newest, movie: Chanel et Stravinsky, l'Histoire Secrete. It, like Coco & Igor, is focusing on the relationship between Chanel and Stravinsky, and has Mads Mikkelsen playing the composer, but Anna Mouglalis is set to play Chanel, with Jan Kounen in the director's role. Are these two movies the same movie? Or are two studios just planning to go head to head?
Regardless, Chanel the brand wins in the end with all the publicity. A company spokeswoman confirmed that the house will be opening its doors to Chanel et Stravinsky's costumer, who Karl Lagerfeld will also be meeting with in coming weeks. Plus, it's worth noting that two of the women cast as Chanel have close ties to the house: Audrey Tautou is a face of the brand, and Anna Mouglalis is a muse to Karl.
*image: source




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