*She tries to keep her life within the world of childhood pleasures, notably through playing games. Although she is physically no longer a child, her attitude shows that she is scared of stepping into an adult world. It has been said that her character is ‘articulated around the trauma of a lost childhood.
*Amelie is inhibited. She enjoys being around people but is pathologically shy and withdrawn, to the point of sometimes becoming transparent. This is evident in the scene when she first meets Nino at the station, or on her encounter with Bretodeau in the bar, where she chokes in her drink because he addresses her directly.
*She prefers mediated (rather than in person) communication: This is shown through Videotapes, fliers, cryptic notes, photographs or anonymous phone calls. She also uses a telescope to remain distant form others and even wears costumes to conceal her own identity.
*She prefers mediated (rather than in person) communication: This is shown through Videotapes, fliers, cryptic notes, photographs or anonymous phone calls. She also uses a telescope to remain distant form others and even wears costumes to conceal her own identity.
*Anonymity is key to many of Amelie’s interactions. She tricks her childhood neighbour by hiding on the roof and pranks Collingon by sneaking into his flat. When Nino seeks her out and asks ‘Is this you?’ whilst holding her poster, she denies it.
*The film lingers on the small aspects of everyday lie which can be universally related to. This has been said to be a characteristic of ‘Petisme’ or ‘paying homage to little things and pleasures’. Characters are in tern identified by these small pleasures and idiosyncrasies. For Amelie’s character it’s through the colours of red and green, collecting pebbles or feeling grain.
*Simplicity is highlighted through the constant evidence of repetition and routine throughout the film. We see this in many ways throughout the narrative:
•Amelie visits her father every weekend
•Dufayel recreates the famous Renoir painting every year
•Nino works at the Fun Fair every Wednesday
•Joseph appears at the café with his recorder every day
•Lucien makes his regular deliveries
•Collignon wakes the same time each day to up his stall
*Furthering her link with childhood, Amelie is prone to daydreaming, in fact recurrent visits are made into Amelie’s world and thoughts.
Much like the younger Amelie who projects her thoughts into fantasies (Imaginary friends, the comatose neighbour getting her sleep in one go, clouds as rabbits and even the touching glances between her and the newly freed blubber) Her adult daydreams are also projected, this time through techniques such as imaginary news reports, speaking photographs or animated bedside lamps)
*Depicted as enchanting and living in a fantasy world, Amelie seems to come from a cartoon or fairytale.
She resembles Olive Oyle in the Abbesses metro station scene, Alice in Wonderland as a girl who lives in an imaginary world, Little Red Riding Hood because of her clothes and Zorro when she imagines herself as a caped crusader.
*Moreover the film explicitly makes parallels between her and the real lie princess of Lady Diana. Other characters also hint at the fairytale motif with the air steward Philomene being referred to as Snow White (because of her travelling with the gnome) and with Lucien who becomes the conjurer as his routine delivery to Dufayel becomes an elaborate magical act.
No comments:
Post a Comment