August 8, 2010
Despite being unconnected to last year’s production of Coco Before Chanel, this story (directed by Jans Kounen) neatly picks up where that one left off. Coco Chanel (Anna Mouglais) first encounters Russian composer Igor Stravinsky at his infamously disastrous 1913 Paris world premiere of ‘The Rite of Spring’ where the disgruntled audience started riots at the theatre. Igor is left creatively devastated by the failure; however it has intrigued Coco.
Fast forward 7 years and Coco, having been left devastated by the death of her lover (Boy Capin), has thrown herself into her career and is riding on the crest of success when she first comes to the rescue of Igor and his family by offering them accommodation after they have been left penniless following the Russian Revolution, and they subsequently start an affair. She reignites Igor’s creative and physical passions but, torn between loyalty to his family or a life of passion with Coco, he chooses to stay with his wife, and Coco ends their affair. When his sick wife (Catherine – played by Elena Morozova) leaves him anyway, Stravinsky is left alone with only his musical talent to consume him.
This age old tale of marital boredom, passionate affair, jealousy, creativity and lost love is portrayed with enough subtlety to be believable without being crass – the chemistry building between Coco and Igor is palpable; the love scenes graphic without being gratuitous. The relationship between Coco and Catherine is interesting – Catherine’s reluctant acceptance of the affair but gratefulness to Coco for helping her family is played without judgement.
While Mouglais’ Chanel doesn’t have the charisma of the spellbinding Audrey Tautou in ‘Coco Before Chanel’, she does play the role as a more weathered, darker version, which is in keeping with Chanel’s grief after the loss of Boy. The brief affair between Igor and Coco is portrayed passionately; however it doesn’t give the sense of being an all-consuming life-long love (e.g. The Bridges of Madison County), so when we see Coco and Igor having ended up elderly and alone, it doesn’t have the same emotional resonance or trigger the same tears as other traumatic love stories of this genre. Indeed, those who know the life stories of these two strong characters will know that both went on to have more significant and defining relationships – so it will be interesting to see who films the next instalment of Coco Chanel’s turbulent love life.
Fast forward 7 years and Coco, having been left devastated by the death of her lover (Boy Capin), has thrown herself into her career and is riding on the crest of success when she first comes to the rescue of Igor and his family by offering them accommodation after they have been left penniless following the Russian Revolution, and they subsequently start an affair. She reignites Igor’s creative and physical passions but, torn between loyalty to his family or a life of passion with Coco, he chooses to stay with his wife, and Coco ends their affair. When his sick wife (Catherine – played by Elena Morozova) leaves him anyway, Stravinsky is left alone with only his musical talent to consume him.
This age old tale of marital boredom, passionate affair, jealousy, creativity and lost love is portrayed with enough subtlety to be believable without being crass – the chemistry building between Coco and Igor is palpable; the love scenes graphic without being gratuitous. The relationship between Coco and Catherine is interesting – Catherine’s reluctant acceptance of the affair but gratefulness to Coco for helping her family is played without judgement.
While Mouglais’ Chanel doesn’t have the charisma of the spellbinding Audrey Tautou in ‘Coco Before Chanel’, she does play the role as a more weathered, darker version, which is in keeping with Chanel’s grief after the loss of Boy. The brief affair between Igor and Coco is portrayed passionately; however it doesn’t give the sense of being an all-consuming life-long love (e.g. The Bridges of Madison County), so when we see Coco and Igor having ended up elderly and alone, it doesn’t have the same emotional resonance or trigger the same tears as other traumatic love stories of this genre. Indeed, those who know the life stories of these two strong characters will know that both went on to have more significant and defining relationships – so it will be interesting to see who films the next instalment of Coco Chanel’s turbulent love life.