Awards Daily’s Megan McLachlan talks to Academy Award-nominated writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet about his inspiration for Amelie and why its legacy continues after nearly 25 years.
When I ask Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet if he knows what a “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” is, he says, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
And why would he? Amelie might have that pixie-ish haircut and a quirky personality, but unlike the film trope from the early 2000s, the female character doesn’t exist to support a male protagonist’s story—just her own singular one. This is why, nearly 25 years after its release, Jeunet’s Academy Award-nominated film is still beloved by audiences, including the Gen Z one it screened for at the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival.
“It never stops,” says Jeunet of the film’s legacy. “I live in Montmartre, very close to the café of Amelie, and every day I see some group, and of course, they don’t recognize me.”
Surprisingly, in creating the character of Amelie, Jeunet drew inspiration from himself in writing and directing the film.
“Amelie is me. Of course, I am Amelie because it’s so full of anecdotes, souvenirs, and details from my life. I don’t know why but Amelie has to be a girl. Women are so much better than men.”
Jeunet would go on to work with Amelie herself, Audrey Tautou, in A Very Long Engagement in 2004 and would love to work with her again even if she’s semi-retired.
“Because she adopted a girl and she’s raising her, she doesn’t want to shoot anymore. I respect that. On the other hand, she’s so talented. So many people would like to have her talents, but it’s her life, and she has a very strong character, and she knows exactly what she wants.”
With so many celebrations and screenings of the film (including a recent one at Cannes, the same fest that rejected it in 2001), Jeunet says he loves rewatching his movies and noticing new things about them.
“The last time I saw [Amelie], it was a little like the first time I saw it. ‘Oh, it’s full of ideas. Oh, it’s not so bad.’ I was surprised. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do another thing like this.”
Another thing he’d never be able to do is a movie like the one he did before Amelie—Alien: Resurrection, starring Winona Ryder and Sigourney Weaver, which was deemed a box office disappointment when it was released in 1997 despite grossing $161 million worldwide.
“I don’t think it could happen today. I was very lucky because I had almost complete freedom. They took some risks because I didn’t speak English. I had to work with a translator. I am very proud of the film. It wasn’t a big success in the U.S., but in France, it was like I won the Soccer World Cup when I came back. I was pretty proud to make an arty movie in Hollywood.”
However, while he realizes that maybe American audiences weren’t ready for an arty Alien film, he knows if Amelie were released today, it would have the same impact.
“I’m sure it would be the same success because we need positive stories, especially right now. Of course, some kids will say, ‘Can you sign my DVD? It’s the favorite film of my mother’s.’ But when there is a screening, and I ask, ‘Do you know this movie?’, everyone raises their hand.”
And when Jeunet asked students at SCAD Lacoste if they’d seen the film before the screening, they did just that.
SCAD Lacoste Film Festival ran June 27-29.
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