The brief love affair between two 20th century icons is dramatized in this period drama from director Jan Kounen. Igor Stravinsky (Mads Mikkelsen) was one of Europe's most promising new composers when in 1913 he premiered his ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (aka The Rite of Spring); the piece proved to be wildly controversial, and the audience at the Paris debut was vocal in their disgust, ruining Stravinsky's reputation for years. One patron who did like the performance was Coco Chanel (Anna
Mouglalis), who was already among Europe's most celebrated fashion designers. Seven years later, Chanel encounters Stravinsky at a party, and learns that the composer is penniless and without a place to live. Chanel befriends him, and allows him to move into her summer home in the country along with his wife, Catherine (Elena Morozova), and their four children. Chanel is nursing a broken heart after the recent death of her boyfriend, and what began as an act of compassion for a fellow artist turns into an affair of the heart as Chanel and Stravinsky become lovers, much to the chagrin of the sickly Catherine. Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky was the second film about the fashion icon released in 2009, following Anne Fontaine's Coco Before Chanel. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Jan Kounen's film is ravishingly beautiful, but inhumanly cool. The severe black-and-white deco interiors of Chanel's estate suggest an elegant chessboard where pitiless mind games are being played.
Stravinsky refuses to acknowledge [Chanel] as his artistic equal: 'You are not an artist, you are a shopkeeper' ... After this put-down, the couple's romance fizzles out ...
In the end, "Coco & Igor" doesn't really go anywhere, and it never quite equals the chaotic energy of that opening theater scene. But it's gorgeous to look at, as Kounen melds the heady visuals with Stravinsky's sweeping score.
It's beautifully shot and acted, but as with Coco Before Chanel last year, the one thing audiences will most want to know goes unanswered again: What makes this remarkable woman tick?
A beautifully shot, well-acted film, about two interesting, dynamic characters. This film was gorgeous, and passionate. Unfortunately the stately pace of the film descends at times into long, meaningful looks that are just too artsy for their own good. But it is still worth the time, because its design and performances
do carry us through the occasional lulls. Do not expect much in the way of explanation of resolution about other affairs in his life (family, music, etc.). The movie is beautiful, but ends rather abruptly.
It takes a while for movies (especially foreign movies) to make it out here, but this one was worth waiting for. It was gorgeous! And it shed some light on a "collaboration" if that is the right word between these two creative giants. And it also made me realize just how jaded we have become: an affair used to be a
marriage deal-breaker, not just business as usual. Worth seeing for the historical significance--I had no idea that Stravinsky's Rite of Spring caused riots in the theatre!--and the sheer beauty of that era. I (almost) wished I were there.
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