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A Very Long Engagement

Play trailer Poster for A Very Long Engagement R 2004 2h 14m Drama War Mystery & Thriller Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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79% Tomatometer 146 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to believe this, however, and begins trying to find out what actually happened on the battlefield the night he was supposedly killed, enlisting the help of a private investigator. During her search, she stumbles across evidence of the inhumane and morally bankrupt system used by the French to deal with deserters, and hears from other men who were sentenced to extreme punishment.
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A Very Long Engagement

A Very Long Engagement

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Critics Consensus

A well-crafted and visually arresting drama with a touch of whimsy.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Long Detroit News 12/22/2004
A
This is grand cinema. Go to Full Review Terry Lawson Detroit Free Press 12/22/2004
2/4
The comic-dramatic divide of A Very Long Engagement is difficult to traverse, much less conquer. It's simply hard to be charmed with all those corpses scattered about. Go to Full Review Jeff Strickler Minneapolis Star Tribune 12/21/2004
Merging heart-wrenching emotions with quirky humor and splicing bloody war footage with goofy comedy, the movie mixes vastly disparate elements into a surprisingly smooth blend. Go to Full Review James Mottram The List 04/23/2019
4/5
With detail crammed into literally every frame, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more imaginative film this year. Go to Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal 11/22/2010
3.5/4
As in any fable, there are spires, towers and moats, and it's a spellbinding saga - a macabre dance choreographed by its romance's throbbing heart. Mathilde and Manech's love left its mark in many places, so why not the grungiest and war-torn? Go to Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review 08/07/2008
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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thiago s @Thiagostone Aug 29 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom See more Kipher K 05/04/2024 A visually stunning movie, complex characters, and powerful story line. Enchanting moments in scenes with some stark, real moments. Art. See more Blob 9 11/03/2023 An Intricately complex mosaic of woven story lines brought to life by the magic mind of Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an intense, disturbing and enchantingly powerful picture to absorb. See more Alissa H 11/21/2022 I love this film. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted. Enjoyed every moment. So many scene stealers. See more Irene M @igawel 08/07/2022 Aug 2020 DVR So...same actors as Amalie but much more serious layered on top of his sense of humor. Some else called it "Cold Mountain" with French People. If I were to watch it again, I would try to keep track of the *five* key characters, as its a very complex mystery she's solving for. See more dave s 03/14/2022 When Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her childhood sweetheart and fiancé has been killed in action, she embarks on an odyssey, believing that he is still alive, to discover the truth about his whereabouts. Visually stunning and inventive throughout, A Very Long Engagement is deeply touching as a romance and graphically harrowing as a war film. However, it is so filled with both narrative and visual detail that it can become exhausting, much like trying to take in all of the scenery while on a high-speed train – you know where you've been and where you're going, but you can't help but get the feeling that you've missed a lot of things along the way. See more Read all reviews
A Very Long Engagement

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Cast & Crew

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Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Director

Audrey Tautou

Mathilde

Gaspard Ulliel

Manech

Jean-Pierre Becker

Esperanza

Dominique Bettenfeld

Ange Bassignano

Clovis Cornillac

Benoît Notre-Dame

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A Very Long Engagement

A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." A scene from the film "A Very Long Engagement." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Mathilde (Audrey Tautou) is told that her fiancé (Gaspard Ulliel) has been killed in World War I. She refuses to believe this, however, and begins trying to find out what actually happened on the battlefield the night he was supposedly killed, enlisting the help of a private investigator. During her search, she stumbles across evidence of the inhumane and morally bankrupt system used by the French to deal with deserters, and hears from other men who were sentenced to extreme punishment.
Director
Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Producer
Angus Finney
Screenwriter
Sébastien Japrisot, Jean-Pierre Jeunet
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Brothers
Rating
R (Violence|Sexuality)
Genre
Drama, War, Mystery & Thriller, Romance
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 26, 2004, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 24, 2014
Runtime
2h 14m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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