Amélie

This delicious, spellbinding French confection tells the story of a coy, young, semi-reclusive ingénue (Audrey Tautou) inspired to perform fanciful acts of anonymous Good Samaritanship as a way to ease herself into the wider world. After helping an old man rediscover his childhood, a lonely widow remember her love, and several other selfless acts, Amélie falls for an equally shy oddball--from afar, of course--and begins formulating an elaborate, enchanting ploy to compel him to seek her out. Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a virtuoso at creating alternative worlds in darker films such as Delicatessen and City of Lost Children, this multifaceted delight of whimsical wonderment is a feat of light-hearted genius, packed with perfect performances and the kind of vivid details that absolutely envelop the viewer. Don't miss it. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice.[Note: DVD extras on this double disc set include the choice of English or French feature commentary with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, a 13-minute "The Look of Amelie" featurette on colors and lighting, "Fantasies of Audrey Tautou" outtakes (two minutes of catching Tautou giggling demurely), question and answer sessions with Jeunet (24 min.) and with Jeunet and three cast members (12 min.), screen tests, storyboard comparisons, a 20-minute subtitled "Intimate Chat" with Jeunet, scrapbook (containing photos, French poster concepts and "The Garden Gnome's Travels") and a 12-minute "Home Movies" "making-of." Bottom line: An excellent extras package for an excellent film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—July 19, 2011—Lionsgate, 122 min., in French w/English subtitles, R, $19.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2001's Amélie is presented in a solid transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including audio commentary with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, “An Intimate Chat” with Jeunet (20 min.), Q&A sessions with Jeunet (24 min.) and with Jeunet and three cast members (12 min.), a “Home Movies” making-of featurette (12 min.), the production featurette “The Look of Amélie” (13 min.), a “Fantasies of Audrey Tautou” segment (2 min.), screen tests, storyboard comparisons, a scrapbook (containing photos, French poster concepts, and "The Garden Gnome's Travels"), and trailers. Bottom line: a beloved foreign film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]