Coco Chanel (2008)

Simply A Masterpiece

Must See Movie...

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This was okay, Good I guess for a made for TV movie. I was expecting more of a biography about Coco's entire life though instead this just touches on her childhood and then profiles her throughout her twenties; working in a Paris dress shop and then moving in with a wealthy man. Not satisfied with being a kept woman, Coco designs hats and dreams of moving to Paris to open her own boutique.There's a bit of a love triangle, that's never resolved with her lover 'Étienne's' best friend. Shirley MacClaine plays Coco in her later years and is excellent (although I wondered where her French accent disappeared to?) Really her role is only a cameo, appearing at the beginning and end. Speaking of which the ending is abrupt, leaving tons of unanswered questions. 03.30.14

I was enjoying the first half of the movie, but it started to drag by hour 2 with still some time on the clock...but it was a made-for-TV movie, so...The younger Chanel was great, but Shirley MacClaine was a horrible choice for the older Coco. She may be a great actress but cannot pull off being a Frenchwoman! I cringed whenever she opened her mouth.Finally, after the movie I did some research about the real Coco and the movie totally glossed over her antisemitism, homophobia, and pro-Nazism. It is hard for me to think of her as icon after learning that. Of course, the irony is that Chanel is now headed by two Jewish men whom she previously derided.

Shirley Maclaine is wonderful as the late older version of Coco Chanel who sets out again to prove her art as one of the finest fashion designers of ladies' fashions and perfume in the world. Barbara Borovona is also wonderful as the younger version of Coco Chanel who rises despite tragedy, hardship, and success. In this film, there are flashbacks and wonderfully done to show Coco's rise from a seamstress assistant to her own visionary. Malcolm McDowell (he deserves knighthood or something) is fine as Coco's business partner. I don't recall the names of the other cast members but they were all fine. I could see why Coco Chanel succeeded even in a male dominated business field at the time of ladies' fashion. Coco understood women being one herself and how clothes should be expressed and comfortable as well. It should be the men who get to be comfortable, women should be too.

A wonderful television film-just like the great television films they made in the 1970s.The film is great due to the presence of the wonderful Shirley MacLaine. The latter portrays Chanel in her later years. There is a wonderful constant use of flashbacks here that convey the image of Chanel as a woman who conquered the world of fashion but whose personal life was quite a heartbreak.My main criticism of the film was what happened to Chanel during World War 11? We see how her life evolved during the 1st World War.In a way, MacLaine reminded me of her performance as the imperious music teacher, Madame Sousatzka, some years back. She still has that commanding domineering performance in her characters.This is an excellent study of social class as Chanel lost two lovers due to the opposition of the mother of the first and the father of the second.Chanel was definitely an eccentric as the film well depicts. She certainly went a long way to change the styles of what women wore during the years.