Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (15)

Understated and elegant portrait of the relationship between Stravinsky and Coco Channel beautifully set and costumed with excellent choices of Stravinsky's music. I think this film would appeal to lovers of Stravinsky's music, it may be a little thin otherwise

A compelling film that held my attention (and that of Sandra, my partner) till the very end. I cannot understand the comment above from Mike who walked out before the end. I agree that it seemed perverse for Stravinsky to spend most of the film, spanning several years, "re-composing" the Rite of Spring. As far as I can gather he did no such thing. But it did help to create an atmosphere and a background to the torrid affaire he and Coco engaged in. The opening scene, which re-created the first performance of The Rite of Spring, which turned into the Riot of Spring, thanks to the reactions of the utterly conservative Parisian audience was superb and very convincing. The cast was excellent especially the leading characters Coco and Igor. It left me with many questions about the life of Coco - that of Stravinsky is more familiar to me and well documented in the public records. It seems that to learn more about Coco requires the purchase of one or more of the books about her life, which I am seriously considering, so recommendations will be gratefully received..

I found it achingly beautiful and touching. If anything the soundtrack surpasses the photography. The only thing that jars is Stravinsky continuing to compose The Rite of Spring (that opens the film) through the next ten years; he wrote tons of other stuff. (NB. If you see it note that there is a final scene right at the end of the credits.)

Whilst this film is quite slow, I found it interesting to learn about Chanel and Stravinsky. The performances were good from the three lead characters. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help thinking about 007 would sort Stravinsky out at times though!!

Havn't seen it yet, but planning to next tuesday at the tricycle theatre(in Kilburn) as they have a Q&A afterwards with the writer! Check it out on the tricycle website, looks like a good one!

Having seen “Coco before Chanel�, and a few documentaries that have been made about her (“Secret Lives�, etc), I was disappointed by this film. I like a broad range of cinema – from the more highbrow at BFI and Curzons, to some of the lighter. ‘ As Mads Mikkelsen played a particularly nasty “baddie� in the Bond film “Quantum of Solace� a few years ago, it’s extremely hard to think of him as Stravinsky and not torturing 007 by bashing his testicles with a rope. ‘ Like Stravinsky’s audience, I walked out before the end. Perhaps I’ll try to see it some other time. You’ll need to persevere with this one.

Another film for adults hidden in the tundra behind my local cineworld's batch of 3D scrapings. I was entranced by the music, design and visual feasts, yet all in 2D, if not this script. A film worth seeing to watch Yelena Morozova act everybody else off the screen and to see Diaghilev's interviewing technique for his new secretary. Great opening scene that set the standard the rest of the film struggled to keep up with. But as I said, it's a film for adults if you want an alternative to Tom Cruise.