Jean-Pierre Jeunet owns a beautiful house in Provence. Thanks to “Amélie”. But the French director owes much more to the film.
Paris – 20 years after the French box office hit “The fabulous world of Amelie”, the director and author Jean-Pierre Jeunet mourns the former Paris and Montmartre districts only to a limited extent.
“Of course it hurts me that many shops that were there 20 years ago have now disappeared,” said the 67-year-old of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. “But that’s exactly how it is in other cities like New York. New restaurants, new shops … Our generation mourns the hippies, and the younger generation will mourn their favorite cell phone shops at some point. That’s how it is.”
The director of “Delicatessen” or “Alien – Die Wiedergeburt” sees “Amelie” – which was released in German theaters on August 16, 2001 – as the film of his life: “Even today, tourists are standing in front of the café in Montmartre, where we shot a few scenes and take selfies. ”He feels it is“ a great privilege that something so personal of mine has become something that can be described as a social phenomenon ”.
The film changed his life. “The beautiful house in which I now live in Provence, I was only able to buy it because of ‘Amélie’. And if I can’t stand the chirping of the cicadas here, I’ll go back to Paris. “
He is still in contact with the leading actress Audrey Tautou (44) – “but she hasn’t worked for two or three years. At the moment she is taking care of her child, but I hope that she will play again soon. “
According to Jeunet, the film would hardly be possible today. “Too strange, too cranky, too quirky.” In the film business, but also in fashion, “today only people who come from marketing are in charge,” says Jeunet.
“It was Netflix that saved me. They sent me the money I needed to make a science fiction comedy within 24 hours. The film will be released in early 2022. ”dpa
