Coco Chanel (2008) Online

I'm rating Lifetime's "Coco Chanel" 9/10 as a creative made-for-TV biopic. Yes, all reviews are subjective. However, I suspect that some folks who have berated the movie on the IMDb boards and on other websites may have become confused by thinking that Shirley MacLaine in the title role means the film should be judged for Oscar-worthiness. To that, I respond with a resounding NO! The first time I sat down to watch "Coco Chanel," I knew to hook up the coffeemaker and have a plate of my favorite store-brand cookies on hand, as there's no patisserie nearby where I can grab a flaky pain au chocolat.

My point is I wanted an old-fashioned love story and a Coco Chanel séance, and by God I got both thanks to Shirley MacLaine pretending to be the first lady of the House of Chanel. And I'm glad that Lifetime tackled the project. I pass (out) on the network's dime-a-dozen, women-in-peril movies; only to be outdone by my tabby, who hurls fur balls at the sound of the first cello chord. Seriously, what I love about Lifetime are the quirky, chick-lit-style romances ("Cake" immediately comes to mind) and the historical romances. "Coco Chanel" is best-suited in the latter category.

That the iconoclastic MacLaine portrays the title character makes for a riveting character study accentuated with progressive statements about femininity in male-dominated society (France, in this movie) and about the courage for disenfranchised people of male or female persuasion to be independent-minded as they strive for success. Besides MacLaine, perhaps only Fanny Ardant could have masterfully ("mistressfully"?) channeled Coco Chanel for this Lifetime drama. I mention Ardant's name because I recently watched her in two previously released movies -- "Nathalie," opposite Emmanuelle Beart, and "Paris Je T'aime," the multi-directed cinematic kiss to the city's erotic magnetism. But it is MacLaine in the role, and we get to watch wide-eyed as she magnifies Chanelisms on the small screen.

Through MacLaine's haunting performance of a mature Coco (circa 1954) and Barbora Bobulova's vulnerable delivery playing a young Coco, we are transported back-and-forth in time. The flashbacks are employed effectively, enabling us viewers to sympathize with the mature Coco's regrets about the past, beginning with MacLaine batting her sparkling eyes over a demitasse of espresso or whatever. In the other direction, the flashbacks in "Coco Chanel" allow us viewers to discover how an orphaned girl blossomed into the woman who chiseled her way from France to America to stand out as *the* fashion diva of the early- to mid-20th century. Let's remember that Coco had the balls to wear hats *and* pants. And she had a custom-designed quip for any man -- or woman, for that matter -- who challenged her unconventional ways. You go, Coco! Ahem, back to my review. ...

Currently, "Coco Chanel" is back on cable via the Lifetime On Demand lineup in my area. Tonight is my third time watching the movie in just as many days. Every time I watch the biopic, I am enthralled by its three-pronged approach. To illustrate: 1) Without Mademoiselle Chanel's trailblazing contributions to the history of fashion, where, oh where, would we gals be without our costume jewelry and little black dress? Don't get me started on scarves, though the tragic story of modern-dance pioneer Isadora Duncan offers a bizarre discouragement to favoring *that* kind of accessory. Still, Chanel may have been the first one to say "Accessorize, accessorize, accessorize" -- albeit in French.

2) The torn-between-two-lovers story arc gets the blood pumping in the right direction because it: a) creates titillating plot tension, b) evokes that deceptively innocent-sounding ballad sung by Mary MacGregor in 1977, and c) offers Harlequin-style romantic scenes between beauteous brunette Barbora Bobulova and either of her knights in shifty armor: Sagamore Stevenin (as "Etienne") and Olivier Sitruk (as "Boy" -- oh boy, oh boy, oh, boy!); and 3) Coco's drivenness as an artist is salient in the drama. Against obstacles endemic to social-class prejudice, she bravely struggles between pursuing her art (hat making, her first love) and earning her bread-and-butter (seamstress work).

Ironically, today when many of us think of the Chanel name, the couture fragrance intermingled with Catherine Deneuve's face and platinum blonde hair may come to mind instead of Coco's groundbreaking signature fashions. Lifetime's "Coco Chanel" seems to indicate that the visionary entrepreneur ventured into the olfactory branch of the fashion world reluctantly, and much later in life. It's apropos, though, for a dab here and there of Chanel No. 5 means a woman is wearing it well. And that, my friends, is an exquisite ode to Coco Chanel's lingering legacy. Well, that and being able to have an extended stay at the Hotel Ritz in Paris.

Lifetime's 2008 film "Coco Chanel" brings back the miniseries of the 1980s, many of which were based on novels by Judith Krantz or her ilk and starred people like Jane Seymour or Stefanie Powers. When the networks ran out of money and their viewerships dropped, they stopped making them.

Lifetime can't do the work of three networks, but it can occasionally bring us something like the entertaining "Coco Chanel" and a star like Shirley MacLaine in the lead as the older, reminiscing Chanel and Barbora Bobulova as the young Chanel. The fascinating queen of haute couture has been the subject of a Broadway show, a movie starring Audrey Tatou, and several other films, two of which are about her relationship with Igor Stravinsky.

The film does a good job of showing Chanel's poor background, love life, and rise to fame, including her beginnings as a hat maker, the introduction of Chanel No. 5, the Chanel suit, and the little black dress, but eliminates much of probably the most fascinating period of her life, World War II. During that time. she was arrested for war crimes but never tried due to the intervention of the Royal Family. I suppose that's a movie in itself.

Coco Chanel changed the way women dressed and also introduced a new philosophy of fashion - women should dress for themselves and not their men, and true fashion comes from the streets, or it isn't fashion. She also emphasized the use of accessories. She was a powerful woman from a humble background in a class-conscious society and depended upon alliances with the wealthy to get her where she needed to go.

In showing this, the movie does a very good job and could not have picked anyone better to play the icon than Shirley MacLaine, who does a fantastic job. One complaint I have is that, as much as I liked Barbora Bobulova, there wasn't enough of the older Chanel. MacLaine's performance really dominates the movie, even when she's not in a scene! I also liked her suggestion of an accent rather than a full-out French accent. The French accents weren't really necessary (though in a way they were, if the actor was French) because the characters weren't really speaking English with a French accent, they were speaking French. In that case, no accent is necessary. MacLaine gave Chanel more of a cosmopolitan accent.

All in all, a strong portrait of a fascinating woman.

If you want to travel to another era and get a full introduction to the world of fashion, here's a great way to do it.

Even if it is a melodrama, it's so well made, with such obsession with detail, refinement, (as Chanel's works, by the way) that you can't but fall for Coco's challenges. And yet it doesn't shy away from her daily struggles. As a business student, I couldn't help noticing how often she was verging on bankruptcy, and how she came out of it with a mixture of audacity, being at the right places and yes, bedding rich gentlemen "above her station" as a Victorian would put it.

Music is fine, as is of course, wardrobe and photography. Being from Argentina, I found a happy curiosity that there are a couple of tangos and Argentina is mentioned twice, as a "land of hope". The first company mentioned on the titles that produced this film is called "Pampa", I suppose it must have something to do with it.

Barbora Bobulova is stunning as young Cocó. Probably more likable besides more beautiful than Audrieu Tatou, with which obviously one is drawn to compare it all the time. Both are fine, probably "Cocó avant Chanel" emphasizes the sad and grim aspects more, whereas this version, being longer, can indulge into more romance and yet show us, for instance, what happened to her beloved sister, something absent from the feature film. Also in this version we see the origin of the famous perfume N 5 and her famous "little black dress". Étienne Balsan and Boy Capel are totally different in both films. So much they almost look like if one of the two films got it all wrong. Étienne in particular is always amiable and respectful to Cocó here, whereas on "avant Chanel" Poelvoorde makes a perfect "good for nothing spoilt boy who never grew up". Boy is also given much more screen time and importance here. Emilienne d'Alencon is barely shown here, and the game of differences could go on and on. I suppose purists and people who really know the real story will love one story and hate the other. But for us newbies both are surprisingly enjoyable. I understand Mc Laine got all the prizes but in my opinion Boulova should have got them.

My "favourite little moment" is how the beautiful countess who lost everything becomes her shrewd "royal secretary", even suggesting her it'd be advantageous for Cocó for "everybody loves nobility. Specially in a republic". I suppose it's a worthy lesson on how money matters are fleeting indeed. I could only wonder, if this is a TV series, what would they have made were they given the ample resources of a feature film...

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.

A biographic film basically loyal to the true history of the pioneering French fashion designer who created the word " Haute Couture" and spread the spiritual Chanel Numero 5 to the whole world is bound to be arresting to movie lovers no matter they are fond of pursuing vogue in beau monde. And the truth is that it's inspiring and engaging. For one thing, Coco Chanel gave women a sense of freedom; gave them back their bodies that were drenched in sweat due to fashion's finery, lace, corsets, underclothes and padding. For another, she insists on woman's independence which may be achieved via true career. Also the two actresses gave the excellent rendition of this legendary woman.

tho I will not deny the qualities as the rag to riches movie, it is not really true to make it a real bio pic CoCo never really had such hard times to get ahead- tho the collectors was a nice touch..she had lovers and used her sexuality from the start, so the "hard beginnings" were not that hard. omitted is the part when in the war times she was a mistress of a nazi officer and accused of collaboration. damaging her reputation in native France, recovered and ignored in the States othrewise quite a pleasant movie..p-ity it ignored real facts..not a fairy tale but a woman who succeeded all the means she had available and survived...a bit of truth would make this movie generally stronger and would not hurt Co cO's rise to success as a strong woman, a survivor at all costs, in the end a rich but lonely woman

Barbora Bobulova as the young Coco Chanel was wonderful in the role, she had the toughness and charm.

Shirley McLaine was terrific too! The love interests of Coco Chanel were handsome. I watched the movie several times because the story is inspiring, from poverty to super fashion designer. I even looked up Coco Chanel, curious about how everyone really looked. Well, when a movie inspires me to do more research, it's always a good thing. It was great to learn about the cultural ways during her time, how women could only wear long, uncomfortable dresses, thank goodness that's in the past (well in most society at least).

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.

COCO CHANEL is a well-made film whose few flaws unfortunately detract from the enjoyment of what seems to be a rather firm biography of one of the great inventive minds of the 20th century. Though all publicity (and nominations for awards) focused on Shirley MacLaine who appears only periodically and for very brief amounts of time, the starts of the cast are a number of European actors, some strong, others, only medium strong. And while the real contribution Coco Chanel made to the world was her instatement of the equality of women, changing the manner in which they dressed (read fashionable) from corseted and plumaged mannequins to comfortably mobile and real personas, the writers of this version her life (Carla Giulia Casalini and James Carrington) elected to stress the women whose ability to adjust to being repeatedly deserted/used by men and turn this movie into a romance decorated by fashion. And even that idea, valid though it may be, is fairly well buried by a musical score that is so loud as to cover the dialogue - and the dialogue is in some nearly indecipherable language, a mixture of accents and lack of projection on the part of the actors who play more to the sets and costumes than to the audience.

Christian Duguay directs, electing to begin his story with the unhappy childhood of Gabrielle/Coco and Adrienne Chanel, orphans laced in a Catholic sweatshop to make clothes. These episodes of childhood to old age are well transitioned by a black and white, old movie film transfer that does add to the feeling of history. The girls grow into young women, Coco (Barbora Bobulova) goes to live with Etienne Balsan (Sagamore Stévenin), falls in love, faces the fact that her time with Etienne will be transitory, moves on to Paris where she struggles to make a living making hats until Boy Capel (Olivier Sitruk) becomes her benefactor and lover. But Boy leaves for the Front as a soldier for the French army, leaving Coco in Deauville to set up shop with the aid of her sister Adrienne (Valentina Lodovin). The back and forth aspects of the story show Coco in the 1950s (as Shirley MacLaine) making her comeback with the aid of her faithful manager Marc Bouchier (Malcolm MacDowell) and the film ends in a standing ovation for the woman who not only survived but who changed the world of fashion and feminism forever.

There are many other characters in the film who play important parts but they all look alike and have such heavy accents that keeping track of them is almost impossible. No subtitles are supplied: subtitles would enhance this film immeasurably! Fabrizio Lucci does wonders with the cinematic adaptation of the times frames of the piece, but composer Andrea Guerra (in a slushy replay of Tchaikovsky symphony themes) buries the lines of the actors and nearly destroys what is in essence a very good film.

Grady Harp

Coco Chanel is a stylish TV biopic about the legendary fashion designer whose incredible vision and style would go on to become one of the most influential of the 20th century.It stars Shirley MacLaine in the title role together with Brigitte Boucher, Alice Cambournac, Valentina Carnelutti and Cécile Cassel.It was written by Ron Hutchinson, Enrico Medioli and Lea Tafuri; and directed by Christian Duguay.

The story was set in the 1950's in Paris.A 70 year old Coco Chanel,now a household name, is embarking on the second wave of her career with her first new collection in over a decade. Soon, a series of flashbacks illustrate how she got to be where she is today, both personally and professionally.

When she was young,Coco is working tirelessly as a seamstress and showing a unique talent for making garments more flattering and convenient despite her lowly position. Pursued by a rich man named Étienne, she soon leaves the thankless job for the comfort of life as a kept woman, but class differences eventually tear them apart. The relationship gives Coco the chance to perfect her skill as a hat maker, however, and she leaves Etienne to open her own shop. A new romance with an Englishman named Arthur soon blossoms, and proves to be the greatest happiness and greatest tragedy of her life.

This TV movie exhibits an epic tale of love, war, and betrayal that will eventually show how the burgeoning fashion maverick fulfills her true potential.It expertly chronicles Coco Chanel's road to success and her passionate loves,which gives it depth and humanity. Shirley MacLaine shines as the older Coco, looking back at her legacy from the middle of the century.She exhibits different attitudes of arrogance,being dismissive, and steadfast in her objective and yet just vulnerable enough to let viewers see the real woman that she is beneath the hard exterior of international success.In the end,MacLaine shines in it and elevates this film above mediocrity.

Great film although a bit boring at the start. Evocative, bit predictable the way Boy was driving to his death - could have been less clichéd in the filming. The young Coco was quite magnificent and deserving of an award which I don't think she got but Shirley MacLaine got nominations. Why? In the midst of all those European actors and actresses Shirley MacLaine's accent stuck out like a sore thumb. She played Shirley Maclaine. She could have been Mrs Winterbotham or Meryl Streep's mother in Postcards. I know that they should have all spoken French and the film should have been subtitled but it wasn't and since everyone else spoke with a French or continental accent it was more fitting so why couldn't this great actress have tried to play a character accent and not an American in Paris?

Yeah, I agree with the other review. Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel was a Nazi spy and an opportunist.

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

This review is from the perspective of a guy who watched this movie with a girl. As far as chick flicks go, this one isn't bad. As far as Lifetime movies go, I think it's excellent. Of course it takes the low road with the whole "men are a bunch of useless, testicle scratching morons that will leave you the first chance they get" thing, but hey. Lifetime, right? I think the movie does a good job of chronicling the professional and personal life of a pretty amazing person- A business woman in France (sometimes occupied France) getting established and making her mark in a pretty interesting industry. I'm sure it's not dead-on accurate, but it's pretty entertaining. I thought Shirley McClaine was a bit out-of-place and the acting in general doesn't make for what I'd call a great drama, but it's watchable.

Apparently Coco Chanel was an unbridled egotist who gave no credit where credit was due and whose sympathy was reserved for herself.

Since this was a production of Lifetime, a network not known for its steely-eyed looks at real life, I must assume that was not the impression viewers were meant to carry away with them. Presumably, had there been more sympathetic moments to be portrayed, they would have been included.

On the other hand, this production passed over some rather interesting material, such as her cohabitation with a Nazi while Paris was occupied during WWII. I guess there was no way to give *that* the Lifetime treatment.

There are other interesting myth-busters in the NY Times review (link under the external reviews)...but I had watched and disliked this movie before I read it. I found the woman who played the young Chanel rather bland, and not even Shirley MacLaine's performance was any fun. Watching Chanel bully her employees and ignore their loyalty isn't my idea of entertainment.

This mini-series or whatever is atrocious. The writing is less than formulaic, for petit-bourgeois viewers. The bite of Coco Chanel, that austere, sublime woman with the cruel mouth, is nowhere, nowhere to be found. McLaine singes her. I wonder why she was chosen: someone who believes in reincarnation is an absurd choice to portray a woman who obviously thought this is it and that's all; McLaine's performance severely lacks the X-ray piercing gaze of Coco Chanel that showed everybody the astuteness of one incarnation.

Especially when on screen with McDowell, the results are ludicrous: poor McDowell seems painfully aware of the badness of the script and gives a lecherous, despaired emphasis on the badness of his lines, yet he knows and unfortunately shows he cannot escape vulgarity. So, let's grab the money and run!

The fact that she was a paid mistress, becomes a series of - oh! - so romantic affairs, suffering by inane lines ("You are the love of my life!" exemplifies how the writers wanted to avoid by all costs any kind of complexity); her touchy relationship with the Nazi regime in occupied WWII France - oooh!!!! that's touchy for our audience! So in the end you get a piece of sh*t, that is obviously destined to excite people that cannot afford a Chanel but will muse upon acquiring one, because it seems myths are exemplified this way in Lifetime States. The film does not even stand as this dim-witted defensive (since it cannot actually buy one) phrase I once witnessed on a bag: My other bag is Chanel. Chanel should sue for defamation, though it seems we live in times when you cannot sue the petit-bourgeois state of mind - when in fact this was what Chanel achieved in style! It made me even wonder if the clothes were real, which is bad. But even if they were copies, it was sure a blissful sight for sore eyes! Truly sublime, and the only thing of real and high worth in this crapola.

I liked this television series overall, especially the fine period costumes, romance, and interesting storyline, but they really should have toned-down the feminism. I know this series was made for a women's television network and therefore I guess the producers felt obligated to include "politically correct" messages of female empowerment, but some of it bordered on misandry and all of it was disingenuine. Especially as Coco got older, the older version seemed to be a ungrateful man-hater who forgot that it was men who helped her throughout her life and made possible most of her success. Perhaps though, this was the bitterness of a woman scorned and left with a broken heart.

Nonetheless, it was men who rescued Coco several times throughout the story when she was nearly destitute. First, it was Etienne, later it was Boy, and finally it was Marc. Coco initially had no business-sense or financial resources; without Boy's help she would have been thrown into a debtor's prison or starved to death on the street. There certainly would have been no hat shop. But instead, on the verge of bankruptcy, it was men who always came to her aid. Thus, it is somewhat offensive when later she seems to think that she was soley responsible for her success and arrogantly mouths feminist comments. Even her line that "Women don't dress for men" is false. In truth, most women do in fact dress to impress men and capture their attention. If it wasn't for Coco's beauty and attractiveness, she wouldn't have captured the hearts of so many powerful men and benefited from their favors. Instead of living in a mansion and enjoying the finest that life had to offer, she would have been scraping by in a slum somewhere. They taught her how to ride a horse, how to drive a car, inspired her to find her own passion in life, funded her business ambitions, and helped her at every turn. So although the story was interesting and showed her rise, I think they could have done it without the male-bashing comments and been more truthful in acknowledging the profound importance that men played in her life and helping to nurture her success.

I did enjoy the romantic themes, the costumes, and the beautiful settings. These type of romantic, period-piece settings whisk the viewer away to a forgotten time. They are needed and its unfortunate that we don't see many of them on TV anymore. The long love affair with Boy and the self-denial of true happiness made for a compelling theme. Barbora Bobulova is beautiful and a good actress, and I think she deserved more recognition than she got. Overall, the series was an enjoyable and heart-wrenching story. Worth watching.