——Coco Chanel
Coco Chanel, a woman in the 20th century who integrated her name with her brand, fashion, legend, and culture, what kind of story should she tell? The film Coco avant Chanel conveys a few words. Of course, the premise is that you approve of a crippled biographical film.
Coco avant Chanel, someone translated as fashion pioneer Chanel, someone translated as fashion queen Chanel, in my opinion, both are inaccurate. Because the director never intended to show how the queen of fashion broke with tradition to build her brand kingdom, or the unmarried affair of a legendary woman. In fact, the whole film is still stuck at the stage of how the French orphan who called himself Gabrielle got rid of poverty, humbleness, mediocrity, experienced love, and became Coco Chanel. It belongs to the girl's mentality before Coco Chanel became famous. Relying on Coco Chanel's real life, the film stitches together the events of her youth.
A gloomy and slow piano sound struck little Coco's sensitive heart. On the way to Obazan Monastery, she could see the gloomy world outside through the fence of the carriage. The death of her mother, the abandonment of her father, and her childhood left Coco with cruelty, alienation, and unease. She is always waiting for the arrival of her father one day, waiting for the return of family affection. However, until she left the monastery, she could not wait for such an opportunity. The cruelty of reality hurts Coco's heart. Facing a broken and humble childhood, Coco Chanel always tried to forget and cover up as an adult. It was something she didn't want to recall.
Life in the monastery didn't give Coco much happiness, but it taught her the art of flexing her talents. She learned the craft of a tailor, a tool that changed fate and made legends. After leaving the monastery, Coco had a tough life. She works as a tailor during the day and as a singer at night, humbly dealing with men of the three religions and nine tiers. Over time, her real name was gradually forgotten, replaced by the name Coco. However, these did not make her cowardly, restrained, or timid. On the contrary, the journey of suffering honed her will, gave birth to her courage, and strengthened her belief in escaping poverty and inferiority. Among those who came and went, she met the first person in her life and her first lover, Étienne Balsan.
It is said that Étienne Balsan herself was only five years older than Coco, a young and wealthy officer. However, perhaps it was the director's deliberate arrangement that Balsan in the movie became a veritable uncle. He loves to ride horses and to socialize. When Coco, who had no status, no status, and no wealth, chose to defect to him, he accepted it, regarded her as a doll, and led her to the upper class. In the days of Jinwu Zangjiao, Balsan unknowingly fell in love with Coco, who was full of personality and stubborn and conceited. Unfortunately, he only loved her, but did not understand her. His love has only possession, no respect; only tolerance, no understanding. So even though he was the first lover in her life, he was not the most loved lover in her life. She can appreciate him, but she can't fall in love with him. And she, in his little castle, was tired of being a prisoner. She has her own dreams, longing for freedom, and longing to fly. Any experience is meaningful, depending on when it comes in handy. Finally, in Balsan's castle, she met her Mr. right, Balsan's business partner - Boy Chapel.
I'm curious what the real Boy Chapel looks like, but unfortunately I can't find any pictures of him. Only know that this is a British industrialist and polo player. But Boy Chapel, played by Alessandro Nivola in the film, is particularly charming. Elegant and calm, mature and gentle. He is not tall and handsome, but he has a pair of eyes that see into Coco's mind. He was like Bole, who fell in love with Coco, the thousand-mile horse, in the midst of thousands of flowers. While everyone frolics at the masquerade party, he's the only man who pays attention to Coco. He looked at the unusual girl in front of him. Short hair, black hat, coat, breeches, a full man's style, like an elf in the dark night, smart and weird. Simple, casual clothing, set off a bright mind. Although he was surrounded by colorful and gorgeous women, he was extremely depressed, which was very inconsistent with the free and easy pirate costume on his body. He wanted to leave because he realized he was in love with a woman he couldn't conquer. Unfortunately, he was wrong. He sees her as affectionate, and she sees him as sympathetic. After seeing him, she had already lowered her unruly self to the dust. It's just that she is independent and does not allow herself to unduly release her inner fiery and passion. They were finally together that night of the party. When everyone was still sensual and sensual at dawn, she was like a kitten, snuggling gently in his arms, enjoying the tranquility and freshness of the morning.
The next two days were two days that Coco will never forget. She enjoys the love time exclusively for the two of them. She rode his car all the way to the sea, wearing a duffel coat, walking along the beach with him on her arm, letting the sea breeze blow her hair. She didn't hide her love for him, and the smile that was rare since childhood became very sweet at this moment. She enjoyed the love, respect and understanding that Boy gave her from the bottom of her heart. She is independent before him, not vassal; she is equal to him, not slave. He indulged in her charming personality and graceful talent. The interlaced eyes are always affectionate, gentle and deep. When Coco wore a black halter dress she designed and danced with Boy in the middle of the dance floor, her elegance, confidence, calmness, and composure were set off by the women around her in elaborate dresses. He took her to see the sea, to watch the fishermen reel in their nets, and she saw a sight she had never seen before. Wandering in the convertible car under the torrential rain, a pair of bi people enjoyed the fragrance of love. It was a pleasant journey, both for her and him. Even when they were apart, they still had sweet smiles.
It is a pity that the god of fate is not willing to let Coco live a traditional female life as a wife and mother. She was destined to be a different woman in that era. The general public is not the role she should be playing. Boy is married, but the bride is not her. She can have his love, possess his heart, and enjoy his body, but she cannot be her wife. So, she made two crucial decisions in her life. First, she never married. She saw the desolation of love and the betrayal of marriage from the life of her mother who married for love. She realized that being a wife would kill her own ingenuity. She would rather choose a life surrounded by countless excellent men, no one's who. She is smart and peerless. The story of Coco Chanel's romance in the future is precisely because of the deep-rooted love that ended without a problem. The second decision that affected her life was to go to Paris alone, pick up the needle and thread in her hand, and create a clothing business exclusively for Coco Chanel. She was uneasy, and after rejecting Balsan's proposal, she relied on Boy's funding to start her fashion kingdom in Paris, starting from the "scratch".
Without the bond of love, Coco Chanel's career in Paris is thriving. By virtue of her beauty and wisdom, she was able to mingle in the upper class like a duck to water. It's a pity that her lover, Boy Chapel, who led her to become Coco Chanel, died in a traffic accident. His departure gave her a heavy blow. Because of her status, she could only silently watch the scene of the car accident from afar, sobbing with tears, watching her lover farewell.
At the end of the film, the successful Coco Chanel is receiving applause from the models and the audience. Her fashion show was once again a success, and the classic and elegant costumes that had been honored in the history of fashion were also interpreted by beautiful models. However, what appeared in Coco Chanel's mind at this time was the past years. Dancing with Boy on the dance floor; the first time on the stage to probe into the brain; the embarrassment of being ridiculed by the nobles... Maybe, she is thinking, if life hadn't been like that, where would she be now?
There is one clip I particularly like. It was before Boy left, and Coco, wearing his blue cardigan and pajamas, dashed downstairs and got into his car in an attempt to see him off at the station. You know, as a woman, how warm and reassuring it is to wear the clothes of your lover. As Coco Chanel said, "You may not be able to wear Chanel, and you may not have many clothes to choose from, but never forget the most important clothes, and this clothes is called self. Cabo made me understand that I can look after myself. Living the way I want, running my business according to my own wishes, and choosing a lover according to my own desires, this is the best gift Karber has given me." From this point of view, Coco Chanel is lucky. She is not married, but she has love. Accompanied by love, she created her own fashion kingdom. If she married Boy Chapel back then, maybe there would be more happy marriages in the world, but it is destined to have one less immortal legend.
Life has an end, but style has no limits.
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