Trivia for
Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001) More at IMDbPro »

• The part of Amélie was written specifically for Emily Watson. She wanted the part but had to decline because she didn't speak French and had already agreed to be in Gosford Park (2001).
  
  
• The film has been digitally color-corrected at 2K resolution.
  
  
• Director Trademark: [Jean-Pierre Jeunet] [actor] Dominique Pinon. The photo booth picture collection is based on a real collection created by a friend of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. He is credited during the ending credits ("D'après la collection originale de Michel Folco"). A faux photo booth picture collection, with, among others, Tchéky Karyo, was created for the film, so that the rights to the real collection did not have to be purchased.
  
  
• Whenever this film was shot on location, Jean-Pierre Jeunet and the crew would clean the area of debris, grime, trash and graffiti, so that the film would match his fantasy more so. This was an especially difficult task when it came time to shoot at the huge train station.
  
  
• Director Trademark: [Jean-Pierre Jeunet] [orphans] death of Amélie's mother. An orphan is considered to have lost both parents. As Amélie's father is still alive, she is not considered an orphan. However, Jean-Pierre Jeunet often portrays children who have suffered the loss of one or both parents.
  
  
• Jean-Pierre Jeunet originally wanted Michael Nyman to score the film, but was unable to get him. Someone then gave Jeunet a CD by 'Yann Tiersen (I)', who composes in a similar minimalist style, but with an extremely quirky, eclectic mix of instruments. Jeunet fell in love with the music and scored the film largely with existing pieces by Tiersen, for which he bought the rights. In addition, Tiersen wrote an original main theme, "La Valse d'Amelie," which was recorded in numerous variations and used throughout the film.
  
  
• Jean-Pierre Jeunet originally started collecting the stories and memories that make up the story in 1974.
  
  
• The song played during Samantha's peepshow scene at the porn shop isn't included in the film's soundtrack. If you're looking for it, it's "The Child" by Alex Gopher.
  
  
• The artwork in Amélie's bedroom (the dog with collar, the white bird) and her crocodile imaginary friend are by artist Michael Sowa.
  
  
• Some of the locations in the film can be found in Montmartre. The café "Les 2 Moulins" can be found at the beginning of Rue Lepic and the vegetable/fruit store "Collignon" at 56 Rue des Trois Frères.
  
  
• There are two films shown when Amélie is in the movie theater. When she watches faces behind her we see two scenes from Jules et Jim (1962). When she makes the comment about people not looking at the road whilst driving in older films, it is during a scene from Father's Little Dividend (1951).
  
  
• The main colors in the film (green, yellow and red) are inspired by the paintings of the Brazilian artist Juarez Machado.
  
  
• The traveling gnome was inspired by a rash of similar pranks played in England and France in the 1990s. In 1997, a French court convicted the leader of Front de Libération des Nains de Jardins (Garden Gnome Liberation Front) of stealing over 150 gnomes. The idea was later used in an advertising campaign for an Internet travel agency.
  
  
• Voted #2 in Australia's Favourite Movie poll.
  
  
• Audrey Tautou doesn't know how to skip stones; the stone-skipping scenes were made with special effects.
  
  
• When Amélie goes to Mr Collignon's parents, the father, who makes holes in flowers, says he'd rather make these holes into lilacs. This is a direct reference to French singer Serge Gainsbourg's song "Le poinçonneur des Lilas".
  
  
• During the film a Volkswagen "New Beetle" appears, although the car was not in production at the time Amelie should live (that would be August 1997 according to newspapers reporting the death of Lady Diana). Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet said he kept it as it fit perfectly with the mood of the film.
  
  

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