Jan Kounen has provided the latest installment in the Coco Chanel mythology with Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky, a 2009 French (though it’s something of a polyglot) film based on the 2002 heavily novelized account of Chanel and Stravinksy’s 1920 rumored affair. I say Coco mythology, because, let’s face it, Chanel gathers a lot more brand recognition than Stravinsky does and the genesis of Chanel No. 5 carries a lot more appeal, even with Cannes officials and judges, than, say, the riot at the premiere of The Rite of Spring (when the music still came with a ballet).
Mads Mikkelsen’s Stravinsky is a bit of doldrum and certainly not the Lothario some presume Stravinsky was. He’s surpassed in light years, aesthetically and thematically, by Anna Mouglalis’ Coco. In fact, one could even argue that the opening of The Rite of Spring, which makes frequent appearances in the film’s soundtrack, is a stronger character than than Stravinsky himself. It’s sort of a Theme de Camille. During the opening credits, which appear amidst a fantastic staging of the riot (it’s unbelievable to imagine that once, men would fight over ballet) we see Chanel fall for the music, long before Diaghilev even introduces her to Stravinsky. But, she could’ve just as easily decided to go after the bassoonist, because Stravinsky isn’t all that desirable here. We get no indication of his genius or talent. Instead we get Chanel mythologized in the epic and easily recognizable moments of her career that were better covered in the other 2009 Chanel movie, Coco Before Chanel, starring Audrey Tautou; choosing what would become Chanel No.5, sending the corset to the guillotine, and just plain being Chanel.
Mads Mikkelsen (as Stravinsky) & Anna Mouglalis (as Coco)
Stravinsky’s pick up artistry seems limited to that bassoon passage (though that seems to be enough) and for the rest of the film he, along with his exiled and poorly adjusted family, become little more than subjects to the seductive and regal power that is Chanel. Frankly, Stravinsky just seems out of his league and the movie works hard to set up a parallel between Coco’s submissive staff of seamstresses and shop girls and the Stravinskys (Igor, wife & four kids), staying at her lushly decorated country villa. Now, Coco does first offer herself to Igor, but with so much force and confidence that it’s impossible to even imagine her being denied. Her power plays are best represented in one crucial scene where she and the Stravinskys sit at the dinner table. They, with clasped hands, piously say grace in silence, while she sits, photogenically posed the head of the table, casually smoking. Once Coco’s guests dined at that same table without her, on borscht, saying grace confidently in Russian, happy to be removed from their dingy Paris apartment, more appropriate for a starving artist than a starving artist’s family. A few weeks in the shadow of Coco Chanel has left them basically shamed into silence and obedience until Mrs. Stravinsky finally makes a very Bergmanesque epistolary getaway.
Mouglalis’ Chanel is in striking contrast to Audrey Tautou’s. Perhaps it’s the biopic form of Coco Before Chanel that softens the character, but here, expressed through a fictionalized Summer-long episode, we get a particularly dark period of her life, where her foresight for fashion is surpassed by her unscrupulous power plays. In short, Chanel No. 2 is kind of a bitch. To be fair to old Igor, he does stand up to her once or twice, letting Coco know that he doesn’t think her art is of the same merit as his–something she’s convinced of. Where the film stands on this, I don’t know…but we do see Stravinsky toying with a metronome while Chanel picks out Chanel No. 5. His creativity seems stunted while she’s unimpeachably at the top of her game.
The movie doesn’t tie up its strings very well. It only degrades into a rather indulgent dream sequence cum flashback/flashforward that appears to validate their relationship. Perhaps there just wasn’t enough biographical rumor to complete the knot, but the ending is a poor finish to two hours of lush tracking shots, absolutely outstanding set and costume design, and internalized drama.
Catch it at the Coolidge.
Anna Mouglalis (as Coco)
