A bit like satin the dancer she interpreted in Moulin Rouge

"Anne Fontaine and producers thank Chanel for its collaboration". With this last reference, brief but very well developed highlight, is the end of "Coco before Chanel", the feature film by the Director of "Dry cleaning", released on April 22. A licked biography "a Telefilm!" squeal the most acidic interpreted by French actress Audrey Tautou. Which occurred unexpectedly... fifteen days later, on 6 may, in Muse fiction in an expensive dedicated pub spot, seems, quite incidentally, the mythical mark juice, no. 5.

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the advertising film, released in the cinema and television, conveniently came strengthen the impact of the biopic devoted to Chanel. Even though Audrey Tautou appears quite different from the adventurer at Bay, ready to all to get out of its poor condition sketched in "Coco before Chanel". Brunette, Paris, sensual, elongated in the legendary Orient-Express, it did is no less with grace, if not a total modernity the colors of the rue Cambon. Finally, for all, a second feature film, signed Jan Kounen, chronicling the tumultuous love of Chanel and the Russian composer Stravinsky, will be presented at the closing of the Festival de Cannes before exiting room to fall. In the role of Coco Chanel Anna Mouglalis, who was the face in 2003 of Allure, another fragrance of the House of luxury. In sum, from spring to autumn, the year 2009 will be first was a vintage Chanel. Chance or remarkably controlled calculation

Fuzzy box

One thing is certain, in this muddle, only the presence of Anna Mouglalis in "Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky" of Jan Kounen, and the chronology of the genesis of the film of Anne Fontaine (2006) and then of the Chanel spot (2008) are a clear clean hands. Then that initially favourite actress Marina Hands refuses finally the title role in the film, the face of "Pace" the resumed foot lifted, seemingly without excessive enthusiasm. No more ambiguity on the dates of "Coco before Chanel": the film has been designed well before the spot. "As of May 2006, feature-length film of Anne Fontaine on Coco Chanel was on track and Director had already made his choice on Audrey Tautou, for reasons of psychological and physical resemblance," recalls Philippe Carcassonne, one of the producers of the film, reading aloud the list of received emails. "It is also true that the tandem Anne Fontaine-Audrey Tautou offered large both strengths in the arts commercial."

The suite is known: in upstream, the home of the rue Cambon reads carefully the screenplay freely from the book of Edmonde Charles-Roux, "Chanel, the irregular," whose rights "have been negotiated at the normal price of a biography written by a woman enough known, and purchased by a woman also known", the elegant Philippe Carcassonne formula. Be between 100,000 and 200,000 euros. Informed at the outset of the project by the company producing high and short, the home of the rue Cambon opens very large archives, corrects certain attitudes of Tautou (port of the cigarette, his manner of sewing...), prepared the grand staircase glass and a quarantine of original designs. There is would be stopped its intervention, indicates the official version: "the scenario was submitted early to Chanel where Anne Fontaine wished to turn to historical places of the House, but we have sought at any time to modify the script, including the historical discrepancies of his free adaptation," says Sophie Vergès, Director of Chanel press relations. The competition is skeptical and more Vincent Grégoire, trends Nelli Rodi Office: "I have the feeling that Chanel fired all the strings, to make a film of command, from which the dimension subversive and transgressive coconut, including his debut in the gallantry, much more hard as they are described in the film was closed." On the spot of pub, not been on the rails and in 2008, playing, obviously complementarity with the feature.

Happy, but fortuitous choice

Still this disconcerting doubled in France between this biopic which will be distributed in 66 countries and the advertising spot. Opinion is divided: "this choice pleased is entirely fortuitous and does not meet one any opportunistic marketing", begs smiling Sophie Vergès. "We first brought our choice on the Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and have left him free to retain the face he wanted: Audrey Tautou.". An argument which leaves the same confused check Vincent Grégoire: "When it refers to this type of topic, this troubling confusion of genres, we advance on eggs because the advertising power of the Chanel House scared." As a professional, I have great difficulty in believing in a any coincidence and much more to a marketing approach. But at the same time leaving the room, I couldn't help but tell me Hat! : Chanel came to speak of the mark and to enrich without need to resort to the eternal TV spots, display or the Net...

Unless it is simply a homogenizing globalization of marketing... Three years after the association between the feature film "only to the world", to which were associated with Fedex and Tom Hanks, hero of the film, Chanel No. 5, Director Baz Luhrmann and Nicole Kidman had crossed a not further in what appeared to already delicate confusion of genres: star fleeing the paparazzi, the actress found refuge in a randomly caught taxi, it crossed an unknown it fell steeply lovershared the space of a few days, singing and dancing, Bohemian before his harsh fate of star. A bit like satin, the dancer she interpreted in "Moulin Rouge".

There is no doubt fits the first encroachment between a feature arts and a spot of two minutes-based mercantile, even if the realization of the latter had required including budget between 7 and 11 million euros, and the presence of 250 Extras, without omitting the character of Nicole Kidman, himself estimated at $ 7.5 million. A way, in passing, to demonstrate what Naomi Klein had already approached in 2000 in his book "No Logo": "sponsorship is a much more complex process than the dichotomy of buyer-seller in effect over the previous decades and it is incredibly anachronistic to ask that is sold and who bought." At a time when people are trademarks and marks a culture, what do Nike and Michael Jordan is closer to the alliance of brands of competing ... "Examples: George Clooney and Nespresso, David Beckham and Gillette, Tiger Woods and Tag Heuer. Among others. And it has only just begun.