The good thing about the two movies centered on the life of Coco Chanel is that there is still room for more inasmuch as we are still only up to 1920. If Mads Mikkelsen is hopelessly miscast as Stravinsky and is unable to compensate by offering anything approaching acting Anna Mouglalis is perfect as Chanel, contriving now to resemble Princess Margaret, now Ava Gardner which is quite a trick given that the former was icy, aloof and regal as befitted her status whilst the latter was earthiness personified. If anything this is an Art Director's film and the decors are indeed stunning though never quite matching the shot in Coco Avant Chanel when the door to the dormitory is thrown open to reveal the crisp, white linen against black. It's doubtful if an audience today - with the exception of historians/classical music buffs etc - will know just what is going on in the opening twenty minutes and for whom Diaghilev, Nijinsky and even Stravinsky himself won't ring even a remote bell, but if you like Stately and Stylish then you may well enjoy this one.
Review of Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
