To celebrate the release of Coco Before Chanel, Movies.ie counts down the top 10 biopics. In Coco Before Chanel, the ridiculously French Audrey Tautou plays the eponymous fashion maverick. The film promises to be a visual treat, a sumptuous period piece following Coco’s journey into posterity thanks to her modern and revolutionary approach to fashion. Biopics are of course a tricky thing to pull off as filmmakers have to decide what to put in, what to leave out and what will be the focus of the film; after all a person’s life is a sprawling unfocussed affair unlike the typical two hour film. Coco Before Chanel for example has already received a certain amount of criticism for overlooking the more troubling aspects of Coco’s life; specifically the fact that she became involved with a Nazi officer and subsequently fled to Switzerland to avoid war crimes accusations. Director Anne Fontaine instead chose to focus on her tragic relationship with British industrialist Arthur Capel (Alessandro Nivola) and who can blame her; the pixie-like Tautou is hardly the most believable war criminal! This week, movies.ie countdown our favourite biopics. 1. Goodfellas The life story of Henry Hill is a gift to any filmmaker and Scorcese’s gangster epic based on the life story of the erstwhile Mafioso is almost too good to be true. The film begins with Hill’s childhood and initial meetings with the local mob as Ray Liotta as Hill declares, “As far back as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a gangster.” Hill gets his wish and Scorcese follows his life through the decades, capturing each robbery, murder and brush with the law to his eventual downfall. 2. The Elephant Man The Elephant Man recounts the tragedy of John Merrick; born with extreme deformities, he spent years as a slave of the side-show circuit, where his spirit and pride was systematically broken down. He eventually finds his escape thanks to a sympathetic doctor, revealing himself as a man of intelligence and dignity. David Lynch’s most traditional and accessible film is a true classic – beautifully filmed in black and white, with a remarkable performance from John Hurt as Merrick. NEXT PAGE–>
