Movie Moments: Amelie

It’s no secret that I love Amelie. It’s my favorite movie EVER, and I’ve watched it a zillion times. Every time I watch it, I see or hear something new, and I’m always inspired by it. Recently I pulled a few images from it (okay, like a hundred images) that I loved. I planned to blog about them, but there’s just so much to say that I’ll have to break it up into parts.

I’d like to do this with many of my favorite films – if you guys get bored with it, just skip these posts. 🙂 I just find so much inspiration in movies – I always end up at thrift stores looking for similar props.

I wanted to start with food and drink in Amelie – but even that is overwhelming. So, here’s part 1 of a bajillion: drinks.

The Beverages of Amelie

I have always wanted to open a tiny French-style café like Les Deux Moulins. I want a full bar, espresso machines, and daily specials like endive gratin. But the fact is, no matter how much I style the cafe to be like a French café, the customers will be American. They will order vodka-and-sevens or cosmos, not cognacs and kirs. Anyway. I’m so in love with the simplicity of beverages in the film – no fancy cocktails, no expensive wines, just good, simple drinks.

I love how Gina yells out the orders to the bartender. Here she asks for one kir (crème de cassis and white wine), one mauresque (pastis with orgeat syrup), and two mint sodas. Are the mint sodas something like this? Or just carbonated water and mint syrup? Sigh.

Here is Madame Suzanne with the mauresque, served with a carafe of water. Lovely.

Here is Hipolito with his kir. I love the long-stemmed glass.

Dominique Bretodeau drinks cognac, neat. Two of them, in fact, to help him calm down a bit. Does anyone out there have a favorite cognac or brandy for sipping? I’m still looking.

People are so gracious as hosts in this film. Amelie is constantly offered refreshment wherever she goes.

Dominique Bredoteau (a case of mistaken identity), offers her tea… Earl Grey, Bergamot, Jasmine. Amelie declines. 😉

Madeleine Wallace offers her a glass of port. (Such tiny glasses! I’ll be thrifting for these soon.) Amelie sips reluctantly.

Monsieur Dufayel offers her mulled wine and spice cookies. Doesn’t that sound lovely? She dips the cookie in the wine (yum). And look at his glass mug! I have one of these that I found at a thrift store. I plan to drink mulled wine out of it this winter.

Monsieur and Madame Collignon offer her hot tea and fresh berries. I think Monsieur Collignon might be drinking a citron pressé.

And finally, look at this lovely glassware Collignon uses for his liquors! I’d love to find a vintage decanter for our whiskey soon.

Oh, how I love this movie. 🙂

7 responses to “Movie Moments: Amelie”

  1. i can see now where you get the inspiration from for your haircuts ;)x

    1. Ha! I never noticed it before, but you’re probably right!

  2. its confirmed what i have been thinking, you and i must have been twins in a previous life:) i adore Amelie!!! i love the red coloring throughout, and so many other parts of it to long to mention here. i love the framed artwork of animals, i have been meaning to order some of those same prints to frame and put in my home. i also love that the movie came out when michael and i were dating and it was one of the first movies we went to see on a date. so i know that its now been 10 years since it came out:) do more on this, please!

    1. Yay! Yes, I was just thinking of those art pieces yesterday. And don’t worry, there will definitely be more!

  3. I’ve watched the movie several times but never noticed the glassware.

    I had a crème de cassis and white wine, well champagne, while in France. While in Paris we went a couple times to the cafe where it was filmed and rented in the building where the grocery store was.

    1. With champagne it’s a kir royale. I love that champagne makes everything royale. 🙂 I love that you got to visit those places! Dreamy.

  4. Miranda Gordon

    Mint soda is made with a splash of sirop de menthe over ice, then filled with lemon-lime soda (Sprite, 7-Up or equivalent). It’s a very pretty green color, and refreshing!

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