If you were to ask me what the single greatest beauty advertisement of all time is, my answer would be simple: the Chanel N°5 short film starring Nicole Kidman and Rodrigo Santoro. The beautifully shot, Baz Luhrmann short captured my heart with its sensual, seductive style and I immediately fell in love with the fragrance, Kidman and Santoro all over again.
Fast forward five years and I’m invited to a sneek peek of the latest Chanel N°5 film, starring Audrey Tautou, that premieres today, the anniversary of the original fragrance launch. I don’t know what to do. I mean I know what to do – I have to watch it. But I don’t know what I’ll do if it falls short of the Luhrmann piece that I’ve held so dearly in my heart.
Six seconds into the preview I can tell that this is never going to be the case. If anything Chanel has topped the famous campaign thanks to Tautou’s elegant, elfin beauty and those captivating eyes that convey a thousand emotions in as many milliseconds.
It’s a tale of chance. A tale of fate. Of a man and a woman’s entwined destinies on a night train. He finds her fragrance captivating and time and again their paths cross throughout the night. It’s refined, sensual, intimate. Just like the fragrance. And just like Tautou.
In fact, it’s little wonder that director Jean-Pierre Jeunet put forward his muse for the piece (Jeunet previously directed Tautou in Amélie and A Very Long Engagement), not only is the actress the embodiment of the Chanel N°5 woman, she’ll be hitting our screens in the soon-to-be-released biopic about the late Gabrielle Chanel, Coco Avant Chanel. It seems the girl can’t put a Chanel-clad foot wrong.
As a special treat, Chanel has given us access to behind-the-scenes footage and you’ll also be able to catch the full film at www.chaneln5.com. Be sure to check both out, you won’t be disappointed.
What’s your all-time favourite fragrance?
Chanel No. 5 is a beautiful fragrance, very elegant and appealing to nasal senses. Have not seen the ad.
I stay away from Chanel (none works for me, none! Had 2 given and passed them on. Eeeekk, they have this odd chemical undertone that feels like musty non washed person and light cat urine), Lancome and Guerlain houses.
Love house of tom ford for fragrances. As they are unique and last so long. Crowd pleasers, one I have and wear is from YSL.
A very beautiful commercial for a classic fragrance.