In last week's column, I mentioned that the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ was prevaricating over whether to show the classic 1949 Gene Kelly musical "On The Town", a celebration of New York made long before the Twin Towers were even built. The powers that be decided against it. I think they're taking sensitivity down the wrong route.
I find the constantly repeated footage of a smouldering Manhattan on every extended news programme far more unsettling than any innocent fiction.
However, I am pleased to see that "Amelie" - a celebation of life itself - is still coming out. This is the epitome of a feel-good movie, in which director Jean-Pierre Jeunet ("Delicatessen", "The City of Lost Children", "Alien Resurrection") emerges at last from the claustrophobic confines of the studio and does for Paris, in particular Montmartre, what Gene Kelly did in 1949 for New York, except without the songs.
Indeed, "Amelie" - about a girl (Audrey Tautou) who vows to bring happiness into the lives of others - is such an unapologetic love letter to Paris that some French critics have dismissed it as a glorified holiday brochure pandering to foreign audiences. One went so far as to say it is racist, claiming that ethnic minorities have been airbrushed from view.
Meanwhile, both candidates in next year's race for the French presidency, Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin, have arranged private screenings of "Amelie", to better understand why millions of French voters have flocked to see the film.
Unless you are a grumpy French intellectual who sees the cloud inside every silver lining, you are likely to be charmed off your feet by "Amelie".
Ironically, it takes place in the direct aftermath of a real-life tragedy, the death of Princess Diana (or 'Lady Di' as they call her throughout the film), proving that good can always come from bad.
Do you agree with Mr Collins? Have you say on the Films .
Andrew Collins presents Back Row on on Saturday September 29th at 5.30pm. You can listen to Back Row then, or Radio 4 at any time, using RealPlayer on your computer.
