10 best chanel watches

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Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, Amelie) shines in this intriguing portrait of the early life of Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, the orphan who would build a fashion empire and be known universally by her nickname, Coco. She journeys from a mundane seamstress job to boisterous cabarets to the opulent French countryside, possessing little more than her unwavering determination, unique style and visionary talent. Also starring Benoît Poelvoorde (In His Hands) and Alessandro Nivola (Junebug). Featuring lush settings and stunning costume design, Coco Before Chanel is the gripping and dramatic story of an icon who defied convention and defined the modern woman.

Before she became Coco, the world-famous fashion designer, Gabrielle Chanel (Audrey Tautou in a fiercely determined performance) struggled to make ends meet. After her mother's death, her father deposited her and her sister, Adrienne (Marie Gillain), at an orphanage, where they learned to sew (and where Chanel developed a taste for monochromatic ensembles). They went on to become cabaret singers, but when Adrienne runs off with a wealthy suitor, the newly christened Coco must go it alone until she meets gentleman farmer Étienne Balsan (Benoît Poelvoorde). She lives comfortably at his chateau, but he refuses to take her out in public, so she puts her skills as a seamstress to good use and designs outfits for his lady friends, like Emilienne (Emmanuelle Devos), an actress. Chanel's situation improves further when British investor Arthur "Boy" Capel (Alessandro Nivola with an impeccable French accent) enters the scene. Her working-class origins present less of a problem with Capel, though the couple will have other issues with which to contend. In the meantime, he gives her the money to open her own Parisian studio, and the film ends with the tweed suit-clad Chanel of the popular imagination. Until that time, writer-director Anne Fontaine (The Girl from Monaco) presents a very different character, a woman who wasn't worldly or sophisticated, but who saw no reason why fashion--or "style," as she called it--should be complicated or uncomfortable. In transforming herself, Coco Chanel transformed an entire industry and, arguably, an entire gender. --Kathleen C. Fennessy





Stills from Coco Before Chanel (Click for larger image)

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Academy Award winning actress Shirley MacLaine stars as Coco Chanel in this critically acclaimed film that charts the rise of one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. From her humble childhood and early days as a young dressmaker's assistant, to her passionate love affair with a dashing Englishman and ultimate success as a pioneering fashion icon, Coco Chanel is the story of a glamorous woman who was hard to love and harder to ignore. Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominated, Coco Chanel is a must-see film for every lover of fashion and romance.

Lovers of fashion, Paris, and love will adore Coco Chanel, a stylish biopic about the legendary fashion designer whose incredible vision and style would go on to become one of the most influential of the 20th century. And while Coco (nee Gabrielle) Chanel's focus on her work was undeniable, and expertly chronicled in Coco Chanel, so, too, are her passionate loves--giving the film its depth and humanity. Shirley MacLaine shines as the older Coco, looking back at her legacy from the middle of the century, with her longtime companion and No. 1 booster, Marc Bouchier (Malcolm McDowell), at her side. MacLaine is equal parts arrogant, dismissive, and steadfast in her objective--yet just vulnerable enough to let viewers see the real woman beneath the hard exterior of international success. The stunning cast includes the Czechoslovakian-born Barbora Bobulova as the young Coco--as gamine and winsome as the young Shirley MacLaine--a determined young woman willing to work hard in a man's field and stay true to her own vision. Fashion fans will love learning the story of Chanel's rise from her poor beginnings in an orphanage to her hardscrabble start as a seamstress in Paris, slowly making contacts (and charming dashing young gentlemen) and insinuating her idea of elegant chic into the minds of a populace hungry for it. Chanel's conception of a fashion empire included the then-revolutionary idea of incorporating other products, like perfume; the young Coco, in creating her signature scent, said when launching Chanel No. 5, "I am sure this will be my lucky number." The DVD includes a fascinating making-of feature that shows the details of shooting on location and how the filmmakers got the period details absolutely parfait. --A.T. Hurley

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What secrets have been passed down to each United States president? Why does Air Force One always appear with its left side facing the public and how much does the president know about activating the on-board flares to repel missiles? What other secrets are available to the president, and what information is so highly classified that even the commander in chief's Top Secret-3 security clearance is not enough to gain access? HISTORYTM uncovers the fascinating truths behind some of the most confidential secrets in American history in THE PRESIDENT S BOOK OF SECRETS. Interviews with former intelligence operatives, renowned historians and archivists show how classified information is treated in the highest circles of political power, how it s preserved throughout history, and who ensures continuity when a new leader is elected.

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Ancient Aliens returns in season two to explore the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years. From the age of dinosaurs to ancient Egypt, from early cave drawings to continued mass sightings in the United States, each episode in this new series gives historic depth to the questions, speculations, provocative controversies, firsthand accounts and grounded theories surrounding an age-old debate: Did intelligent forms from outer space visit Earth thousands of years ago? Do they visit us now? HISTORY ignites this inquiry.

Episode List

Disc One

• Mysterious Places
• Gods & Aliens
• Underwater Worlds
  
  
• Underground Aliens

Disc Two

• Aliens and the Third Reich
• Alien Tech
• Angels and Aliens
• Unexplained Structures

Disc Three

• Alien Devastations
• Alien Contacts
• Bonus

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What happens inside the Vatican continues to compel millions of people, but few get to see it. SECRET ACCESS: THE VATICAN provides a revealing look at the inner workings of the Vatican, from the secret archives to the Swiss guards, as well as some of the treasures locked inside. Building on the success of The White House: Behind Closed Doors and Secret Access: Air Force One, this HISTORY special provides unique entry into one of the world's most elusive locations. See what is housed under the 110-acre site as an ongoing excavation of an ancient cemetery that the Vatican was built upon uncovers priceless artifacts, including the bones of St. Peter himself. Go inside the Vatican Secret Archives a collection of rooms and libraries containing some of history's priceless documents. And get to know Vatican security: the top-of-the-line procedures and practices utilized by a combination of Swiss Guards (elite guards to the Pope), Vatican police, and Italian police that keep the Pope and Vatican safe.