Marion Cotillard takes the lead in this long awaited biopic of the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf - La Vie en Rose.
As with my review of "A Good Year", I won't lie and say I was always intending to watch this movie. But then I saw "Inception" and I suddenly realised I wanted to see "La Vie En Rose". And "Nine: The Musical". And "Taxi" again. And "Innocence". And "Public Enemies" again. And "Love Me If You Dare", etc etc. But, on watching "La Vie En Rose" I understood why all the attention given to this movie on first release. It is a marvellous piece of filmmaking. I am sometimes hesitant to rate these kinds of films - they seem to be too obviously "quality" movies, designed to get the attention of award bodies. "Solid" films, rather than cinema to be returned to. But this was a tour-de-force. Some of the scenes and images will remain with me for some time - Piaf knitting on the beach, Piaf being dragged from her new "mother" by her returning father, Piaf's reaction to the news of her lover's plane journey.
It seems - if further proof were in fact needed - that a certain French actress is far, far, far more than just a pretty face.
This is an enthralling, beautifully made film, with an exceptional performance from Marion Cotillard, as Piaf, for which she won a well deserved Oscar.
The superb photography, the poignant background music, often only a single accordian, evokes the true atmosphere of the Paris of Piaf. The narrow mean streets, the gloomy cafes and bars and the brothel, where Edith, as a child, experienced "mother" love for the first time in her life, from a prostitute. How much of this is poetic licence I am not sure, but it illustrates the pathos of her life.
It is, however, the sublime portryal of Piaf by Maron Cotillard which makes this an outstanding film.
She acts every facet of the singer's character faultlessly.
She is the bawdy, outrageous, rude exhibitionist and the desperately sad, lonely "little sparrow".
Her search for love, her loss of love, her grief and her dsperation are tangible.It would require a heart of stone not to be moved by this performance.
The only fault I could find in this film is the disjointed use of flasbacks, which are confusing at times.
The film is subtitled but this did not in any way detract fom my enjoyment.
It is udoubtedly a sad film, but it is also a triumph.
At the height of her career Edith met Marlene Dietrich and her words sum up the entire film for me "Your voice is the soul of Paris" The photography, the acting, the music do indeed portray the soul of Paris.
I can only urge you see this film - miss it and you miss one of the best films in a long time.
I guarantee you will be hummimg "Je ne regrette rien" for days after.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. On stage she was a singing legend. But for Edith Piaf, life was the greatest performance of all... The extraordinary life of Edith Piaf; from the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and to love... A swirling, impressionistic portrait of an artist who regretted nothing, writer/director Olivier Dahan's La Vie En Rose stars Marion Cotillard in a blazing performance as the legendary French icon.
A big screen treatment for one of France's most revered singers, Edith Piaf. From the slums of Paris to the limelight of New York, Piaf's life was a battle to sing and survive. Raised in poverty, Edith's unique voice and her passionate romances and friendships with the greatest names of the period - Yves Montand, Jean Cocteau, Charles Aznavour, Marlene Dietrich, Marcel Cerdan and others - made her a star all around the world.
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