David O'ConnellLa Vie en Rose
January 29th 2009 02:01
I admit to being cynical about biopics and their self-serving content, bloated as they usually are with crowd-pleasing fiction and with the grittier finer details and sinister truths conveniently excised. Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose (2007) proves to be a dazzling exception thankfully, a vividly realized film with a cinematic purity that even a doubter like me couldn’t help be impressed with.
Tracing the tragic bittersweet life of singer and French national icon Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) – who I admit to knowing little about beforehand – the film races along with a fascinating non-linear structure, often switching between the declining years of Piaf’s life as she slowly imploded, and her impoverished upbringing which began on the streets of Paris, raised at first by her street-singing mother. Her father soon appears and dumps her in a brothel run by his own mother, where the young Edith is lovingly fussed over by the prostitutes, including the emotionally fragile Titine (Emanuelle Seigner) who becomes especially attached to her and is devastated when Edith’s father returns once more to take her away.
Edith’s talent only emerges through chance when forced to perform on the streets with her father but soon she's showing off her gift alongside her less-talented, loyal best friend Momone (Sylvie Testud). It seems inevitable when she soon attracts the attention of promoter Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) whose valuable assistance enables her to flourish.
The film follows Edith’s swift ascent to fame, which includes the calling of American promoters, but her journey is not without a series of traumatic hiccups along the way. Then there’s her search for love which comes later on in the form of another French star making it big in the States, boxer Marcel (Jean-Pierre Martins).
Nothing is easily endured for Edith and her arrogant, eccentric, outlandish and destructive - often ugly - personality doesn’t help matters along the way; the jump forwards in time mean we’re painfully aware of the haunted last years canceling out all the positive developments in her life. Somehow things seem destined to turn sour for Edith even as her star continues to dazzle, her impending iconic status a simple matter of destiny.
Cotillard immerses herself in the role of Edith and for once, an Oscar win was fully deserved. She captures the pain, the euphoria, the tumult, the spectacular highs and spiraling lows of Edith’s life and makes them her own in the most convincing fashion imaginable. It’s a truly great performance, and a flawless cast of supporting players beside her ensures the quality of the film never wavers.
Another star of La Vie en Rose is director Dahan whose cinematic sense is exceptional. The film is consistently interesting to look at with a dazzling array of camera moves and vivid colours, orchestrated in conjunction with brilliant cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata and the skilled editing of Richard Marizy. So many sequences stand out in the film; none more so than one revolving around the boxing ring as Edith attends one of Marcel’s bouts for the first time.
Even at nearly 140 minutes, the pace never slackens, nor does interest in this fascinating French icon, whose life is shown with all the grit, savage joy, wounded pride, and mental scars fully intact. La Vie en Rose was a sumptuous, extravagant surprise for me, one I’m glad I didn’t ignorantly bypass forever. Possibly one of the best biopics ever made, I can’t recommend this uncompromising film highly enough.
Tracing the tragic bittersweet life of singer and French national icon Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard) – who I admit to knowing little about beforehand – the film races along with a fascinating non-linear structure, often switching between the declining years of Piaf’s life as she slowly imploded, and her impoverished upbringing which began on the streets of Paris, raised at first by her street-singing mother. Her father soon appears and dumps her in a brothel run by his own mother, where the young Edith is lovingly fussed over by the prostitutes, including the emotionally fragile Titine (Emanuelle Seigner) who becomes especially attached to her and is devastated when Edith’s father returns once more to take her away.
Edith’s talent only emerges through chance when forced to perform on the streets with her father but soon she's showing off her gift alongside her less-talented, loyal best friend Momone (Sylvie Testud). It seems inevitable when she soon attracts the attention of promoter Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) whose valuable assistance enables her to flourish.
The film follows Edith’s swift ascent to fame, which includes the calling of American promoters, but her journey is not without a series of traumatic hiccups along the way. Then there’s her search for love which comes later on in the form of another French star making it big in the States, boxer Marcel (Jean-Pierre Martins).
Edith as a child in the brothel with Titine (Emanuelle Seigner) on the left and her grandmother.
Nothing is easily endured for Edith and her arrogant, eccentric, outlandish and destructive - often ugly - personality doesn’t help matters along the way; the jump forwards in time mean we’re painfully aware of the haunted last years canceling out all the positive developments in her life. Somehow things seem destined to turn sour for Edith even as her star continues to dazzle, her impending iconic status a simple matter of destiny.
Marion Cotillard is superb is her defining role as Edith
Cotillard immerses herself in the role of Edith and for once, an Oscar win was fully deserved. She captures the pain, the euphoria, the tumult, the spectacular highs and spiraling lows of Edith’s life and makes them her own in the most convincing fashion imaginable. It’s a truly great performance, and a flawless cast of supporting players beside her ensures the quality of the film never wavers.
Another star of La Vie en Rose is director Dahan whose cinematic sense is exceptional. The film is consistently interesting to look at with a dazzling array of camera moves and vivid colours, orchestrated in conjunction with brilliant cinematography by Tetsuo Nagata and the skilled editing of Richard Marizy. So many sequences stand out in the film; none more so than one revolving around the boxing ring as Edith attends one of Marcel’s bouts for the first time.
Even at nearly 140 minutes, the pace never slackens, nor does interest in this fascinating French icon, whose life is shown with all the grit, savage joy, wounded pride, and mental scars fully intact. La Vie en Rose was a sumptuous, extravagant surprise for me, one I’m glad I didn’t ignorantly bypass forever. Possibly one of the best biopics ever made, I can’t recommend this uncompromising film highly enough.
A tragic, pathetic figure towards the end
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Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
But the movie was exhilarating and fascinating! Piaf was quite a figure, and her songs are timeless...
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
She was an extraordinary figure that's for sure, I had fairly low expectations going in but found it to be a real surprise. I did like a lot of the music which was surprising too!
Comment by Teresa Ralton
MRS SMITH
READ THIS
SISTERS IN CRIME
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Marion Cotillard was amazing in this, she made the film for me. I didn't find Edith Piaf as she was portrayed to be at all likeable, but that portrayal was magnificent. And I adored the music. I had to download Padam Padam and Je Ne Regrette after watching this.
Nice review.
Michaelie
Comment by Cibbuano
Hunt Famous
Orble Post of the Day
Fat Cult
Techbreak
Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
The film has a really potent cinematic power though I think and her voice was amazing of course.
Yes Cib, let's see some more of Cotillard...............and not in more bad Russell Crowe movies either!!