Note: Marion Cotillard, playing the role of Edith Piaf, was the 2008 WINNER of the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in this film.
Non, rien de rien
Non, je ne regrette rien
Don’t plan to see this film and then go out for a lively night on the town. You will be so spent after the one hundred forty-one minutes of this gut-wrenching film that when the lights come on at the end, you’ll need a minut
e to figure out where you are, and then additional downtime to process all you’ve seen. Days later, you’ll still be thinking about this slice of life–and Piaf.
Piaf’s story is well known to her long-time fans–brought up in a brothel, wrested from the only life she knew by her father so they could join the circus, her teen years on the streets, her “rescue” by a crime figure who gave her the start to her career, and, ultimately, her international success and final illness. She was always frail, sickly, malnourished, and wildly temperamental. She was often on drugs or alcohol, and she was always in search of true love (not finding it till late in her life). All this is depicted here with its horrors and its rare moments of tenderness, the cinematography (Tetsuo Nagata) so brilliant that the realistic, dark settings invite the reader’s emotional entry into them and exploration of them.
Actress Marion Cotillard becomes Piaf, a physical likeness that is uncanny in its realism (one wonders if she can ever play another part without conjuring up Piaf’s image), and her emotional connection to Piaf’s music is total. Her song performances
are absolutely flawless, as are her gestures, and the only clue that she is lip-synching is the unmistakable Piaf voice that emerges from her mouth. Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu), the nightclub owner whose murder by organized crime draws Edith in for questioning, shows the genuine care he has for Edith and the tough face of a man who has seen and done it all.
Marcel Cerdan, the heavyweight boxer who captures her heart (Jean-Pierre Martins) gives her something to live for, besides her music–at least for a while–and it is genuinely affecting here to see how earthy and unaffected he is in her presence. The supporting actors, all French, are outstand
ing, and few viewers will forget Emmanuelle Seigner, playing prostitute Titine, who cared for Edith as a child.
The film belongs to Cotillard, however, and all aspects of the film, from the brilliant writing of Olivier Dahan (who also directed) and Isabelle Sobelman, to film editing (especially the lip-synching to Piaf’s songs), and the sets, costuming, and makeup, are designed to enhance her performance. The film follows no chronology, jumping from her childhood to her old age and then to some of the high points of her career, creating an impressionistic film of some of the signal moments in her life. It is difficult to imagine any biopic that will ever come close to this one in its power, but then, again, it’s difficult to imagine any singer who will ever capture the world’s imagination in quite the way that Piaf did.
Notes and links: This wonderful video of (real) Edith Piaf singing “Milord” captures Piaf’s charm and allure better than any other video I’ve ever found. http://www.dailymotion.com . Here she looks young and healthy and, even happy!
The movie poster (top photo) of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf attests to the uncanny resemblance between the actress and the singer, pictured in the photo of the real Edith Piaf directly below hers.
The first photo of (real) Edith Piaf appears here: http://listeningroom.lohudblogs.com It accompanies a blog entry about “The Cabbie Who Wept for Edith Piaf.”
The photo of Edith Piaf with Marcel Cerdan is on: http://michka.blog50.com
A video of Edith Piaf singing “La Vie en Rose” may be found at: http://www.dailymotion.com
A list of the many awards which this film has won may be found here: http://www.fandango.com
Monique Lange’s PIAF: A BIOGRAPHY, with many photographs, is reviewed here. http://marywhipplereviews.com/books/?p=15390 There are different links to songs and other sites here.
David Bret’s biography of Piaf, PIAF: A PASSIONATE LIFE, is reviewed here: http://marywhipplereviews.com This is more complete and less emotional than the film.
I’ve heard great things about Cotillard’s performance. Sounds like a good film to see. — Bobby
It’s stunning, Bobby. And as I’ve said before, it’s exhausting for the viewer, so many touching and emotional scenes without being maudlin. Best, Mary
Just read your wonderful review of La Vie En Rose. I completely forgot to see it when it came out, and then I just forgot about it all together. Saw it yesterday, and what a well-crafted and well-acted film. I was in tears. Her voice has been with me all day.
Isn’t it wonderful? I still get breathless when I think of that film. I saw Marion Cotillard on the Larry King Live Show a week or so ago, as part of the cast of the new movie NINE, and I wouldn’t have recognized her if my life had depended on it. She must have had extraordinary makeup and hair styling to look as much like Piaf as she does in the film. Best, Mary