Aug 03, 2007 07:13 PM
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(Updated Aug 03, 2007 07:47 PM)
The french have a way with making movies and no one can do it as srylishly or realistically as them , and this is the latest evidence in support of that argument, in olivier dahans coupdetat biopic of edith piaf enacted perfectly by miss marion coutilard.
the story of the life and times of the legendary french singer who rose from the slums of paris to shine like a star even in new yorks mercenary concert halls is no ordinary tale at 149 minutes as it traces her life from a 3-year old child to her last moments in 1963.
PIAF was not her surname it means sparrow in french and was given to her by her early admirers and she sings just as sweetly .
the performance by coutillard is the centre-piece but the songs are actually the origonals sung by piaf herself and they are extraordinary , whether its the title song
la vie en rose
or her last song which she sang in olympia while she was critically ill
no regrets
It's the songs which play a great part in the narrative which is a trifle tedious as the movie keeps switching from one time to another , without any sequence , though it manages to cover most of her extra -ordinary life and loves , but it could have been simpler , though it is a triumph in the end .
The songs are the origonals and miss coutilard lipsynchronise them to great advantage , from the days of street busking in paris to the last concert in olympia its a delight to listen to the score .
the various agents , lovers and trainers who helped her climb the ladder to the top are all very well depicted from george depardieu as her early benefactor to marcel cedran[jean -baptiste daniels]the heavy weight boxing champion who was her last lover and died very tragically destroying her life along with his own death in a plane crash .
In a very touching scene after she sings la vie en rose in newyork , marlene dietrich comes publicly to compliment her saying for a moment her song transported her to paris as she was enchanted by her singing .
The production is superb from paris to california and brings out the eccentricity of a woman who was the best singer france has ever produced and yet who was on a self destructive streak despite her immense creativity .
In final analysis you will be very touched by the life of a small girl abandoned by her mother , brought up in the brothel of her grandmother and then patronized by the gangsters in the seedy bars of paris to finally make it as one of the greatest international singers of all times. The person who takes the most credit for this is miss coutillard who was last seen in the good year with russel crowe but here she is extra-ordinary and makes edith piaf come to life in a role which can easily win her an oscar .
YET AS PIAF SINGS IN THE END SHE HAD NO REGRETS AT ALL , EVERYTHING SERVED A PURPOSE AS IT DOES IN ALL OUR LIVES .
EDITH PIAF -THE SPARROW OF FRANCE who lived and died to sing and bring joy to millions of people
thanks for reading
