La Vie en Rose (2007)

his magnificent performance. puzzle of a legendary life and career. a homage. and one of gems who recreates not exactly an existence but a form of definition of life. a bitter story about success, sacrifices, love and survive. and force to impose small victories as steps to self definition. not a comfortable film. far to be a lesson or support for charming dreams. only a confession. clear, brutal, honest, cruel, bitter. memories from a fight against death, hope and every form of illusion. end of a circle. Edith Piaf becomes a presence scene by scene. more than a character, it is one of heroes who reminds the simplicity of success. a film about roots and skin and blood and fruits of life. in high honest manner. using a great actress who becomes part of her role. Marion Cotillard. in a special, for its extraordinary force of message, film.

I am convinced that this is one of the finest acting feats for a biopic by any actor along with Jamie Foxx for Ray and Meryl Streep for the Iron Lady come to mind. Also Charlize Theron for Monster.As in all the cases, Marion Cotillard is able to bring to the screen the charisma of the character that she is portraying and that is what gets you hooked.There is a lot of content, which is somewhat non-linear and can be a little irritating at times and a little tiring.The characterization of Edith Piaf from Poverty and struggle to riches based only on her talent is quite inspiring.The film shows the vulnerability that the best of the talents have to endure from the mass of attention that surrounds them. It is not always easy to cope with them and those that can't, end up very miserable.However, this film in general doesn't seem to have much purpose, e.g. to address the larger music scene. It tends to focus only on Piaf and her strong hallucinations as well as tantrums. It would have been nice had the film had a broader context. But nonetheless, the film handled its content quite nicely but lacked a sense of direction in general.If you are looking for great acting performances, watch this. If you are looking for great stories, this may be skipped.

Certainly one of the best films I have seen in recent years, this is a wonderful portrait of an incredible woman. Everything about the film is first class from the costumes, to the photography, the script and especially the performances. Marion Cotillard is breathtaking and simply astonishing as Edith Piaf and does the 'Little Sparrow' justice. She has captured her mannerisms and movements and brings Piaf back to life and hopefully to new audiences. Given it's subject, this film could have been overwhelmingly sad and emotional, but the director doesn't let that happen and so Piaf's story, like her life, is ultimately a triumph of love and passion over tragedy and leaves one feeling surprisingly hopeful.I would recommend this film to anyone who loves movies, music and of course, Piaf herself.

I enjoyed this movie immensely, even though I was unaware that it was in French with English subtitles when I bought it. However, I do believe it could only be made in French. I had some French in high school so here and there I caught some words, but would not be able to follow the movie without the subtitles. But because of my high school French classes I knew who Edith Piaf was and the lyrics to several of her songs before watching the movie. I think that's what got me interested and also understanding the lyrics of her songs I believe is an important component of appreciating the songs and her art. For those who do not speak any French, translations are available online. As for the movie itself, the only part I really did not enjoy was the time travel back and forth throughout the movie. I would much prefer a orderly chronological telling of the story. However, other than that, I found it both interesting and enjoyable. The experience left me wanting to learn more about the singer and spend time online looking at videos of her singing, reading more details, etc. I was surprised to learn that many people here have no idea who she was and never heard of any of her songs. For those who fall into this category and have no interest in history, only the here and now, this may not be a good choice. But or those who like to be transported into another time and another life, this true story is certainly gripping. I know it's one of those movies I will enjoy watching over and over again.