La Vie En Rose
Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Martins; Directed by Olivier Dahan
La Vie En Rose chronicles the turbulent life of famed French singer Edith Piaf. As a child she was repeatedly abandoned by negligent and uncaring adults, spent time in a whorehouse being raised by prostitutes who loved her like one of their own, then was pulled into circus life by her father, whose temper and ego resigned them both eventually to a life on the streets. It is here that Edith first discovers that she possesses an incredible gift for singing.
As she grows older, she uses this gift to earn money for her next meal (while warding off her derelict mother who has turned beggar), and the power of her voice soaring through the streets of Montmartre forces passerbys to stop in their tracks, and even earns her the mercy of local law enforcement. Not surprisingly, she is soon discovered by a talent scout who quickly sees to it that young Edith is catapulted to fame and glory. Edith's problems with alcohol and drugs, however, present since childhood, go to bloody battle against her will and determination to succeed. For "If I cannot sing," she says, "I will die."
Edith was a fearsome woman. Her unquenchable energy and enthusiasm was brought to join hands with staunch stubbornness and a mean streak that eventually gave way to her reputation as an intemperate and volatile diva. She carried herself like a stiff springboard, slightly hunched over, with hypnotic eyes that made you think she was either going to sock someone, or start blubbering. Whether she is cheering on her married lover at his championship boxing match, or sending up an impassioned prayer to Saint Therese, she never loses the zeal for living her full life in every waking moment. This is a fire that comes through in each and every one of her performances, tearing at her own heart and soul to give her audiences everything that she's got to give.
It is a life that unsurprisingly gives itself over to comparisons with America's own tragic diva, Judy Garland. When I watched a short interview with actress Marion Cotillard after the film had ended, I was stunned. What I saw was a timid, vulnerable 34-year-old sweetheart, who possessed a wealth of warmth and charm. How could this girl have portrayed the ungracefully aging volcanic train wreck of passion and rage that I had just witnessed onscreen a few minutes ago? I was amazed. I mean, I know actors are supposed to do this kind of thing for a living. I've seen impersonations and copycats. But never a reincarnation. Never. Something truly supernatural must have been going on here. I'm at a loss to understand it. If you watch it, you will have no other choice but to agree with me.
The storyline was not a straightforward timeline of events, but rather a scrapbook of highlights that flipped from back to front with increasing frequency. I'm not much in favor of that particular editing trick when it is used. I find it immensely distracting, and it seems to scattershot the flow of momentum and emotion. That aside, La Vie En Rose still holds up as a whirlwind of a lifetime of someone who truly became immortalized. "When I heard you sing," Marlene Dietrich tells her, "I was back in Paris." Her God-given gift has affected millions since, and we must always remember to keep these golden legends alive (on film, if nothing else) for the next generation to discover and experience.
Grading:
Story = A
Originality = A
DVD Features = B (only one seven-minute extra)
Acting = A
Enjoyability = B
Visuals = A-
Overall = A-
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