Not Coming to a Theater Near You
What do you think she meant when she said “a huge black monster with giant claws”?
What do you think she meant when she said “a huge black monster with giant claws”?
La Vie en Rose has the feel of a traditional Hollywood biopic, which is to say that what it doesn’t deliver in terms of filmmaking it more than makes up for in terms of performance. Marion Cotillard (who I last saw playing Russell Crowe’s token European love interest in A Good Year) is a revelation as Edith Piaf, channeling the singer’s tumultuous life with such ferocity and vivacity that I felt somewhat exhausted by the time the credits rolled (though the film’s running time might have also had something to do with that). It’s a remarkable performance, and if she’s not up on that Oscar podium next year, I’ll be shocked.
by Beth Gilligan | Source: Picturehouse 35mm print
02 Mar 2007 10:42 PM | Comments (1)
As an American on business in Germany, I had the opportunity of seeing this in Munich, dubbed in German ( I speak neither German nor French). Without being able to understand either the dialogue or the songs (I’ve loved Edith Piaf for 40 years without understanding a word when sung in French), I was completely bowled over by this film. To say that Marion Cotillard is a revelation is putting it mildly. She so captures every nuance of Ms. Piaf, you lose sight of the fact she is only acting. While the film moves back and forth in time at a jarring pace, it is only near the end that you finally realize that each flash back, each flash forward, ties her sordid upbringing to her untmely passing. Brilliant film making!!!!!!!
Gary
10 March 2007
2:57 PM