997. La Vie en rose (2007)

Running Time: 140 minutes
Directed By: Olivier Dahan
Written By: Olivier Dahan, Isabelle Sobelman
Main Cast: Marion Cotillard, Gerard Depardieu, Sylvie Testud, Jean-Pierre Martins, Emmanuelle Seigner
Click here to view the trailer

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF EDITH PIAF

 After a brief respite (due to the fact that I'm on a seven day stretch at work), I've returned to shower you all with more of my mediocre movie reviews and pull myself one step closer to my ultimate goal of watching all 1001 of the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". This entry will highlight "La Vie en rose" - a 2007 biopic documenting the life of Parisian singer Edith Piaf.

To detail the plot of "La Vie en rose" would be to detail the life of Edith Piaf. Born in Paris, Edith Gassion, the daughter of a street singer, often neglected while her mother belted out tuned in exchange for coins, or hopefully a piece of two of paper money. When her mother neglected her to the point of Edith developing into a sickly child, her father stepped in and handed the child off to his mother, the madam of a whorehouse. At the brothel, Edith is fawned over by the prostitutes and taken under the wing of a particular girl named Titine (Seigner). Once a bond is formed between young Edith and Titine, she is ripped away from the brothel when her father returns to reclaim her. Her father, a contortionist for the circus, takes her on the road with him, but is fired soon after. When Edith's father takes his act to the street, the crowd demands that Edith be made part of the act and when she belts out a rendition of "La Marseillaise", Edith Piaf is born. From there, Edith takes to the streets well into her teenage years, singing for money. Later, she is discovered by Louis Leplee (Depardieu), the proprietor of a cabaret. Her star continues to soar, as she gains worldwide fame, often traveling to New York to perform. As her star rises, her health deteriorates, as she's involved in an auto accident and gets addicted to morphine. The story is told in non-linear format, shifting back and forth between Edith's life in a linear narrative and Edith in her final days.

In my opinion, there are two golden rules when it comes to a biopic. They are:

1. If you know the subject, prior to seeing the film, it will make for a much more enjoyable experience. You'll be familiar with the subject and be able to see the events that shaped their life fictionalized and it's just a lot more fun if you know what's going down.

2. If you don't know the subject of said biopic, then it is the goal of the filmmaker to interest you in the life of the subject and educate you on the importance of the figure. This is the category I fell in, as it pertains to "La Vie en rose"...

...However, I'm not so sure the filmmaker (in this case Olivier Duhan) enticed me enough into the life of Edith. I thank the film for the education, that's for sure. Prior to watching this film, all I knew about Edith Piaf was that she was a singer and I only knew that because I read the plot synopsis on the Netflix sleeve. The film reminded me of all the great people that were born and died before I was even born. It's amazing to think of the amount of greatness that came and went prior to my birth.

I've got to say that I wasn't all that thrilled with the way the story was told either. I think going in a straight, linear path would have been the way to go, especially when it comes to a biopic, the type of film that basically writes itself. I applaud the filmmaker's for trying to tinker with the recipe for a biopic, but I think, ultimately, it wasn't a successful way to tell the story. I found myself being more intrigued with the life of Edith as the story went on. When the film started, I felt like this would just be another hard luck story about a woman who overcame the raw hand she was dealt to rise to super stardom. However, as the film went along, I realized that Edith's story wasn't a typical story and the events that shaped her life weren't your typical events. For someone unfamiliar with Edith (yours truly) there were surprises to be had and as the film progressed I found myself more and more drawn into the life of Edith Piaf. And do I even have to mention Marion Cotillard's performance. It was phenomenal, nuff' said.

RATING: 6.5/10  A '7' just seems a tad too much, so I'll draw the line at half past six and maybe I'll stew on that for a few days until recap time rolls along.

MOVIES WATCHED: 434
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 567

COMING SOON: 
**SEVEN SHADOWS begins tomorrow, with an introduction from Karen Burroughs Hannsberry. Starting Tuesday, the seven films start flowing, including: "Murder, My Sweet", "Mildred Pierce", "The Postman Always Rings Twice", "The Killers", "Out of the Past", "Gun Crazy" and "The Asphalt Jungle".

Also, coming this week: 
City of God (2002 - Fernando Meirelles)
3-Iron (2004 - Kim Ki-duk)
Traffic (2000 - Steven Soderbergh)
Now, Voyager (1942 - Irving Rapper)

April 29, 2012  10:26pm