La Vie En Rose on DVD (2007)

Give MARION COTILLARD BEST ACTRESS OSCAR now!

QPR Olly from Shepherd's Bush,England [Highly rated reviewer] , 24/06/2007

A five hankie biopic of Edith Piaf's tortured life featuring a spellbinding performance from Marion Cottilard as 'The Little Sparrow' EP.Never have I seen any actor so convincingly age 35 years, - (the film covers the years 1918-1963) - or so during a film.The film is not told chronologically, so for example, one moment you'll see Edith at her glowing happy zenith, when she is romancing heavyweight champion Marcel Cerdan and the next you'll see her bent double ravaged by debilitating illness in her final years. This is not just excellent make-up but an unequalled display of bravura acting skill. Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash,JamieFoxx as Ray Charles and Denzell as Malcolm X, all put in fine turns in recent biopics but this is something else-Cottilard IS Piaf. The two girls acting young Edith are also good,as is all the cast including a nice cameo as her kind-hearted manager from Gerard Depardieu.The stirring all-important music, (including a lovely acapella 'Marseillais') is magnificent throughout - having not been to a cinema for a long time,I was impressed with the top surround-sound you get there,far better than from DVDs at home.At one point there is a bone-shaking car crash where the noise is so visceral,I checked my legs to see if they were still there.One quibble would be that some of Piaf's more famous tunes did not feature subtitles.Another is that the film is maybe 20 minutes too long,-it could easily have finished after an affectingly staged death of a leading character and then there is a rather tacked-on bit where we belatedly discover that Edith revisited the sins done to her by her mother on a child of her own. Minor weaknesses however;if you don't cry and feel uplifted by this film,you have no soul.

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Magical musical period piece. Give her an Oscar!

A customer from London , 04/08/2007

This is the magnificently told story of one of France’s most iconic singers, Edith Piaf, set in the early part of the 20th century. I liked it so much I bought the music CD and will probably buy a few other copies for friends too. I will probably buy the DVD as it is one to watch again. The expression ‘give her an Oscar’ seems never truer here. I hope she gets one.

The story broadly takes you from the singer’s rank poverty, her self-important non-parents, the discovery of her talent and her being briefly recognised as an international singing talent, alcohol being the omnipresent destroyer. The music performances in the film are an absolute delight.

There are lots of reason’s for seeing this film; if you are a Francophile (c’est moi), it is a must; if you know the name Edith Piaf but know nothing (like, where does ‘Café Piaf’ come from?), or heard that song ‘je ne regrette rien’, then this is a great opportunity to fill that history gap. A devout music fan? See it. Even as a piece of stand alone good film I would highly recommend it.

If you like special effects, Hollywood, Brad & Angelina, fast action and car chases, then don’t bother. Go buy a soda instead. But if you like learning something, period drama, history, beautiful music and Dépardieu, then this is for you. Don’t forget to have tissues and a bottle of good French wine close by.

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What a disappointment!

A customer from Lichfield , 28/11/2007

A sad, hard, mixed-up life turned into a sad, hard, mixed-up film. Some beautiful moments but far too muddled - it could, and should, have been so much better!

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INCREDIBLE ... SHE DESERVES AN OSCAR

seb from london [Highly rated reviewer] , 30/11/2007

I watched it last night and , my god, I didn't expected the movie to be that moving and certainly didn't expect the performance of Marion Cotillard.

The actress, such a gorgeous girl in real life , is totally transformed in this tortured woman who gave everything to her lovers , fans , friends and consumed herself for the love of...love.

I haven't witnessed such a performance for a long , long time . I was gobsmacked.

You live with her breath with her , suffer with her , love with her.

The photography is beautiful too and you go from one picture to another moving in time and space .

Beware people with deficit attention and adept of 'fast food cinema ' , this movie is a journey and it can seems quite long for some , but you can't condense her life and everything she's been through in 1h30.

There s no timeline either , you go back and forth , like a slideshow . it can seems messy for someone , it seemed crazy to me . Crazy like her , powerful like her music.

I'm french and the only bad point is the subtitles, during the songs, who , instead of translating the lyrics and make people aware of what she sings exactly, try to make them rhyme in english( What a stupid idea !!!), so you don't get an accurate idea of the power of the words. But all the rest is fine .

Just sit back, relax and let yourself go in the chaotic whirpool of Edith Piaf's soul.

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I want to see another film about Edith Piaf!

TheFlaneur from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 20/12/2007

You really can't go wrong writing a story about a doomed singer plagued with inner demons brought up in a brothel only to be snatched back by her vagabond father to perform initially in a circus.

The story of Piath though was edited badly in my opinion switching back and forth and there was a feeling that Piath's life was somehow more interesting than the film showed us.There's many a lingering shot of Piath's suffering at the hands of men, drugs and so forth but what about her joys in life?It was like watching a French Eastenders!I think this film will appeal to a female audience more than male, in the same way that Brick Lane and The Tina Turner Story does.This ones in French though so it might not get as many bums on seats due to the subtitles. Though the film attempts to get a bigger audience by concentrating the main bulk of the film on Piaf's time in America. Theres a big audience there in the States and lots of bums on seats (eating Freedom fries?)

Because of the story of Piath I want to know more about her and hope that there's another film which is just better made than this one. Confusing storyline, grief obssessed, poorly lit but still watchable.

That said the actress playing her does a amazing job and DePardeau is truly great as the impressario.

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Je regrette - a little

A customer from London , 20/10/2008

As someone who adores Piaf's songs, I was a little disappointed by the film.

Sure, there are some deeply moving moments and the songs remain as sublime as ever but the film is far too fragmentary. The viewer is presented with atmospheric vignettes either tinged with triumph but, more often, tragedy.

A conspicuous omission from the film was the absence of any material on the occupation and the immediate post war period. Piaf's dalliance with America is given disptoportionate coverage.

The film is deeply flawed but has glimpses of a masterpiece. It leaves rhe viewer with a sense of what might have been.

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