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Synopsis
According
to Marlene Dietrich, chanteuse Edith Piaf's voice was "the
soul of Paris." This French drama explores the often
troubled life of the singer as her fame took her from the
City of Lights to America to the South of France. Abandoned
by her mother, Piaf grew up in her grandmother's brothel and
her father's circus, which is hardly the fun one might
imagine. While singing on the streets of Paris as a teen,
Piaf (played as an adult by Marion Cotillard, A VERY LONG
ENGAGEMENT) is discovered by club owner Louis Leplee (Gerard
Depardieu), and this chance encounter changes the woman's
life. Her powerful voice takes her all over the globe, but
it can't guard her from the pain and suffering she can't
avoid.
As Piaf, Cotillard is mesmerizing. She fully inhabits the
singer's ivory skin, crafting a character that never
descends into caricature or camp. She lip syncs to Piaf's
legendary voice, but the performance is seamless. Like WALK
THE LINE and RAY, this biopic creates a fascinating picture
of an artist whose songs only begin to reflect the singer's
painful life. But director-writer Olivier Dahan (LA VIE
PROMISE) doesn't take the traditional biopic route with LA
VIE EN ROSE. Instead, the film jumps between various moments
in the singer-s life, with little concern for linear
narrative. Cotillard is just as adept at playing the teenage
Piaf as she is the songbird on her deathbed at the age of
47, and it's her amazing performance that makes LA VIE EN
ROSE worth seeing.
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